The Grandma

Many of us remember her from our childhood - that older woman who lived on our street who knew the names of all of the neighborhood kids. She may have baked cookies and handed them out now and then (back in the days before we had to forbid our children to take anything from anyone). She may have taken time to sit and listen to a child rattle on about a whole lot of not very much. Perhaps she had a little dog and would stop so you could pet it when she was out for a walk. She was nice, but she wouldn't hesitate to scold anyone who misbehaved, either.

Remember her? She was the Neighborhood Grandma.

I remember Mrs. Montgomery who lived across the street from us in a brick house. I am not sure how old she was, or if she was a grandma or a mother at all. She was my mom's friend and had known me my whole life. When I was twelve years and we moved away, she gave me a red wallet with the name of my hometown written on it.

Next door to Mrs. Montgomery, lived Mrs. Small. Mrs. Small also lived in a house made of bricks, but it was smaller than Mrs. Montomery's. Oddly enough, in my mind Mrs. Small herself was of a more diminutive stature than her neighbor as well. Hmmm.

It warms me to think of these grandmother-type women who knew me from the time I was born and who, in my mind, assumed the title of Neighborhood Grandma. I am sure that having these woman in the periphery of my life contributed to the sense of security and safety I felt in my neighborhood at all times.

This afternoon after work, I was out in the yard enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. I had geraniums to take out (we winter them), tulip and daffodil bulbs to plant, and winter pansies to put in the ground. They continue to warn us about a harsh winter ahead, but I am not thinking that far ahead. I'm enjoying the here and now.

After I got all of my gardening tools out, I set up the pen for Yorkies so they could enjoy the sunshine with me. No sooner had I deposited the dogs in the pen with a treat and one of their favorite chews, than a batch of children ran over to pet the dogs. One little one in particular caught my attention and made me smile.

Her name is Piper and she lives with her mommy and daddy and older siblings across the street from us. I have known her since she was born too. She's a sweet little one, just a touch older than my grandchildren, with a soft heart for my dogs.

Her mommy followed her across the street and we chatted while I showed Piper how to gently pet the dogs. Eventually, it was time for her to go home and as they walked back across the street I heard snippets of their conversation.

"The grandma let me pet her puppies!" said Piper.

The grandma! Oh I had to smile when I heard her say that!

And I thought, not for the first time, that I think Gerry and I are the oldest couple on the block. We are the neighborhood grandparents!  With this realization comes responsibility. I am going to have to make sure I learn the names of all the children on the street, and which house they belong to. I may even have to start baking cookies again!

The thought that one of these little ones might remember me as their Neighborhood Grandma one day made me smile. Life is like that, isn't it?

Circles within circles like ripples on a pond.

My day to be cranky

For no particular reason I woke up feeling cranky this morning. 

Perhaps it's because yesterday was the first day of spring and it was beautiful!  Then, last night, we woke to the sound of rain again. 

Here are some pictures I took in the yard yesterday.

Spring...come back.....!

Beauty Treatment

The girls spent the afternoon at the beauty salon.  Could they be any cuter?!

Lessons from the Knit Wit

I've enjoyed some quiet time knitting over the past couple of much-enjoyed holiday days and I've learned two things.

1.  Don't leave your knitting out where the dogs (or more specifically, Maya) can get at it.

2.  The practice of knitting, whether it is the rhythm of the process or just sitting quietly and relaxing, invites ideas for writing to come into one's mind.

I was up at 5:30 today and have spent much of the morning at the computer.  I'm deep into the second draft of my memoir today and it's flowing! Oh, what a feeling!

Where is my hairbrush?

The mind is an interesting thing. I first heard The Hairbrush Song from the VeggieTales videos more than fifteen years ago. It came back into my mind a few months ago, and why I can't stop thinking about it is anybodies guess.

One would think that the precious, sometimes fleeting, brain cells in my head could be put to better use. But no, I walk around humming "Oh where is my hairbrush?" day after day. It's a cute song and it makes me smile, so I guess it's okay.

This picture is my little Chelsea after a bath during the blow-dry section of the grooming routine. She looks like she could use a hairbrush, doesn't she?!

My protectors

Last evening Gerry was out at a meeting and the dogs would just not settle down until he came home. I've noticed that when he's not home and if I am upstairs they, Maya especially, sits at the top of the stairs where she can look out the window. I can get annoying as she barks at everyone who walk by the house, but I know she feels that she's doing her "job".
Last night I crawled into bed early planning to get in some good long reading time. Usually Gerry and I go to bed at the same time, and the girls settle in with us. Last night they were having no part of settling down without Gerry. They stood on the end of the bed looking at the bedroom door. Every few minutes they would jump down and go to the top of the stairs and wait for a few moments before running downstairs to the back door to see if he had arrived yet. Then, back up the stairs and on to the bed where they resumed their post at the end of the bed. Back and forth, up and down, all evening until Gerry finally got home and they were able to settle down and sleep.
My yorkies...my companions....my protectors!!