I have a lovely grandaughter who today is 15 years old. I remember 15… it did not much move me to greatness, just an end to sucky 14 and a hell-o to dull fifteen sort of thing…oh hum!

YOU ARE GREAT…

This particular grandaughter has become so familiar to me…she reminds me of me! The big difference is that I am an only child and had to amuse myself and learn to live and accept the ‘real’ me and get used to the idea that I was different and that was an ‘okay’ thing…

Unlike me, our birthday girl, has a household of siblings to live with…such a blessing for an inward private girl to be able to hide amongst them and secretly taunt! It gets so busy and noisy about the house that she seeks a small space somewhere to digest the day, sulk if she chooses and contemplate the world…or to do absolutely nothing!

I think I know her…she does not like to be center stage, her thoughts are private, personal and her own. She is very conscience of the changes happening to her and somewhat confused in finding her place in the world. Her drum beat is not like anyone elses. Geez….she’s a teenager!!

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD..?

I relate totally to her reserve and quiet contemplation of who she is and what she chooses to become. It took me years to discover that I am my own unique  individual….that I represent myself and I am comfortable with that…so others better be too!

Life has a way of teaching that although one might feel like a square peg being put in a round hole…that in time the passages of living wear down those sharp edges and waa-laa you fit in that hole pretty well….

HER OWN UNIQUENESS…

My grandaughter is a bright, beautiful young woman.  She is a talented musician and she will one day soon realize that her uniqueness will stand heads above her peers and that by being different is her hallmark as a lovely daughter of her Heavenly Father.

WISHING FOR HER…

My birthday wish for her is that she laughs more often, give hugs with gusto and turns her caustic humor into finding herself and enjoying the process and laughing all the way during her life’s journey!

NANA SPEAKS…

Teenagehood is difficult at best…hang on and the world will bring many opportunities to you, and you will make a place for yourself that will be an example and a positive light to those who so greatly love you.

 May your beautiful face continue to illuminate our hearts… 

May your day be yours…in the way you wish it to be!

Happy Birthday and our love forever,

Nan and Grandad

This last weekend brought about a fun activity for the girls in our family… my two daughters, grandaughter, daughter-in-law and I went to a baby shower for our niece/grandaughter.

The last time we did something like this was a few years ago when we went to the soon-to-be new mommy’s bridal shower…

IT’S A GIRL THING…

It was a typical warm summer morning and we decided to make a day of it. We all tumbled into Grandad’s van and headed north…to what is known as fruit alley where local farmers have roadside stands of all the season’s fruits and vegetables.

YAKKETY YAK…

We, of course, had a steady stream of conversation….girl stuff. Catching up on the children, the good, the bad, the ugly. I was fussing as to whether we might be too early for the summer crops but was not disappointed at what we found available. There was a bevy of choices from melons, plums, strawberries to tomatoes, squash and string beans. I was particularly interested in stuff to stuff into my new freezer…

FILLED THE VAN…

I loaded up with several things but was amazed to find red raspberries since most of this year’s local crop was damaged. I had just made apricot jam that turned out great because my family likes it like syrup to pour on pancakes and this year’s batch was screwed up just enough to be perfect…? So…I was hoping to find raspberries so I can make a screwed up batch of berry syrup also!!

It is a bit early for the peaches which gives me a good excuse to borrow Grandad’s van and load up the girls and do another trip again real soon.

LUNCHTIME…

We have heard for years about a great place to eat on fruit alley, so we stopped and had lunch..it was yummy and being together was such fun. We need to do this more often…

FOR BABY….

The baby shower was in the afternoon. It was lovely, mostly family from both sides, young and older and some best friends of the new mommy. Mommy looked very pregnant and emotional and I suspect a bit apprehensive of what a life changing event lie ahead… It was a bittersweet moment for me.

DOWN MEMORY LANE…

When you birth your own children, you are busy…you get about the business at hand and pretty much suck it up or push it out! You have bonded for several months with what you carry and the event is usually hard labor and alot of work!

When you become a Nana of a new baby it is usually seen through the eyes of the new mommy, a been-there I understand it sort of experience. The bonding thing happens at first sight whenever that might be.

WHEN SHE WAS BORN…

I first saw this pregnant new-to-be mommy when she was taken up the elevator shortly after her birth  and put under an oxygen bubble that was needed to help stablize her breathing. For two weeks I visited her as she struggled to take breaths and I would leave wondering if and how she could continue on at such a pace…I totally bonded with her. Her grit, determination and fight to live so totally pierced my heart that I was her champion for life…

Now, this baby is having a baby…I will be a great Nana for the second time. It will be a beautiful baby and will be greatly loved by many. I sat in the circle at the baby shower as my grandaughter opened the gifts thinking…geez…she’s going to grown up now. She will be responsible for another person’s care and well being.

DON’T CHANGE…

Perhaps gone will be the spontanious laughter and quick jabs and smart alick comments…perhaps gone will be the daring leaps into the deep end of the pool…perhaps gone will be the I don’t give a damn attitude of I’m living life my way that I have so much enjoyed watching…

Then again, I’m thinking this girl will make a great mommy…she already has the guts to dip in and do the job…she really does deserve the challenge… and the joy!

It is a given that life will surely change for her, just make sure you don’t dear grandaughter…let the changing be only diapers!

Our love forever,

Nan and Grandad

I get excited when someone gets a desire to really get to know their family through genealogy. To me, it is truly an indication that the past that is long gone still plays an important part in life today. I like the phrase..”what we are, was what they were when.” That means our heritage plays an important part in what we become. I like being connected to the past. I find a sense of purpose and a strong permanance in learning about history and my ancestral past.

WHO AM I?

In my growing up years I had very little family about me and I have always been curious about “who I was and where did I come from?” Having no close extended living relatives I naturally showed interest in genealogy. I had a desire to know so much more and unfortunately my parents early deaths closed the doors of discovery for me.

IT’S A JOURNEY…

I have been gathering my family history for over 30 years. Times have changed- as usual. Used to be a long process that required alot of time to chase down birth, marriage and death records.’Hurry up and wait’ was the standard slogan when gathering genealogical facts and documents…not to mention the money spent on them and the disapointment that sometimes came with them.

HURRAY FOR COMPUTERS…

So…when the computer came online, it was a modern day miracle for would-be genealogists. I jumped online about 8 years ago and haven’t turned my computer off since…I still have so many sites to explore and search.

COMPUTER CHALLENGED??

Now…don’t tell me about being computer challenged…been there- done that!! I even left my world of employment because computers were being installed… just get yourself a nice computer and get your kids or grandchildren to show you how to use it. They will, you know…

LEARN EMAIL…

First, get on the internet and learn how to email. Once you discover you won’t break the keyboard or blow up the monitor you will find that you can actually get a feel for it….and your typing gets much better as well.

I really like the email thing….I don’t write letters much anymore which I think is a shame. There is an art to good letter writing and I hate to see it lost. Email is instant communications, my cousin and I can burn the internet all day with genealogy information and assignments for each other. I would love to just email all my family on a continuous basis so I know all is well with them!

GOOGLE IT…

I have learned there are hundreds of websites that specialize in some sort of genealogy. Go into google and inquire under “free genealogy websites” and you are off to the races. Then try “genealogy websites” and you will find more than you can ever imagine.

The tride and true website for genealogy is www.familysearch.org- it is hosted by the LDS Church and, of course, they are the leaders in genealogical research. Their current site is in the throughs of remodeling with major changes in the air. Look for a more user- beginner friendly site soon…

I have a gut feeling that genealogical accessibility  on the internet will be expanding. The old reliable gen websites will get better and the new websites will be concentrated and easier to use.

CAUTIONS…

Be careful as your explore the sites as some require fees whose charges are not cheap. Take the time to see if you can get the same kinds of information from the ‘Free’ sites. Sometimes you can go to 3 or more sites and get the same information free of charge!

For me, the computer and genealogy go hand in hand. I firmly believe in primary and secondary sources much of which need to be gathered from courthouses, government intities and various legal agencies. But the information received from the genealogical websites offer a great roadmap to such verification.

I am still somewhat computer challenged. I have not learned all I can know…I know the brick walls I hit in my research is from my own ignorance. They say you can not teach an old dog new tricks…..

I don’t think so…

Jump aboard and discover cyerspace!!

Whoof..whoof…

Can you remember what you paid for your first house..? Grandad and I have been married several decades now and have had four places to call home. That is not unusual but the prices were…

THE STRUGGLE OF THE ’60’s…

When Grandad was struggling though college in the 1960’s we purchased our first residence. It was a post-war little home that cost 11,500 dollars. It had a nice front yard and very large back yard. There was a livingroom, dinette area, kitchen, one bath and two bedrooms. The garage was badly converted into a whatever room.We partially raised 4 of our 5 children there. We remodeled the garage space into a very small bedoom and pantry area. We sold it for under twenty thousand dollars.

ON OUR WAY UP…

Our next home was after college graduation and resulted when Grandad was transfered through his employment. It’s price was 21,500 dollars. It was nearly new with 3 bedrooms and one and a half baths. We remodeled this home likewise with an over the garage conversion that included a laundryroom and small bedroom downstairs and upstairs was a bedroom and a very large family area with a darkroom for photography. The yard was small but the neighborhood was great. We sold this house for 63,000 dollars.

WE BUILT IT OURSELVES….

Our next home was a build-it-yourself with the help of family place. It had 3300 square feet and included all the things a family with five children would need. Cost expenditures were estimated at 75,000 dollars…but actually costs came in at 120,000 dollars. This was in the late ’70’s. We spent nearly 25 years there with alot of family living. We sold it for 360,000 dollars!! The houses in this neighborhood today  start at 800,000 dollars now….inflation anyone…?

WHERE WE LANDED…

Our current home is lovely with 5400 square feet. We paid what we sold our last house for and it’s estimated value is over three quarters of a million. Just up the hill homes are going for several million.

Does that blow your mind…?

I sit is disbelief myself….

Pitch a tent anyone..?

There actually were good ole’ days….

I would like to see ole’ Nanas and their spouses get off their butts and see the world. I know, as we get on in years we tend to wither on the vine and tell ourselves our glory days are over. But, I am here to say ” Bullpucky!”

GRAVITY PULLS….

So, we have a few aches and pains.. some of us more, some of us less. So…all we once knew about ourselves is now heading south and we look in the mirror and say,” Who the hell are you?” So, your children give you slippers and joint cream…So What!!

GET MOVING….

Never has there been a time when people, just like you and me, live longer! Why, oh why…sit in the dark wishing for your child to call and make contact. Get up and get going….

FULFILL A NEED…

There is such a need for mature ‘been there, done-that’ people who coupled with life experiences can give advise and render help to those in greater need. I see children without parents in the home, without grandparents nearby, without healthy foods and without the loving touch of someone who cares. I see old folks put away in places where their own children do not want to visit. I see schools limited in funds that need teaching assistants, monitors of traffic and kind hands to pass out supplies. I see people of all ages in need of tutors for math, english and history and so much, much more.

WHAT’S YOUR FULFILLMENT…

Those over 60 are living longer and feeling better…children are grown and there is just enough babysitting you can or want to do. Some hit the road to travel and spend their time seeking adventure and discovering new things- that’s great!

But remember…the needs of others and the services you can render. A great example of this service are the mature Brother and Sister Missionaries who lend their knowledge and expertise in impoverished countries doing humanitarian service.

ALOT TO GIVE…

Older citizens have alot to give and expert advise and wisdom to share. Don’t be locked into your rocking chair before your time…get up and move and do something useful.

If you can’t walk..get a scooter!

Don’t stop ’til you drop!!

In between reunions, doctor visits and Harry Potter I have realized that I will be going through a transition and a little period of adjustment time starting the end of this month…my grandaughter will be starting kindergarten! This will bring a bit of change into my life.

SCHOOL STARTS…

We have yet to find out if her school days start in the morning or afternoon. Regardless, my time must be adjustable because she is usually in my care during most of the weekdays.

Now that might not mean much of a change, however, I do not have a car that I can call mine so the family will have to play ‘ring around the cars’ in order to come to an accomodating solution…

SHE IS READY…

My grandaughter is sooo ready for school. She can do all the reguired stuff needed to enter kindergarten as well as much more. Currently she is an only child and lives pretty much in the adult world so she is, let’s say, wise for her age…having said that I am ready for her to be in school! She pushes the envelop to the max with me and by day’s end I am not much of a energenic fluffy Nana!

BUT….

I have some apprehensions though, seems like everytime I sent an innocent, bubbly little girl to school she becomes somewhat jaded with today’s attitudes and customs.

Our first daughter changed when she entered school…gone was her spontanious laughter and the carefree freedom she once poccessed. She turned serious and tempered her personality to succeed and achieve. Of course, that is not a bad thing but it is somewhat sad…

Our second daughter was the caboose in the family and not only deeply loved and accepted by us but by everyone who came to know her. Her personality could not be challenged and her feminity did not deter her from being one of the guys…she made it a point to be accepted period…she could pretty much out do any boy out there.

My sons had challenges at school but not to the extent as the girls…why is that..?

PREPARATION…

I know my grandaughter has been prepared…the doctor visit, the shots, the dentist, the alphabet, the phone number, church and preschool has given her plenty of exposure to get along with other children and adults.

She is ready…

Thing is, am I…?

  

I don’t know about the weather where you live, but the weather where I live is strange and unpredictable. Now…we have gotten used to unpredictably because our affiable local news weather specialists have been more wrong than right. It sort of goes with the territory…

THE WEST COAST RUSH…

As the weather comes to the west coast and rushes to the sierras and rocky mountains it can head on into the central states or split. Most times it likes to split so to call a correct forecast is like tossing a coin.

BLOWING WIND….

Because we live in a mountain cove area we see alot of different weathers but most of the time we do not feel their effect. However, what we do feel quite often is the howling wind that usually comes with most unpredictable weather. I have studied the wind patterns and as our house sits, wind literally swirls all around our property. There are times when I feel the roof is going to take flight…it gets that interesting.!

WEATHER PUTS ON A SHOW…

My computer sits at a corner double window and I have full view of the valley below and the mountain tops to the east. I can see the storms path as they rush into the valley. I have seen clouds in fast motion, sand and dirt dry storms, hail as it passes through and white out snow conditions dumping their load below.

I have seen and felt bitter cold storms and hot steamy summer thunder storms. Needless to say, when accompanied by lightening strikes night can become like day! I also can see the creeping smog and valley weather inversions and greatly appreciate being able to live above the muck! The sky becomes crystal blue and the puffy bellowing clouds nestle tight among the crags of the mountain tops…

LISTEN TO THE BIRDS…

We always complain and joke about our local news weather teams. They have available to them all kinds of complicated scientific equipment. They have been weather schooled. But, truth is…where we sit, weather is still a crap shoot!

I surely hope they aren’t paid just for their correct predictions…I think the birds can call it better….at least they have the common sense to head for cover and get out of the rain!

What’s new at our house..? I just bought an upright freezer. We have been living for over 30 years with a used chest style freezer we got for  75 dollars back in the Camelot days!! It arrived today…

BUSTED THE PIGGY BANK….

 I have been saving money for months so Grandad and I went to the Maytag Clearence store and got a scratch and dent…but it is new. It now sits in our garage with all the other scratch and dent stuff that most garages usually accumulate.

I have been waiting for years for the other one to give up the ghost and I suppose it is like most pre-1970 appliances and will still be ticking for more years to come. I have enjoyed the chest box freezer, but have learned that alot of small stuff can get lost and forgotten in there.

I HAVE A PLAN…

I have big plans now… I will used the chest freezer for bulk items like meats. The upright freezer will accomodate the small packages.  The door is full of shelves for frozen juices, popcicles, and small veggie boxes or entrees. The main shelves will hold the ice cream, bagged veggies and fruits etc. I can see some serious organization coming…hurray!

BEEN IN A JAM…

I spent most of today making jam from the apricots my daughter received from her neighbor’s tree. I knew I could not wait any longer because they were getting very ripe waiting in the refrigerator. So…my grandaughter and I got right to it! She is almost 5 and had to have every finger into the business of making jam. When I was slaving over a hot kettle on the stove she was dancing about the kitchen with a potholder on her head for a chef’s hat and a dish towel about her neck for her apron. My wooden stirring spoon occasionally flew threw the air as she licked off the sweet apricot jam…

This project took some time.. I had three bags full to prepare. We finally made it upstairs by 2 o’clock so she could take a nap before her Mom was to pick her up.

NO REST FOR THE WEARY… 

I immediately put her on the computer on www.noggin.com and sat down to rest the weary knees and back…she never did take her nap but I put my feet up and I was cruisin’ and snoozin’!

We now have 12 pints of jam…it’s good stuff. We had it with bacon and pancakes for dinner tonight.

Sometimes having breakfast for dinner on a hot summer day is great!

Yummmm…….

Why are Mondays sooo hard..? I have passed through many a Monday in my lifetime and it has always been difficult to get out of bed and charge forward on a Monday. Something about the weekend that puts me in neutral and on the coasting mode….

HURRY UP AND DO…

Years ago when I had a family of small children the weekends were a steady mass of activities…trying to squeeze every bit of fun and accomplishment in before the start of another weekday.

AH…YOUTH!

Perhaps it’s youth…Moms have an instinct to keep things going and somehow find the nerve and adrenaline to keep up the pace….after all it is self-preservation..right? Moms organize, repair, clean and kiss boo-boos. Like the energy bunny we just keep going….

WASH DAY….

Used to be that once Monday arrived Moms were up early to push the kids off to school…take a deep breathe and begin to tackle the laundry that had piled up from an active weekend. It is one thing to dump the clothes into a washing machine but to have to wring them out and hang them on the line to dry, as our mother’s once did, is beyond comprehending!

GROCERY DAY….

Used to be that at week’s end on Friday night, Mom would get the use of the family car and go marketing. Friday nights were used to catch up on food and house supplies for the coming week. Convenience has made it possible for duel car families nowadays so that shopping can be done at all hours and at any time.  Progress has been made….

THE NEST IS EMPTY…

But…as the kids learn to fend for themselves and eventually leave the nest the weekends become more hum-drum, slower, milder..things going at a snails pace…right? Not…I have never known fuller Saturdays for myself! All that I could not accomplish during the week comes crashing down on me on Saturday morning. Most times I don’t get it all done in the space of those 24 hours!

SUNDAY IS A REST DAY…

Sundays belong to Heavenly Father and our attention is directed to Him and family. A day of rest still….yes! And perhaps therein lies the difficulty. A day of rest before a get up and go Monday is not at all compatible…

Anticipating a day of get up and go gives me the slows…

My energy has gone up and went. In other words….

Mondays suck… 

Well…my grandson paced up and down all morning waiting for the UPS man who was to deliver his Harry Potter book which had been ordered several weeks ago. He was nervous and down right surley until mid-afternoon when he discovered the UPS person left it in the mailbox….then he got mad!

READING HIDEOUT….

Deep in the hidden recesses of his room sits a Harry Potter fan who has not come up for air…we coaxed him out for dinner but the book was his companion and we all ate in respectful silence.

BUYING FRENZIE…

Earlier this morning his mother took a trip to Costco…it opened early just for the book mania and sure enough a mass of humanity laid wait for the doors to open. My daughter said that Mothers were loading up on multiple books as they waddled to the checkstands. She figured Moms were buying multiples because there would be one book for each child in the household…either that or Moms were taking neighborhood orders and loading up!

THE WORLD LIES SILENT…

What ever the reason Harry Potter and the many pages that follow him are now in the hands of children and parents and all must be calm and quiet tonight as the pages turn…

My adult son is at a conference in Texas with his wife and they spent some time in line at a San Antonio bookstore and got their book by 12:30 am. My grandaughter stood in line until 2:30 am.

NANA CONFESSES…

Now, my confession is…I have not read these books. I have seen a few of the movies. I am an ole’ Nana and I just don’t get it, BUT…

Regardless of my thoughts, I am all for the hoopla if it brings parents and children together…especially with reading. Like Disneyland, the family who plays together and reads together has something going that is good and beneficial. It gives family members something to talk about and for that reason I applaud it’s author all the way to the bank!

My grandson made a deal with his Mom that he would surface to go to church tomorrow morning…

We shall see…