Chronicles of Nana

Spring forward, fall back…sometimes it is pleasant to fall back and remember times past… I especially like autumn. It is my favorite time of year after a long hot, sweltering summer that is usually disjointed and full of outdoor activities…

AUTUMN DELIGHTS…

I really like the fall time activities, they seem to usher in the holiday season with good foods, fun experiences and wonderful traditions. There is nothing like nature to bring out the colors of autumn. I enjoy the mountain sides filled with vivid colors like a tapestry quilt made by a Heavenly Father…

There is something spiritual about the seasons of the year. Autumn is a time of harvest, the rewards of toiling the good earth. We lived in the central valley for many years and by the end of September the crushed grapes filled the air with fragrant scents. On the other hand by October’s end the stagnant, firmented smell of the grape harvest  would permiate the air to make one want to choke…there is two sides of every story!

CELEBRATION OF THE SEASON…

There would be a local grape festival in our little town each year. There would be sidewalk sales all through out town, exhibits at the fair grounds and a carnival atmosphere everywhere…

The lake would be drained for the winter, back to school had already started and the fields prepared for the long winter’s sleep. September started the birthdays in our family and then the annual celebrations of halloween, thanksgiving and christmas…

AS THE NEW YEAR BEGINS…

By the new year everyone was ready to put away the decorations and look to the coming year with renewed vigor and hope for a better year ahead. Traditions are an important part of family life…they become true celebrations that bring families together with love.

Heavenly Father has a way of bringing the seasons upon us at the best times…

May the seasons of your life be filled with delight, wonderment and love!

I spend a great deal of time with a bigger than life five year old princess-child. She, of course, is in the princess stage and perhap she will never leave it…

COMPUTER SMART…

This is a very with it kid! She knows the computer well. She seeks out and finds www.noggin.com and can spend quite some time entertaining herself with the activities and games there.

She has discovered the print segment on this website and today I mentioned to her that she is wasting my paper and ink supply by printing so many pages…

NOW HEAR THIS….

She immediately went into a lecture on what waste is. ” Waste is when you have a apple and you take just one bite and then throw it away.” She continued, “waste is when you have a penny and you lose it.” She finished with..” Besides I am not wasting ink and paper because I can take theses pages home and color and use the other side to draw on!!”

As I picked my chin off the floor I thought to myself, “what an adorable smartass grandkid!”

Chip off the old block…….go figure!!

I have always said that motherhood and children make you crazy…this was proven to me early on when during my hectic moments I would call my kids by jumbled names…Jebbie, Deaf and Javid! You frequently get those moments when nothing sounds right and is not understandable…

BABBLINGS…..

There was a time when my children were under the age of six and I hadn’t talked to a taller than three foot person for weeks. Grandad would come home and as he walked through the front door I would plead..talk to me, just say anything..words!

It starts, of course, at birth when you are dead tired anyway. It evolves into episodes of sleep deprivement with two hour feedings and crying jags. Once you get to three month old, the perfect age for kids, it goes down hill from there.

STAGES….

There is the everything goes into the mouth stage, crawling into tight spaces stage and the don’t touch the stove stage. This is where brain fade begins…and it comes back much later in life …like shingles!

EDUCATION BEGINS….

Just when you get the kids in school the critical activities begin…homework, school plays, choir practices, little league, scouts, science fairs, and the all familiar talks at church!

Craziness is capped off with episodes of grossness. Just ask my eldest daughter. At one point we had all the kids sleeping in one bedroom while we remodeled the house. This daughter stomped out to inform us that she had had it with the fart wars and refused to go back into the bedroom filled with her brothers because they were grossing her out!

THE HEART OF THE HOME….

I have gone through the normal house redecorations….the spacious forts made from wall to wall blankets and Kodak boxes, the annual bedroom clean-ups which never succeeded in any way close to neat organization. We contend that we never found our #2 son’s bed until he left for a church mission!

I have found petrified brussel sprouts in my floral arrangement on the dining room table and stone dead McDonald hamburgers stuck to sleeping bags!  The candy wrappers found under the bed could paper an entire bedroom!

LIFE GOES ON….

I have spent hours doing school projects, cub scout events and more than several trips to the doctor with supposed broken bones for xrays. Craziness became very apparent when I wrapped my #4 child’s finger with a popsicle stick and said….there all better!

BEING CREATIVE…

Discipline pushed me over the edge big time. Not only did nobody do anything, the threat of bend over and grab your ankles didn’t work! Creative discipline became necessary and that is when I knew the happy farm was not far away for me…

As the boys, in particular, grew older and bigger my only defense was to instigate desperate measures with discipline. I mean what do you do when they stand there taller than you and laugh ..?

I have been known to throw water in the face upon occasion as well as dump a chicken pot pie over the head! I once short sheeted the beds and spread corn flakes between the sheets. I knew I was a goner when I simple trashed a bedroom and walked away perfectly satisfied..!

So, they grow up…perhaps brain damaged but alive!

As for me…wrestling with senior moments, brain fade and post motherhood syndrome…I occasionally just sit now and wonder through my mind. There is a few empty spaces up there but I too survived…

Kids..they make you nuts and I was too stupid to know better..I was an only child!!

Life gets even, thankfully, when the grandkids come alone…

Neaner…neaner…

I have been known to say that there are a few things in life that are a sure thing….birth, death, change, unfairness and taxes. I am sure if I think hard enough and especially as I get older that list could be greatly expanded…

SURE THINGS….

The above mentioned sure things are among the top ten…They exist like the sunrise in the morning and the seasons during the year. I will  have plenty of experiences that will relate around them and I am sure there will be many reasons where I will complain mightily about them. They just go with the territory of life…

I suppose what will stand out is how I accept these sure things and the challenges they bring.  What my choices will be as I go through them. How my reactions to them will color my opinions and my use of free agency.

WHERE’S MOM WHEN I NEED HER?…

Sometimes I think that having my mother with me all my life would be a good thing…like “don’t touch that”, “don’t you dare”, “you could shoot your eye out”, or the best of all, “Because I said so!”

But because life is unfair…I am left with muddling along alone…the sum total of my own choices, decisions and mistakes. I just hate the human-ness of it all.

EXPOSING MYSELF…

In the long run I will  just greatly expose  myself…the lumps, bumps and bruises in life that I will either learn to roll with or kick the hell out of…

WHERE IS THE WISDOM?…

I wish I had the wisdom once promised with age…it ain’t there for me. I like to think it was greedily used up by the past generation! Poof…it’s just gone!

So I sit well into middle age befuddled and stumbling and stubbing my toes along the way..

I am grateful the mind goes out to lunch occasionally so I can remember the old days when there was greater enthusiasm and hope…

I HAVE MY MEMORIES STILL…

Memories do matter…as I get older sometimes they are all I have.

What comes around…ahhh, those sweet memories!

Thank goodness!!!

I have a friend whose is much younger than I but we have been thrown together because of life’s turns and twists along the way. She and I have had similiar backgrounds, coming from troubled homes as we traveled our road of choices to a better circumstance.

LEARNING ALONG THE WAY…

She has known failure but instead of falling on her sword, like myself, she gritted her teeth and dug in to weather the storms of life. She mothered three beautiful daughters and has taught them well concerning self sacrifice, hard work and determination.

She also has continued to educate herself in a time when so many people take the easy way out. Once her daughters were beyond teenage she went to college and graduated. She obtained her teachers credentials and is now seeking her Masters as she teaches the first grade. I wish I had her energy and grit…

BIRTHDAY WISHES…

She celebrates a birthday this week and I sincerely wish it to be a great one….she is so close to a wonderful accomplishment. She has my admiration….she has my love!

Happy Birthday Mary…

May there be many more filled with your good deeds and grandchildren!!

Nana

I have sitting on my computer desk a lovely orchid plant I received for Mother’s Day. It still has 12 beautiful purple blooms and I feared it would dry up while we were away for a week. But…here it sits giving me a welcome home as I gaze upon its beauty…

MEMORIES…

Orchids bring me fond memories…Grandad traveled a great deal with his former company and I found myself being his companion on several trips to the Hawaiian Islands. Just to walk off the airplane in Hawaii brings a most pleasing fragance to the traveling nose! And when the nose meets the eyes then you know you are not in Kansas anymore…as Dorothy and Toto would say!

Crystal blue skies with soft ocean breezes and green lush tropical surroundings liven all the senses!

 Not only do the fragrant flowers draw your attention but the pineapples are sweeter, the papayas are juicier, and the hospitality is beyond belief.

A ONCE IN A LIFETIME…

Grandad and I had the ‘El Suprimo’ experience while working the major anniversary extraganza for his company. We needed to be on location before his meetings started..and boy what locations!!!! We occupied the penthouses on three major islands and tasted the very best in cuisines…it came with his job and the compliments of the five star hotels! Our immediate family enjoyed this fabulous experience, but our grandson, about 6 then,was truly the one to be treated like a king. Since the rest of us had duties in preparing these meetings, he was taken over by the hotel staff and was given experiences that no amount of money could buy; there was canoeing and lessons, tennis lessons, catamaran trips, tidepool explorations and he even won a contest- it had to be rigged!

LONGING TO RETURN…

We have not been to the islands in a long time…what experience could ever surpass what we have already had? However, I will always remember the glorious flowers..the wild orchids that grew along the roadside. I will remember walking on the volcano lava top still hot and crackling beneath my feet. I will remember attending the hula show and receiving flower leis from the happy Tutus. I will remember the man who syphoned his gas so we could get back to the hotel. I will remember being guests at a ‘real’ private Japanese restaurant and eating things I didn’t want to know….I remember the sunsets, mahi-mahi and walks barefoot in the sand.

My little orchid plant has bought me more than Mother’s Day wishes. It has taken me down memory lane where I still smell the sweet smells and still see the sweet faces of aloha…

Mahalo one and all!

Fall is my favorite time of year. The hot sting of summer wanes and the mornings become crisp, the afternoon warm and the evenings mild enough to keep the doors and windows open to let the midnight breezes blow…

HARVEST TIME…

Harvest is coming to a cresendro with canning season’s end  and the anticipations of pumpkins, gourds and colorful falling leaves. It helps with the atmosphere when the mountains bloom with all the colors that represent the coming of winter’s sleep. There is always something spiritual with this time of year for me!

REMEMBERING THE PAST…

Years ago, our family would head toward the central valley to hit the orchards and fruit and vegetable stands to collect our halloween pumpkins…it was always a special time for the family and it quickly became a family activity and tradition each year…

TRADITIONS CONTINUE…

Currently we have a local farmer who opens his fields of pumpkins, corn stalks, and bounty of gourds and all kinds of variety of squash to the general public. Our families usually meet there and load up our wheel barrows with produce then head to a park for fried chicken, salad and dessert for lunchtime.

DECORATING…

I decorate my home for the fall…and I even enjoys the stores at this time of year because of their displays and colorful arrangements of produce and baking goods! I guess I am like our animal friends who hurry about storing up for the long, cold winter to come…

SEASONS….

I enjoy the seasons…I spent so many years in California where the weather was gaged by sun and rain! Now, as seasons pass I truly turn to accept the new coming season with delight and wonder…I even enjoy the wintertime when the earth sleeps under a blanket of white.

I am blessed to have my home situated on the side of a mountain  over looking the valley below. The seasons pass before my eyes and the weather puts on it’s dramatic displays 360 degrees around me. It can be stark, powerful and awe inspiring…

Autumn ushers in warmth, good food and family/friend gatherings. We tend to retreat into our homes again and enjoy the ambiance that exist there.

I look forward to its coming and hope Autumn brings good things to all people…

Take care and delight in the surroundings about you!!

Today is a special day for a very special friend and daughter-in-law of mine. This has needed to said for a long time…I love you my dear friend!

COUNTING THE WAYS…

You have become very special to me and let me count the ways…first, you love my son and that shows and I appreciate that very much. Second, you have the kindest soul that illuminates goodness and light. Third, you have become a good listener…that is a gift! Fourth, you are a fabulous Mother to my seven grandchildren. This list can be easily expanded to include many wonderful characteristics and pleasing attributes…but knowing just the above mentioned qualities makes you an awesome person!

GOODLY PARENTS….

I wish to thank your parents for their contributions  and dedication to your life that have made you who you are…thanks folks- you are good people!

I have grown to really appreciate your sensitivity, delight and concern for your children and your pleasing sense of humor…being married to my son takes alot of humor!

LIFE HAPPENS…

With seven children life can become strange, disjointed and chaotic…thanks for thinking before you speak, thanks for the endless service to your family, church and neighbors, thanks for putting off your needs for others, thanks for being you!!

I am greatful and humbled by your example.

I delight and shine in your spirit.

I am proud to call you my daughter and my sister!

Bravo…and Happy Birthday!!!

Now that I have groused about aging and being chewed on by the mad puppy, perhaps I should say a few things I have been thinking about for a long time.

To me…September 11 holds a special place in my heart. Something lovely happened to me on that day over 40 years ago…

ONE TRAGIC MOMENT….

 It also holds a bitter memory for all Americans as it was the tragic day that terrorists struck the Twin Towers in New York City…

That day will forever be enblazened upon our minds when the unthinkable happened and our American innocence ruptured into disbelief and sorrow. We weeped…and as the dust settled we spent days, months and years rehashing the awful events  and the terrible loss of so many innocent people.

SEEING THE BEST IN PEOPLE….

Our public servants, the firemen, the police and the countless others did their very best to bring order from utter chaos. Thing is, many questions still remain unanswered. Resolution will never happen…the wound will never heal…

We went to war with a far away country, disposed of its dictator and now after years of a no win engagement with the enemy whose beliefs are so foreign to us…what have we gained?

THE TRUTH LIES…

As a citizen I am prone not to believe all I hear from the media…but I do listen to the military guys on the front lines who are placed in harms way everyday. Politicians have been bombastic and critical concerning this war. I try not to make negative assumptions so I seek out stories from the military foot soldiers who have been there and done that. After all, anyone can be a critic!

When soldiers come back and express their opinions concerning the situations they have seen and participated in then I am more likely to believe what they have to say. I would have hoped the miltiary powers that be and congress would have outfitted our soldiers with every possible need as they journeyed forth…I expect no less. My disappointment in this regard lies with the government and military heads who allocate our public funds and tax dollars…shame on them!

MY SUPPORT FOR THE TROOPS…

Regardless of the shouts of media exploitation or political rantings, my allegence and support stands firmly behind the miltiary men and women who are on the front lines and who are making a positive difference.

They are the ones doing the job, seeing the oppression, and sweating the details of an nearly impossible task. Changing the lives in a positive way one person at a time is a noble endeavor. They are risking their lives to do so…

OPPOSING FACTORS….

I wish the opposing powers within our own country would do anything positive to do the same, instead of shooting off their mouths creating chaos and confusion in the hearts of those who serve and those who support their noble efforts.

There is a time when one must stand up and be counted…the United States Military servicemen and women have always done so!

May Heavenly Father walk their every step…!

And our prayers continue….

We have just experienced one of life’s passages…not our own this time but we witnessed a mother giving her eldest daughter to the university system out here in the west…

My heart still aches for this brave mom who traveled thousands of miles to accompany her first born child to register and settle into the dorm of a major American university. So much to do..so little time and the flood of excitement along with the turmoil of doubt and apprehension. One of a mom’s worse nightmares…to let go and have their chick use their wings and fly alone for the first time. Floods of memories washed over me and I felt every exhilerating moment and every pain of loss she was experiencing.

They have spent a week of shopping for the essentials, sharing the planning and nesting experience together. They spent days in orientation and social events together. Each soon to become comfortable in the new surroundings of college life. Mom has flown away toward home realizing nothing will be the same again. Daughter is imbedded into college life and the realization that real life is not as comfortable as it once was… growing pains can hurt!

This daughter will no longer be available at home to help pick up the stray pieces of chaos that sometime happen. Going home, even for occasional visits will be joyous but still not the same. Change is always a reminder of life marching on…

Our family is entering a few milestones as well. My grandson has started his senior year of high school, his mom has begun a new job and my five year old partner in crime has been in kindergarten for the past several weeks now.

My mornings will soon find a daily routine…perhaps I can now get a handle on puppy potty training and getting two alpha female dogs to actually like each other or at best, tolerant each other’s existence!

The weather is changing and autumn is around the corner. The colors are changing upon the east side of the mountains. The mornings are cool, the afternoons warm and the evenings balmy.

We had a lovely baked ham dinner for Sunday so there is a big pot of beans in the crock pot for dinner tonight…currently the wash is in the dryer and the dogs have stopped crapping over the rawhide bones…

Peace…life is good…

and I am content for now!