Granny at Home Again

 I returned from Kelli's house last night after five days of taking care of the girls while the parents went to Napa, California.  Kelli had the flu while she was away, but she was thankful that she could rest quietly in a cozy hotel bed.  She would look out the window and see a vineyard which isn't too shabby, right? Jenny and her girls came over one day and Auntie J braided Birdie's hair.  Fancy, huh?  I did a lot of hair combing, too.

Their eleven year old dog is dying and I tended to him, feeding him hotdogs and peanut butter sandwiches.  He was delighted to see Kelli and Bryan when they came in the door last night.  It's very sad when a precious pet comes to the end of their earthly days.  Sigh.

 The girls took turns sleeping with me.  I slept HARD (because I brought my own pillow this time) and each morning when I would make the bed, I'd longingly consider how many hours remained in the day until bedtime again.  The girls are excellent sleepers (something great to be good at, huh?) and were compliant at bedtime.  I know I chugged through a lot of long days when Bill and I were raising our kids but I admire and applaud all mothers.  It is the most noble pursuit, bar none.  
Miss Millie is at an adorable stage of life.  She has the cutest little laugh and an enchanting sense of humor to boot.  When her night of sleeping with granny came around she was happy to watch Barbie videos on my iPad.  I told her, "One more, Millie and then we'll turn it off."  She said, "And you have to turn off your phone and put it away, too."  Ha!

 Miss Bug is growing up.  She loves animals and children.  When she came home from her homeschool/at school day (once a week through the local school district) she held Millie tight.  She has a generous heart. She can't wait until she's old enough to babysit James.  

 Miss Bug and Millie both had dancing lessons.  This is another reason that I admire mothers.  There are so many places to go, things to do, and commitments to keep.  When our kids were growing up, I kept errands to a minimum, only doing the essentials, but even so there are SO many places to go.  The car becomes an extension of the house.  The girls didn't really like riding around in my car.  They noticed that it had a lot of bird poop on it.  Funny.
I sensed the moms at dance lessons were a little disheartened because school has been going for almost two weeks, the lessons and after school sports are in full swing and they are HOT (it's been very warm) and it is STILL August.  

 Birdie is eight years old and has opinions about things now.  I am glad she feels okay about disagreeing and telling people when she doesn't like something (certain foods, riding along to her sisters' dance lessons, wearing itchy clothes).  It's hard being the oldest child because one must experience all the developmental changes first and then it's semi-easier for the following family members.  I am SO thankful that I quit teaching and can watch the grands grow.  Had I waited until it was practical and reasonable to quit teaching I might have completely missed really walking alongside them.  I wish our Ft. Collins grands weren't so far away.  They have the most precious personalities and amazing talents, too.  I miss them.

I went directly to the zucchini bed this morning and my neighbor came out (in her nightgown) and helped me thin them.  It should have been done long ago.  She dug right in and yanked out four plants!  She's a good gardener.  

Here it is almost the very end of August and soon it'll be Labor Day.  I really don't think school should start until after that.  Do you think kids should return to school in August?  
How do you feel about all the presidential candidates and the ongoing rhetoric?  I do not like what they say about education.  It really grinds my gears.  I fear that there are very few honorable public servants these days.  Sad.

I'm sure you noticed that I whited-up my blog a bit.  I'm going to try to learn more about formatting and expand my blog horizons.  There is always a lot to learn.  It's fun messing around with all the options.

I am going to jump in the shower and carefully dry my hair and style it.  Call me super-shallow but five days of no hair dryer and bare-minimum grooming, looking like a haggle puss, made me crabby.  Ratty hair and a tired demeanor don't lend themselves to the fairy godmother image of myself that  I hold in my mind.  Just kidding, but do you look in the mirror and ask yourself, "Sheesh!  I'm not THAT tired, am I?"

Enough drivel. God be with you today, kind friend.