Did you miss me? ;-) - August 30, 2023

Sometimes, getting what you wished for turns out not too badly.

You've seen my griping about needing a change of scenery.  The Husband has heard it (repeatedly) too, and he took me seriously enough to tack a couple of days onto a business trip to Nashville so that we could do some sightseeing.  We went to the Grand Ole Opry Saturday night.  Sunday, my cousin came to our hotel, and we visited the afternoon away.  

There were two other things on my list that I intended to do, visit the Tennessee State Museum and the state archives.  I wound up not doing either one, because one of the "side-trips" that the seminar provided was to the Goo-Goo Cluster store.  It was right smack in the middle of the day Monday, which didn't leave enough time to properly do either the museum or the archives, but this tour was a wine-and-chocolate-pairing tour (sanctioned day-drinking!); learning that we'd get to make our own Goo-Goo Clusters sealed the deal.  

The tour group was made up of people from all over the U.S.  It shocked me that most of them had never heard of a Goo-Goo Cluster.  

We listened to a short history of the candy, then donned aprons (which we got to keep) and gloves, and chose our own ingredients from little cups on a table - various flavored nougats, caramel, nuts, crunchy things.  We put them in a mold that was already lined with chocolate, then the candy person sealed the top with more chocolate and cooled it.  I left the store with a hockey puck-sized piece of chocolate, filled with salted caramel, brown sugar nougat, pecans, toffee, and pretzel pieces.  

O.M.G.

Monday night we went to dinner with the Tennessee group.  The food was ridiculously expensive.  

I could have gone to the museum Tuesday, but I didn't.  Ten years ago, I would have hopped in the car and driven myself, but city traffic unnerves me these days, especially in an unfamiliar place.  I might have plastered a few tourists doing stupid sh*t on electric scooters.  In broad open daylight, there were open-air buses full of drunk people, zooming around, thumping music.  Sensory overload!  I stayed in the room and painted.

Yes, I took my paints.

It is good to be home and sitting on the back porch, with only the sounds of bugs and frogs assaulting my ears.

So far, so good - August 24, 2023

This has been a pretty good week, so far.  Since The Granddaughters went home, I've been busy catching up the household chores.  What excitement!  ;)  In between chores and official on-the-clock work, I've done a lot of drawing and painting.  It is the art that has made it a pretty good week.

Another bright spot in my week was getting an official on-the-clock project to do.

Ended the workday watching Granddaughter #2 play volleyball while smooching on #'s 3 and 4 on the bleachers. 

Back to Normal - August 21, 2023

Whew...last week was a whirlwind.

Granddaughters #2 and #3 went home Friday after school.  Their parents made it home just in time to pick them up.  Later in the day, Son #2 came to get all the stuff they left here, including Duffy the Cat.  Friday was a hard day for the parents, leaving their child at a school so far away, but they were also missing the ones they left with us, making coming home a little sweeter.

I was delighted to be rid of Duffy.  He is not trustworthy and will misbehave the minute no one is looking.  His heart's desire is to leap onto the living room windowsill, where there is a row of African violets to knock to the floor.  To keep him from doing that, I started bringing him out to the porch with me, where he can see birds, listen to frogs, and chase lizards that find their way past the screen doors.  He loves it.

Friday while we were on the porch, I decided to vacuum dust and spider webs from the corners.  Duffy was on the other side of the porch, staring at something through the screen.  When I turned on the vacuum cleaner, I saw a flash and heard the kitchen screen door slam, and looked around, and Duffy was scrambling up the screen door, frantically trying to get in the house (which he could not do because the "big door" was shut).  I grabbed my phone and recorded a minute-long video of his unsuccessful attempts, until he finally gave up and jumped down to the floor and hid.  When I began to vacuum, the rumble of the vacuum cleaner across the boards set him on another panic, a few seconds of which I managed to record.

His big heavy butt just about tore the screen plumb off the door.

ROFLMAO.

Granddaughter #3's stomachache abated somewhat mid-morning on Tuesday when her other grandmother offered to come get her for the afternoon and let her help paint a picnic table.  I was somewhat relieved, as I had already tried (without much success) to keep #3 occupied.  The truth was that #3 was missing her parents and was sad that her oldest sister had gone off to college, and there wasn't much I could do about that, short of driving her across the state to be with them.

#2 had a volleyball game Tuesday afternoon at 4:00.  I picked up her and a teammate, delivered them to the school, and stayed for the game.  This was the first volleyball game that I'd ever seen in person, and it was kind of exciting to watch.  Not knowing the rules, I was a little bewildered, but some veteran parents and grandparents helped explain things.  After the game, we grabbed some fast food and came home.

By this time, #3 had decided that she was going to spend the night with her other grandmother, who would take her to school the next morning.  Again, this was a relief, for the next day was my "office day," and I was worried about how I would get everyone (including myself) where they needed to be on time.  Delivering #2 to school and getting to the office on time was easy.

Mid-morning, I learned that #3 had developed another stomachache and was crying, but her mother had insisted that she stay at school, anyway.  The other grandmother picked her up from school.

I had to leave work a little early to get #2 to another volleyball game.  She had ridden the school bus to her house, so I picked her up there and delivered her to school, then went to pick up #3 at her grandmother's house.  #3 and I went back to school to wait for the volleyball game to end, then all three of us went out for dinner.  During dinner, we learned that their parents were not coming home the next day as originally planned, as they wanted to stay and meet #1's roommate, who wouldn't be there until Friday.  This news sent #3 into another tearful disappointment.  

At home, #3 started crying again at bedtime, missing her family.  We cuddled on the couch until she went to sleep.  She slept on the couch all night.  I slept very little.  

This morning, I had to get both girls to their schools (10 miles apart), so we had to get up and get moving a little earlier than usual.  I was worried that #3 would have another meltdown, but she didn't.  I think that, by this time, she is pissed.  When her mother called before we left for school, she sort of flung the phone away when the conversation ended., and I didn't see any tears when I dropped her off at school.

Surely her parents will be home some time tomorrow.  

They may be crying by then. 

Stomachache - August 15, 2023

It's been a while since I've gotten children off to school.  

Yesterday went smoothly.  The Husband took Granddaughter #3 to school on his way to work, and I took #2.  Came home and worked until 2:30, when it was time to pick up #3.

#2 had volleyball practice after school and had estimated a 5:00 pickup time.  At 4:45, while #3 and I were in the grocery store, #2 called to ask if I was picking her up.  "I'll be there in 10 minutes."  

Baths and bedtime went off without a hitch.

This morning, everything proceeded as it had the day before until I was on my way home from dropping off #2.  The Husband called with the news that #3 had developed a stomachache on the way to school, and he was bringing her back home.

This child has had a stomachache on school days (but not weekends or summer breaks) ever since she was in pre-school.  

I gave her a baby aspirin and suggested that bed rest might help.  :-/

Off to College - August 14, 2023

Well, Granddaughter #1 has made it safely to college at the other end of the state.  Her parents and the Little Rotten Baby accompanied her to help her move in and shop for last-minute things she didn't know she needed.  They'll be home later this week.  Meanwhile, Granddaughters #2 and #3 and Duffy the Cat are with us.  Duffy's canine brothers are with the other grandparents.

We picked up the granddaughters and the cat at their house.  Saying goodbye to #1 was tough.  I vowed not to cry, and managed well until I heard The Husband sniffle as we were backing out of the driveway to go home.  

We'd scarcely gotten home with the girls when #2 talked #3 into asking me to take them shopping.  The store where they wanted to shop is full of nothing but cheap bait for kids - almost everything is $5 or less.  Though shopping for anything is anathema to me, we went shopping.  Upon seeing all the trinkets they were dropping in their basket - fake nails, lip gloss, little tubs of glittery slime, etc. - I feared for our bank account, but the total wasn't all that bad.  

The girls like spaghetti, so that's what I fixed for supper.  When I asked whether they wanted salad or slaw with the spaghetti, one said salad, the other said slaw, so we had both.  #3, the nine-year-old, is the slaw girl.  When she was 2, while preparing for a cookout at her house, I asked her dad if he wanted me to make slaw.  From the other room, #3 said, "I want you to."  It seemed funny to me that she had been listening to our conversation, and funny that she knew what slaw was at age 2.  It seemed even funnier when she pigged out it.  What 2-year-old eats slaw?  She pigged out on it again last night.  

The salad-eater never ate any salad, having gotten too full on garlic bread.

#3 is a tender-hearted child and tears-up easily.  After dinner, she borrowed my phone and sent her sister a voice message that she loves her and misses her.  At bedtime, she gave my phone back, clearly disappointed that her sister had not replied.  This morning at breakfast, she said she cried all night, missing her sister.  Her eyes were puffy and red, and she teared up again at the table.  But we talked about it, and she seemed okay when The Husband dropped her off at school on his way to work.  

#2, being an official teenager, is mostly eager to confiscate her older sister's bedroom.  I took her to school this morning.  She was loaded down with stuff:  a heavy bookbag, a gym bag of volleyball clothes and shoes, a lunchbox.  She has a locker, but apparently doesn't use it much.  How she manages to lug all that stuff around all day is bewildering.  She will play in her first official volleyball game tomorrow.  Nanny and I, who have spent many an hour on baseball, football, and softball bleachers, will go and learn the rules of volleyball.

I worry mostly about my son and daughter-in-law.  A child moving out (for whatever reason) is a big life event for both the child and the parent.  My daughter-in-law is a worrier, and a warrior, and will find it hard to turn loose of her baby.  At least she is able to voice her worries, something that my son is genetically unable to do. 

Rain, rain, rain - August 10, 2023

Yesterday morning the weatherman was predicting storms throughout the day and into the night.  This county has had about enough of storms these past few months.  The March 31 tornado took out two schools - elementary and middle schools that were built next to each other - and the county has erected two temporary facilities in a new setting to serve as schools.  Monday was the first day of the new school year.  Yesterday's storm unnerved the students; the tent-like structures didn't shelter them from the noise of the rain and thunder, and many of the kids were scared.  School wasn't cancelled for the day, but kids were allowed to go home if they were scared and had someone who could pick them up.  I imagine the noise level made it impossible to teach or learn, anyway.

It rained off and on all day and was still raining as I left work (it was "office day").  

We'd planned a dinner with our granddaughter, who is leaving for college this weekend - just pizza at her house because everyone's busy schedules couldn't accommodate anything more complicated.  The point, anyway, was not the food, it was just to spend a little extra time with the kid.  It was a nice visit.  

It rained off and on all night.  At some point, the power went out.  I slept fitfully after that, worrying about over-sleeping.  Who was I kidding?  I'm always up at the crack of dawn, rain or shine.

Today is another dreary day.  Blah.

And just as I typed that, the sun came out.

Feeling Old - August 8, 2025

My two siblings and I are feeling old this week.

Last week, my sister-in-law fell and broke her leg while on vacation in Colorado with her children and grandchildren.  My brother, who had gone to Texas to see his grandchildren, flew out to Colorado and is staying with her at a rehab facility.  He sounded tired when I talked to him tonight.

Yesterday, my sister fell and broke her wrist.  She face-planted on concrete.  Her glasses cut her nose, and she had to have a couple of stitches.  She has two black eyes and says her face hurts worse than her wrist.  She sounded tired and weak.

As of this moment, I am physically intact, but somewhat mentally scattered.  Anxious, maybe, about Granddaughter #1 going off to college.  Frustrated at work.  Irked that I can't paint worth a shit.

I went to painting class this morning.  (Yes, it was during work hours, but I'd gotten up early and had already done my work.)  I worked on the acrylic painting I started last week.  It needs more work.  If I don't finish it in the next two weeks (when my one-month class fee expires), I'll probably never finish it.  It would be lovely to finish something, some day.

Grandchildren Rule - August 7, 2023

Grandchildren commandeered our time this past weekend.  That was okay with us, for there's not much we'd rather do than hang out with them.

Toward the end of the week, The Grandson texted me to ask if I would take him shopping for school supplies.  (School starts today.)  Of course, I agreed, and told him we'd do go shopping Sunday, as Saturday was already booked with doings for Granddaughter #2's 13th birthday party.  

I picked The Grandson up around noon Saturday, and we went to the bakery to pick up the birthday cake.  We delivered it, then came home, picked up Nanny and The Husband, and went back to the birthday party.

#2 is a lovely girl.  She inherited her looks and her physique - long and lean - from her other grandmother.  And she is smart, a straight-A student.  For the past two years, she's been on her middle school's track team and in the band (trumpet player).  This year, she is on the volleyball team.  I hope she chose to remain in the band this year - her band director absolutely forbade her to quit - and will continue through high school.  

Having raised only boys, and having lived half a century since I was 13, I had no clue what gifts today's 13-year-old girls might want.  #2 was kind enough to supply me with links to things she'd like to have, an "instant" camera kit and a fake fingernails kit.  (The camera request amused me, for I was about her age when someone gave me a Polaroid instant camera for Christmas, one of the few gifts I specifically remember.)  It was fun to watch her open her presents, fun to see what she got:  jewelry, perfume, creams and lotions and hair stuff and make-up.  Sounds about right for 13, I guess.  :)

After the party, The Grandson came home with us to spend the night.  We played a little Zelda together for old times' sake.  At 16, he is 6'3" tall.  Like his father, he went through a period of chubbiness in his middle school years, but now he's lean, and handsome with a head full of curly dark hair.  We spent a lot of time talking - politics, future plans, family stories, all kinds of things.  I'm proud of his intellect and his politeness.  He's a good kid.  

After Sunday breakfast, we loafed a while, then went shopping.  It is hard to believe how expensive it is these days to get a kid ready for school.  The supply list is extensive.  While The Grandson and The Husband shopped for school supplies, I shopped for groceries.  We finished at the same time and took our separate carts through neighboring check-out lanes.  The school supplies cost half again as much the groceries.

We dropped The Grandson off at his house after the shopping trip, came home, and went back to acting like old people.

Official Teenager - August 5, 2023

Granddaughter #3 attained her teenage-hood this week.  Her birthday party is today.  She's getting a store-bought birthday cake this year, a fancy one with fondant and stuff.  In a little while, I'm going to pick up The Grandson in a little while, and we will go pick up the cake, which we will deliver before coming back to the hill to pick up Nanny.  

Nobody had invited Nanny to the party until I called her this morning to tell her what time we'd pick her up.  (Once again, we all assumed that someone else had done it.)  She started worrying about a card and a present.  I had just finished painting a card with some birds and peach blossoms on it and have an envelope that fits it.  Nanny jumped on the idea when I offered her the card. 

Here's the "practice" card I painted last night on the back porch in about 5 minutes.  Even smeared as it is, it's better than today's "real" card.  

I hope this party puts me in a better mood.  I have had the mulligrubbs all week.  The job.  The house.  The kids and grandkids.  Part of the problem may be that I have been stuck (voluntarily) in this house since January, when I started working from home.  Last week, I decided to join a painting class for a month.  This class is sort of a free-style thing, where people come in and paint whatever they want to paint in whatever medium they want to dabble.  It's been years since I have painted with acrylics and never was any good at it, but I saw a picture of some black-eyed Susans and decided to try to paint it with acrylics.  When I left the class last Tuesday, I'd painted the background, and it had turned out fairly well.  At home, the flowers didn't turn out so well, and the more I worked on them, the worse they got.  I finally just painted over all of them and hope to get some help at next Tuesday's class.   At this point, they have so many layers of paint on them they may be beyond fixing.

Painting with acrylics has a downside:  the clean-up.  Watercolors have spoiled me.  They can be left on the palette and re-hydrated when the mood to paint strikes.  Acrylics dry up before the day is over and cannot be used.  Before last week's class, I got a brand-new palette - I have a bunch of them, but they are all coated with dried paint, and I was ashamed to take any of them to class.  - and promised myself that I would keep the new one clean and not let paint dry on it.  

I failed.

Salsa - August 1, 2023

I had the heebie-jeebies yesterday.  After finishing what little "official" work I had, I roamed the house looking for something to do.  Tried painting but wasn't feeling it, so nothing came out right.  Mid-morning I vacuumed and mopped the floors.  By noon, I was out of anything to do, so I sat down at the computer and did a little web surfing.  In the process, I stumbled across a recipe for "restaurant-style salsa" and decided to give it a try with the tomatoes we'd laid out to ripen on the porch rail.  There were just enough tomatoes, but I did not have enough bell peppers and jalapeno peppers on hand, so I went to the garden and managed to scrap up enough to make the recipe.  It turned out better than recipes from past years.  It made 6 pints.

The salsa-making ate up the rest of the afternoon, counting the clean-up, which involved washing nearly every pot, pan, and kitchen utensil in the house.  

Canning is work, y'all.

Thankfully, I did not have to cook supper, since we had all those leftovers from Sunday.