All week long, Ryan has been excited at the prospect of going back to Muncie this weekend to see his Rope Fish. Apparently the children's father obtained a 50-gallon aquarium, and the children were both allowed to have a fish. Robin got a Silver Molly, and Ryan got a Rope Fish, which he talked about every day. Then, too, Ry was looking forward to going to a party at a "farm" that their father's fiancee's daughter's daddy lives on. (Whew! That's a mouthful. Don't know how else to describe that situation. Also, I think the "farm" is a commune, of sorts, which is why I put it in quotes.) The children have spent some time there with Wednesday (that's the fiancee's daughter's name), so they like it. Party! Party! Party! Unfortunately, all of the excitement was for naught. When Meg delivered the kids to Muncie tonight, Ryan wanted to show her his fish but was told, flatly, "It died. Robin, yours did, too. Fish die." Ack! And when Ryan asked about going to the party, he was told that they weren't going to be doing that. Double ack! Meg said Ryan didn't cry, but she was worried about him. I wish Nathan or Kendra had called to tell him about the fish so he wouldn't have been hit so hard with the reality when he got there. Ryan doesn't usually take disappointment well...
I put out an SOS call to my friend "Big Ryan" about damage control here. (See previous post.) God bless him...he came over today, and within 30 minutes, had everything fixed on my list! Disposer was unjammed; Robin's nightlight was fixed; the toybox lid was glued and tightened. In fact, it took longer to get the Elmer's glue out of the bottle than to do all of the repairs! As he was leaving, Robin--dripping from being in the neighbor's kiddie pool--asked if her light was fixed. I said, "Yes...and you can say 'thank you' and give him a big ol' wet hug." She did!
A note here about "Big Ryan". (The children call him that to distinguish him from "Little Ryan"--my grandson.) Ryan built his home with his own hands, so he knows a lot about how things work and can generally do repairs better and cheaper than anyone I could call. (And, btw, finding "handymen" for small jobs is no easy task!) He has done a lot of things around here, from replacing the thermocouple on the water heater, to repairing the dryer; installing the disposer, replacing the fence, putting up ceiling fans, cutting down the shrubbery, etc. I mean, I have MANY entries in my home repair journal that show him as the repairman. Meg actually hates it when I call him because she says, "We never call him unless we need something. It isn't fair! He always comes!" No, it isn't, and yes, he does. But his friendship is more than just fixing things. Ryan has a big heart. The first week after Megan and the children appeared on my doorstep over two years ago, Ryan showed up with a box FULL of Matchbox cars for Little Ryan. They had been his (now grown) son's. I have to tell you that those silly cars really saved the day for a confused, then-3-year-old little boy who couldn't figure out why he and Robin and Mommy weren't going home to Muncie. At that time, I didn't have many toys here for full-time children. Little Ryan played endlessly with those 100-or-so cars (in the middle of the living room and all down the hall!), and considered them a great gift. He still plays with them. And so, not to leave Robin out, Big Ryan appeared one day with a home-made dollhouse, complete with furniture. He and his father had made it for his granddaughter years earlier, but she had outgrown it. Robin loved it. Still does. (I would have killed for something that cool when I was a kid!)
So now I am met with a bit of a quandary. I want my grandchildren to understand that they can't trash things just because "Big Ryan" can usually fix them. I want them to get it that we are lucky to have such a good friend...not that things are disposable. It's a fine line to walk.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, after a rocky beginning to the day, the children and I got by. They played some with Jack, the neighbor boy. They cleaned up their messes in the front of the house. We cashed in a couple of coupons that the kids had earned at school and Cookie Cutters for mini-pizzas from Papa Murphy's for supper. Meg took them to Muncie...and that was the day. The kids will be with their father for a week, returning for Robin's birthday party the day before school starts (really early this year). My Baby Robin will turn 7 on August 6th...my mother's birthday. Meg was 7 the year my mother died. I'm a bit superstitious about that. May God prevent a repeat of that circumstance!
Time for bed. Ciao.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Ghoulies and Ghosties and Three-Leggedy Beasties
And things that sprout legs and walk away...
We have some new residents in our home...similar to those that used to reside in the comic strip The Family Circus. We have I. Dunno and Not Me living here. Welcome to the House of Damage!
This evening, I went to run the garbage disposer. It made a horrible noise, so I turned it off and stuck my hand down in there. Broken glass...lots of little shards of it. Cut my hand in three places trying to get it all out (although I'm not at all sure that it is)...and now the disposer is jammed. Of course, no one knew how glass got down in there. It looks like a little glass bottle that the children had been playing with. I asked Robin about it. She blamed I. Dunno. Ryan, of course, blamed Not Me.
Let's see...the top of Robin's toy box is broken off from children jumping on it IN SPITE OF daily admonishments NOT to jump on the bed or toy box. I think I. Dunno and Not Me were the gremlins in that case.
Robin mentioned that her expensive little nightlight lamp had been knocked over. Knowing how lightbulbs tend not to work after they've been knocked, I checked on it. The little bulb was not lit, but hot. Then it came on and blew out. It seems that the base of the bulb is broken off inside the bulb receptacle, and I'm going to have to figure out a way to get it out. How did it happen? I. Dunno! Not Me!
Methinks tomorrow there will be some damage control before the children are allowed to play. It gets frustrating to have them not respect their things enough to take care of them...
Monday was grocery shopping day. It is never a good idea to take both children to the grocery store, but they were bribed and were pretty good. Since Wal-Mart has school supplies on sale, complete with supply lists from all of the area schools, we picked up Robin and Ryan's supplies plus groceries. 'Twas an expensive venture.
Tuesday, the children played outside with Jack almost all day. Ryan looks like a hunk of raw meat. I won't let the kids play outside without being sprayed with insect repellent, but Ry's legs are so bitten and scratched up, he gets away without it every chance he gets because it stings. Poor baby! While they played, I washed down the kitchen cabinet fronts and walls. They were dirty!
Today, I gave the children breakfast, then waited for a SATERN friend from Chicago to come through from Dayton on his way home so I could hand off something I proofread for him. We all met at McDonald's (he and wife and two grandchildren, and me and my two)...and had lunch while we talked, then we went shopping for school shoes for Robin. Later in the afternoon, pretty close to supper time, both children came dashing in looking for food. "We didn't get lunch today!" Huh??? What do you think we did at McDonald's?? "Oh. We forgot."
And, as the late ham radio operator Walter Cronkite used to say, "That's the way it is!"
We have some new residents in our home...similar to those that used to reside in the comic strip The Family Circus. We have I. Dunno and Not Me living here. Welcome to the House of Damage!
This evening, I went to run the garbage disposer. It made a horrible noise, so I turned it off and stuck my hand down in there. Broken glass...lots of little shards of it. Cut my hand in three places trying to get it all out (although I'm not at all sure that it is)...and now the disposer is jammed. Of course, no one knew how glass got down in there. It looks like a little glass bottle that the children had been playing with. I asked Robin about it. She blamed I. Dunno. Ryan, of course, blamed Not Me.
Let's see...the top of Robin's toy box is broken off from children jumping on it IN SPITE OF daily admonishments NOT to jump on the bed or toy box. I think I. Dunno and Not Me were the gremlins in that case.
Robin mentioned that her expensive little nightlight lamp had been knocked over. Knowing how lightbulbs tend not to work after they've been knocked, I checked on it. The little bulb was not lit, but hot. Then it came on and blew out. It seems that the base of the bulb is broken off inside the bulb receptacle, and I'm going to have to figure out a way to get it out. How did it happen? I. Dunno! Not Me!
Methinks tomorrow there will be some damage control before the children are allowed to play. It gets frustrating to have them not respect their things enough to take care of them...
Monday was grocery shopping day. It is never a good idea to take both children to the grocery store, but they were bribed and were pretty good. Since Wal-Mart has school supplies on sale, complete with supply lists from all of the area schools, we picked up Robin and Ryan's supplies plus groceries. 'Twas an expensive venture.
Tuesday, the children played outside with Jack almost all day. Ryan looks like a hunk of raw meat. I won't let the kids play outside without being sprayed with insect repellent, but Ry's legs are so bitten and scratched up, he gets away without it every chance he gets because it stings. Poor baby! While they played, I washed down the kitchen cabinet fronts and walls. They were dirty!
Today, I gave the children breakfast, then waited for a SATERN friend from Chicago to come through from Dayton on his way home so I could hand off something I proofread for him. We all met at McDonald's (he and wife and two grandchildren, and me and my two)...and had lunch while we talked, then we went shopping for school shoes for Robin. Later in the afternoon, pretty close to supper time, both children came dashing in looking for food. "We didn't get lunch today!" Huh??? What do you think we did at McDonald's?? "Oh. We forgot."
And, as the late ham radio operator Walter Cronkite used to say, "That's the way it is!"
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Slow Day
Went to bed late last night and got up late this morning. Thus, I didn't have a plan for housework, except that I needed to wash the kitchen floor. Heh heh...the new floor creates more work. When the filthy carpet was down, I had long ago given up on cleanliness. The children were forbidden to walk in there with bare feet, etc. Now that we have lighter flooring, keeping it clean has been more of a mission because it is so much more obvious when it is dirty. Interesting to note how quickly it gets messed up! I got the job done.
My babies are home. I miss them when they are gone and can't wait for them to go when the time comes! After my ex and I split up, I never got a break from parenthood. I can think of ONE time when Meg actually spent an overnight with her father. Our arrangement was--at his request--reasonable visitation with prior contact. She challenged me awhile ago, saying something like, "I was older. Why did it matter?" My answer was that every parent longs for time free from parenting. When Meg was little, I begged to have one day to be able to sleep in, but never got it. Everyone needs a break, now and then!
We had a fire in the chimenea and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. Then we did a few sparklers, left over from last year's Fourth celebration. The children are in bed. Are they in bed for good? We'll see! Grandma is not far behind.
My babies are home. I miss them when they are gone and can't wait for them to go when the time comes! After my ex and I split up, I never got a break from parenthood. I can think of ONE time when Meg actually spent an overnight with her father. Our arrangement was--at his request--reasonable visitation with prior contact. She challenged me awhile ago, saying something like, "I was older. Why did it matter?" My answer was that every parent longs for time free from parenting. When Meg was little, I begged to have one day to be able to sleep in, but never got it. Everyone needs a break, now and then!
We had a fire in the chimenea and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. Then we did a few sparklers, left over from last year's Fourth celebration. The children are in bed. Are they in bed for good? We'll see! Grandma is not far behind.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Hi, Honey. I'm Home!
Survived the Chicago trip. It didn't go as expected but did go okay. More work to come. I am sort of Command Central here. Everyone is to send their re-writes to me. I am to correct and compile what they send. We will meet again in October.
It has been 4-5 years since I last drove to the Chicago area. I dreaded it. Turned out okay in spite of road construction areas. (Could have been a LOT worse!)
Anyway...I ate too much and slept too little. (I never sleep well in new surroundings.) We had some lively discussions in meeting...but it should be that way. The committee consisted of eight people, I think. What I had prepared in advance went down the tubes before our first meeting. 'Tis ever thus!
Anyway, the children are in Muncie. Meg has gone out with her friend, Tiffany. I have the house to myself, but I'm too tired to appreciate it! Nightie-night!
It has been 4-5 years since I last drove to the Chicago area. I dreaded it. Turned out okay in spite of road construction areas. (Could have been a LOT worse!)
Anyway...I ate too much and slept too little. (I never sleep well in new surroundings.) We had some lively discussions in meeting...but it should be that way. The committee consisted of eight people, I think. What I had prepared in advance went down the tubes before our first meeting. 'Tis ever thus!
Anyway, the children are in Muncie. Meg has gone out with her friend, Tiffany. I have the house to myself, but I'm too tired to appreciate it! Nightie-night!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Count Fair
Took the grandchildren to our county's 4-H fair this afternoon/evening. The midway had one price for a wristband to "ride all night". The kids loved that, and there were plenty of rides for them. Actually, the children are fearless! They rode just about everything that we had time for. We ate some junk food, saw some animals, and generally had a good time. My friend "Big" Ryan, and his teenage granddaughter went with us. I'm really glad to have had the assistance. There were a couple of times when the kids went in two directions, and having Ryan and Payton there made a big difference in my ability to keep up with them. Thanks, Ryan!
Got home late. Everyone is in bed, but I don't think anyone is asleep yet...but Grandma is going to be! I continue to be amazed at how busy I can be all day long but have nothing to show for it... At least we got to do something fun today!
Got home late. Everyone is in bed, but I don't think anyone is asleep yet...but Grandma is going to be! I continue to be amazed at how busy I can be all day long but have nothing to show for it... At least we got to do something fun today!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Fire the Proofreader!
I need to start proofreading my posts before I click on "publish". Am finding all kinds of typos. Not good for an English teacher about to embark on revising a nationally read manual!
We didn't have a particularly stellar day here today. Meg's overnight flight was delayed. So delayed, in fact, that they had to book her on another flight from Detroit to Indy...which meant that, instead of getting back at 10:30, she wasn't back until 1:30, and then had to go to work. It kind of cut a chunk out of the day, making it difficult to keep the children on course. They seemed tired and easily bored--never a good combination. On a couple of occasions, Robin got so enraged at her brother that she (unwisely) took a swing at me when I stepped between them. And it went from there...
When we picked up Meg from Indy International, she hadn't had lunch...so we took a swing by McD's on our way home. Ryan threw a fit. He wanted Burger King (because of whatever they are giving away this week in their kids' meals). Suffice it to say that the children had already had lunch, but he was being such a toad that we just pulled out of the McD's lot and headed home without getting any food. Meg would just have to stop somewhere on her way to work. (She never did.)
Ryan had major gimme-wants today. Playing with Jack was out of the question because Jack was on his way to Indiana Beach for four days. ("I want to go there!") Then he was scraping money together to buy more rubber lizards. ("Grandma, help me count my money!") Whatever he wanted, we didn't have. Whatever I wanted, he wouldn't do. You get the picture!
Late in the day, we went to Hummel Park. Here there is a world of playground equipment for the children to play on...but all they wanted to do was play in the sandbox. Ugh! I remembered the struggle I had putting Ryan's socks on this morning...so this is what transpired:
RYAN: I want to play in the sand.
ME: I don't particularly want you to get sand in your shoes.
RYAN: I'll take my shoes and socks off.
ME: And who will put them back on again?
RYAN: I will.
ME: Okay.
In the middle of play, Ryan decided to go to the car to get a couple of dinosaurs. (He LOVES his dinosaurs!)
When it was time to go home, Ry dutifully got out of the sand to put on his shoes and socks. He got his socks on (inside out and upside down)...then I reminded him that his dinosaurs were still in the sand. I was aghast to watch him walk into the sandbox in his socks to get the dinosaurs...and I was too far away to stop him! And then, of course, because his socks were on wrong and full of sand, he had trouble getting his shoes on....so I ended up having to do what I was trying to avoid: putting on the shoes and socks AGAIN.
Somehow, dinner got put together and Meg and I were able to have a short conversation about her trip. She begged to go to bed about 7:00, which left me to get the children to bed--always a challenge. In fact, it is 10:02, and I just had to separate them AGAIN. We are slated to go to the county fair tomorrow, but if I can't get any cooperation, we ain't goin'!
The cicadas are out. Heard my first ones tonight. It used to knell the end of summer for me. I saw a fellow teacher at the store the other day and told her that, for the first time in my life, I was saying that I couldn't wait for school to start! heh heh.
The kids are still up. Murder is against the law...and suicide isn't considered good. What other options do I have??
We didn't have a particularly stellar day here today. Meg's overnight flight was delayed. So delayed, in fact, that they had to book her on another flight from Detroit to Indy...which meant that, instead of getting back at 10:30, she wasn't back until 1:30, and then had to go to work. It kind of cut a chunk out of the day, making it difficult to keep the children on course. They seemed tired and easily bored--never a good combination. On a couple of occasions, Robin got so enraged at her brother that she (unwisely) took a swing at me when I stepped between them. And it went from there...
When we picked up Meg from Indy International, she hadn't had lunch...so we took a swing by McD's on our way home. Ryan threw a fit. He wanted Burger King (because of whatever they are giving away this week in their kids' meals). Suffice it to say that the children had already had lunch, but he was being such a toad that we just pulled out of the McD's lot and headed home without getting any food. Meg would just have to stop somewhere on her way to work. (She never did.)
Ryan had major gimme-wants today. Playing with Jack was out of the question because Jack was on his way to Indiana Beach for four days. ("I want to go there!") Then he was scraping money together to buy more rubber lizards. ("Grandma, help me count my money!") Whatever he wanted, we didn't have. Whatever I wanted, he wouldn't do. You get the picture!
Late in the day, we went to Hummel Park. Here there is a world of playground equipment for the children to play on...but all they wanted to do was play in the sandbox. Ugh! I remembered the struggle I had putting Ryan's socks on this morning...so this is what transpired:
RYAN: I want to play in the sand.
ME: I don't particularly want you to get sand in your shoes.
RYAN: I'll take my shoes and socks off.
ME: And who will put them back on again?
RYAN: I will.
ME: Okay.
In the middle of play, Ryan decided to go to the car to get a couple of dinosaurs. (He LOVES his dinosaurs!)
When it was time to go home, Ry dutifully got out of the sand to put on his shoes and socks. He got his socks on (inside out and upside down)...then I reminded him that his dinosaurs were still in the sand. I was aghast to watch him walk into the sandbox in his socks to get the dinosaurs...and I was too far away to stop him! And then, of course, because his socks were on wrong and full of sand, he had trouble getting his shoes on....so I ended up having to do what I was trying to avoid: putting on the shoes and socks AGAIN.
Somehow, dinner got put together and Meg and I were able to have a short conversation about her trip. She begged to go to bed about 7:00, which left me to get the children to bed--always a challenge. In fact, it is 10:02, and I just had to separate them AGAIN. We are slated to go to the county fair tomorrow, but if I can't get any cooperation, we ain't goin'!
The cicadas are out. Heard my first ones tonight. It used to knell the end of summer for me. I saw a fellow teacher at the store the other day and told her that, for the first time in my life, I was saying that I couldn't wait for school to start! heh heh.
The kids are still up. Murder is against the law...and suicide isn't considered good. What other options do I have??
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Another Day
I worked my bottom off today, starting at about 8:30 AM. Did laundry, blah, blah... Most of the day was spend in the main bathroom. I cleaned out the wicker cabinet in there, then washed the floor. It was a whole lot bigger job than it sounds...
The children came home later than anticpated this evening. They had dessert, then snuggled into the two futons in the living room. Ry is on the big one. Robin is on the smaller one that we have never pulled out before. We'll see if this works. God bless them. They seem happy to be home.
We will all go to pick up Mommy at the airport in the morning. She should be taking off from San Fran somewhat shortly. It will be a long overnight flight for her. I did find child care for my Chicago trip, locally. We will go to meet the woman tomorrow. She is only four doors down!
I need to have a tooth pulled, but may not get the job done before the Chicago trip. I chew carefully and only on one side,. I hate getting old!
The children came home later than anticpated this evening. They had dessert, then snuggled into the two futons in the living room. Ry is on the big one. Robin is on the smaller one that we have never pulled out before. We'll see if this works. God bless them. They seem happy to be home.
We will all go to pick up Mommy at the airport in the morning. She should be taking off from San Fran somewhat shortly. It will be a long overnight flight for her. I did find child care for my Chicago trip, locally. We will go to meet the woman tomorrow. She is only four doors down!
I need to have a tooth pulled, but may not get the job done before the Chicago trip. I chew carefully and only on one side,. I hate getting old!
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Great Tent Debacle
Remember when I last posted about the kids' tent? Well...last night, they decided that they wanted to sleep in the tent. OUTSIDE was out of the question, so we set the silly thing up in the living room (after the children picked up) and threatened them with their lives if they stayed up all night. When I went to bed somewhere around 10:00, all was quiet. They were still awake but whispering. So far, so good.
When I woke up this morning, Robin was in my bed (again). Ryan was asleep, alone, in the tent. Neither child was easy to get up! When I finally got Robin awake, I asked her how she happened to be in my bed. She said, "Don't you remember telling Ryan, 'Get back to the tent or your room right now?'" I didn't. And I don't have a clue what time of day or night that was. Needless to say, the kids seemed tired today, in spite of their late wake-up time.
I have really tried to make the summer special for the children. They have stayed up too late, slept too late in the mornings, been to the movie, and have played, played, PLAYED with neighbor boy Jack. They've been in the sprinkler or in Jack's pool every day...and have totally destroyed the "divot" at the end of the drive where Meg parks...the mud puddle...by flooding it with water and playing in it. We took a vacation to Gatlinburg, TN, where they saw a midnight parade on the Fourth, fireworks, watched candy being made, rode ski lifts and slid down a bobsled run. We have done the tent thing. We will be going to the 4-H fair next week and are planning Robin's 7th birthday party. Have I indulged them? Maybe a little...but reality hits again in early August when school and routines start again. The other day, when I told the kids that we weren't doing anything until they did their "chores" (cleaned up their rooms), Robin informed me: "Summer is not about working!". I told Meg she needed to tell her boss that next summer...
I delivered the children to Muncie for their weekend visit with Daddy today, as a gift to Meg. She is leaving in the wee hours for a VERY short visit to San Francisco, and needed to be sleeping. Indulgence again? Maybe. There is plenty of time for reality later! Although the house is still messed up, we have accomplished quite a bit this summer, from replacing the kitchen floor to installing a new air conditioner and furnace, cutting down shrubs and hauling the yard trash. Just getting the gutters cleaned out was a major task. And so it goes.
I am still trying to find child care for the three days next week that I will be in Chicago to help revise the SATERN manual. Wish me luck!
When I woke up this morning, Robin was in my bed (again). Ryan was asleep, alone, in the tent. Neither child was easy to get up! When I finally got Robin awake, I asked her how she happened to be in my bed. She said, "Don't you remember telling Ryan, 'Get back to the tent or your room right now?'" I didn't. And I don't have a clue what time of day or night that was. Needless to say, the kids seemed tired today, in spite of their late wake-up time.
I have really tried to make the summer special for the children. They have stayed up too late, slept too late in the mornings, been to the movie, and have played, played, PLAYED with neighbor boy Jack. They've been in the sprinkler or in Jack's pool every day...and have totally destroyed the "divot" at the end of the drive where Meg parks...the mud puddle...by flooding it with water and playing in it. We took a vacation to Gatlinburg, TN, where they saw a midnight parade on the Fourth, fireworks, watched candy being made, rode ski lifts and slid down a bobsled run. We have done the tent thing. We will be going to the 4-H fair next week and are planning Robin's 7th birthday party. Have I indulged them? Maybe a little...but reality hits again in early August when school and routines start again. The other day, when I told the kids that we weren't doing anything until they did their "chores" (cleaned up their rooms), Robin informed me: "Summer is not about working!". I told Meg she needed to tell her boss that next summer...
I delivered the children to Muncie for their weekend visit with Daddy today, as a gift to Meg. She is leaving in the wee hours for a VERY short visit to San Francisco, and needed to be sleeping. Indulgence again? Maybe. There is plenty of time for reality later! Although the house is still messed up, we have accomplished quite a bit this summer, from replacing the kitchen floor to installing a new air conditioner and furnace, cutting down shrubs and hauling the yard trash. Just getting the gutters cleaned out was a major task. And so it goes.
I am still trying to find child care for the three days next week that I will be in Chicago to help revise the SATERN manual. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Nice Day
Just yesterday, I posted about watching children play with the boxes that their expensive toys come in. Today, in order to stave off a trip to Splash Island that Robin has been wanting to do, I put up a tent that I had bought for them two years ago. They had totally forgotten that it existed. I was thinking that having their very own tent to play in should provide some amusement for awhile. I know it attracted the neighbor boy who usually isn't out that early in the day. (It was 10 AM.) They did get in it...for a few minutes...but very soon thereafter, they were off playing in the mud puddle again. I'm not sure they ever did get in the tent again today. Do you know how much I would have KILLED to have had something that neat to play with when I was a kid?????
While the children were outside, I worked on the inside. I started working on my bedroom. (Notice I said "started"?) My bedroom is also my radio shack and computer room. It has been a disaster since it was finished a year ago. Everything that has no place else to be in the rest of the house gets planted there. It has become a bottleneck for getting anything else done because things that go in the walk-in closet can't get put there, due to too much "stuff" in the doorway...and that "stuff" gets stepped over and walked around forever. Okay...so I started. My goal is to have it done before school starts. Whether or not I am able to achieve that goal remains to be seen! The patio/back yard is another endless project. Wish I had more hands and more time!
Do you know how one job begets another? I need to organize the minibarn to get more in there. Needs shelves. (Actually need another minibarn, but don't have the room or the $$ to get that done!) Cleaning off the patio means organizing the minibarn. Organizing the minibarn means getting rid of more "stuff". Ugh! It never stops!
The Hendricks County 4-H Fair starts this weekend. Will take the children one day next week. We had a good time there last year.
I remain amazed at how much I can work and how little I can actually get done in a day. Am I losing my touch??
While the children were outside, I worked on the inside. I started working on my bedroom. (Notice I said "started"?) My bedroom is also my radio shack and computer room. It has been a disaster since it was finished a year ago. Everything that has no place else to be in the rest of the house gets planted there. It has become a bottleneck for getting anything else done because things that go in the walk-in closet can't get put there, due to too much "stuff" in the doorway...and that "stuff" gets stepped over and walked around forever. Okay...so I started. My goal is to have it done before school starts. Whether or not I am able to achieve that goal remains to be seen! The patio/back yard is another endless project. Wish I had more hands and more time!
Do you know how one job begets another? I need to organize the minibarn to get more in there. Needs shelves. (Actually need another minibarn, but don't have the room or the $$ to get that done!) Cleaning off the patio means organizing the minibarn. Organizing the minibarn means getting rid of more "stuff". Ugh! It never stops!
The Hendricks County 4-H Fair starts this weekend. Will take the children one day next week. We had a good time there last year.
I remain amazed at how much I can work and how little I can actually get done in a day. Am I losing my touch??
Monday, July 13, 2009
Okay...so...
This house is notorious for blowing light bulbs on a regular basis. The worst place right now is the one-year-old ceiling fan in my bedroom. It has five bulbs at 60 watts each. I've been through two-to-three cycles of bulbs already. It gets expensive, ya know? I decided today, while out shopping with the children, to put in the new energy saving bulbs. (The package says they will last six years. We'll see about that!) These take in 13 watts to produce 60. I'm hoping it will make a difference. Meantime, it sure is bright in here! (I was down to one working bulb before the new ones.)
Last night, the children just wouldn't go to sleep. They were put down by 9:00. Meg went to bed. Just about every hour thereafter, there was a new situation. Robin, who never wanted to be awake if everyone else in the house was asleep, begged me not to check on her. She said she wasn't afraid anymore and wanted to test herself by having me go to bed while she was still up. A bit later, I discovered why. I found her in her brother's room, quietly playing and watching TV with him. Hmmm... I sent her back to her room. She was still admonishing me that she needed the "test" and would I please go to bed? Finally, at a little after 1 AM, I thought she was asleep...so I went to bed. At 2:15 AM, I woke up to her crawling into bed with me, pillow and blanket in hand. She said, "How did I get all the way back here?" Hmmmm...
This morning--just imagine--I had trouble getting the skunks out of bed. They were tired! I told them we had errands to run. It is never good to take both of them shopping, but I can't wait for the end of the day to get things done. We went to Radio Shack, then to Wal-Mart. In spite of bribes, behavior wasn't good in the beginning. (It got better after threats.) They were allowed $10 each to spend. (There is virtually NOTHING available for less!) As the ice cream was melting in the cart while the children were picking out purchases, Robin discovered a couple of trays with snakes and rubber dinosaurs for $1 each. You'd think we had struck gold! Ryan quickly abandoned the $12 dinosaur (for which he would owe me $2 of his precious $4), and Robin spent all of hers. (She paid me her $4 when we got home.) All of these treasures were to play with Jack in the mud puddle of their own creation at the end of the drive...
When Meg got home, she said, "WHY is Ryan being allowed to play in the mud??" I'm sure there was criticism implied. I told her, "Because he is a boy!" Ryan and the neighbor boy (Jack) LOVE playing in water. They daily flood the little ditch at the curb where Meg's car is parked. I don't know of any cleaner options. It's like buying children expensive presents, only to observe them play with the box it came in. I have thought I should buy Ryan a water table... but Jack HAS a water table. He prefers to play in the mud!
Meg will be flying to San Francisco this weekend to visit her Russian friend. She is already worried about her lack of sleep. Stuff happens! I will be trekking to Chicago the week after, to help revise the SATERN manual. Our county's 4-H fair starts this next weekend. Will be sure to get the children there in between commitments. We enjoyed it last year.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the summer is flying. I haven't taken the kids to Splash Island yet, but they have had a busy summer. (So have I!) And the remaining time is filling up quickly. I want to take a trip to my sister's in IL with the kids, but am not sure, at this point, when that can/will occur. We may just have to escape!
Ryan is in bed. Robin is in the tub. Megan is in bed. Better get busy here so I can hit the sack at a reasonable hour. Reasonable? Did I say that???
Last night, the children just wouldn't go to sleep. They were put down by 9:00. Meg went to bed. Just about every hour thereafter, there was a new situation. Robin, who never wanted to be awake if everyone else in the house was asleep, begged me not to check on her. She said she wasn't afraid anymore and wanted to test herself by having me go to bed while she was still up. A bit later, I discovered why. I found her in her brother's room, quietly playing and watching TV with him. Hmmm... I sent her back to her room. She was still admonishing me that she needed the "test" and would I please go to bed? Finally, at a little after 1 AM, I thought she was asleep...so I went to bed. At 2:15 AM, I woke up to her crawling into bed with me, pillow and blanket in hand. She said, "How did I get all the way back here?" Hmmmm...
This morning--just imagine--I had trouble getting the skunks out of bed. They were tired! I told them we had errands to run. It is never good to take both of them shopping, but I can't wait for the end of the day to get things done. We went to Radio Shack, then to Wal-Mart. In spite of bribes, behavior wasn't good in the beginning. (It got better after threats.) They were allowed $10 each to spend. (There is virtually NOTHING available for less!) As the ice cream was melting in the cart while the children were picking out purchases, Robin discovered a couple of trays with snakes and rubber dinosaurs for $1 each. You'd think we had struck gold! Ryan quickly abandoned the $12 dinosaur (for which he would owe me $2 of his precious $4), and Robin spent all of hers. (She paid me her $4 when we got home.) All of these treasures were to play with Jack in the mud puddle of their own creation at the end of the drive...
When Meg got home, she said, "WHY is Ryan being allowed to play in the mud??" I'm sure there was criticism implied. I told her, "Because he is a boy!" Ryan and the neighbor boy (Jack) LOVE playing in water. They daily flood the little ditch at the curb where Meg's car is parked. I don't know of any cleaner options. It's like buying children expensive presents, only to observe them play with the box it came in. I have thought I should buy Ryan a water table... but Jack HAS a water table. He prefers to play in the mud!
Meg will be flying to San Francisco this weekend to visit her Russian friend. She is already worried about her lack of sleep. Stuff happens! I will be trekking to Chicago the week after, to help revise the SATERN manual. Our county's 4-H fair starts this next weekend. Will be sure to get the children there in between commitments. We enjoyed it last year.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the summer is flying. I haven't taken the kids to Splash Island yet, but they have had a busy summer. (So have I!) And the remaining time is filling up quickly. I want to take a trip to my sister's in IL with the kids, but am not sure, at this point, when that can/will occur. We may just have to escape!
Ryan is in bed. Robin is in the tub. Megan is in bed. Better get busy here so I can hit the sack at a reasonable hour. Reasonable? Did I say that???
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Boring Kind of Day
Today was somewhat low key. I did work around the house but didn't get overly-ambitious. Had to get diligent around the sink, though. We got fruit flies with the last batch of bananas...and one fruit fly quickly begets bunches of them. I bleached the sinks, did laundry, dishes, picked up, and generally puttered.
The children came home between 7:00 and 7:30, bearing gourd plants in plastic cups, from Grandma Judy. We have to find a decent place to plant them. My yard is quite shady, both front and back. Robin wants to plant hers at the minibarn. We'll see what we can do about that. Both children had some sun on their faces. They had been swimming at "Catalina" in Muncie. They love that.
Don't know what tomorrow will bring. Summer is simply flying by! The Methodist Church has their fish fry sign up already...for early August. I was thinking to myself, we just went to that fish fry...but it's been almost a year. Darn!
The children came home between 7:00 and 7:30, bearing gourd plants in plastic cups, from Grandma Judy. We have to find a decent place to plant them. My yard is quite shady, both front and back. Robin wants to plant hers at the minibarn. We'll see what we can do about that. Both children had some sun on their faces. They had been swimming at "Catalina" in Muncie. They love that.
Don't know what tomorrow will bring. Summer is simply flying by! The Methodist Church has their fish fry sign up already...for early August. I was thinking to myself, we just went to that fish fry...but it's been almost a year. Darn!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Nice!
Got the new AC and furnace in. I was really impressed with the installers--young guys who were polite, friendly, and really seemed to know what they were doing. They got right to work, didn't waste any time, and were done in four hours flat. In essence, they tore out the old furnace and the old AC. Put all new copper tubing in the attic...everything new, from scratch...installed the new furnace and AC. When they left, the floor was actually cleaner than it had been when they got here! This was an unexpected expense. I have known for years that the furnace needed to be replaced but dreaded both the money and the process. And worried every time we hit the heating season that the furnace would go out in the dead of winter with two children in the house. I have a sense of peace and confidence now. A brand new shiny gray furnace...and matching AC. Wow!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Hot Summer Daze
Nice hot days like this makes me appreciate air conditioning...except ours isn't working right now. I'm awaiting a "technician" now. *Paragraph breaks.* We noticed last night that it was getting warm in the house. I could tell that the air coming out of the vents wasn't cool. Checked the breaker. It was off. We pushed it back in, twice, and it clicked back off again both times. Sounds expensive. We'll soon find out. *The children don't really seem to care that it's hot. They were outside playing until the neighbor boy went in. They've been in the sprinkler and otherwise generally messing up the yard and house. In, out. In, out. "Close the door! You're letting the flies in!" Man, does that bring back memories of being at my grandparents' farm in the summer. My mother was the one that was always yelling, "Close the door!" I thought she was just being unreasonable. Now, I understand! *The house I have now is the only home I've ever lived in that had central air conditioning, except for a short stint in an apartment way back in the early 70s. Some had window air conditioners. Some, just window fans. My mother knew just how to work the fan with certain doors open and certain doors closed to effect a breeze in the house. Mess with the system and there was hell to pay. Not only did it get hotter in the house, but Mom wasn't happy. *Well...the verdict is in. We are getting a new air conditioner AND a new furnace tomorrow...and we will be officially poor again. The furnace is 41 years old. It will be a relief to have it replaced...and to have a cool house again. It's only money!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Ugh
Just re-read yesterday's posts of the trip, complete with typos. Just read between the lines, people. I was tired!
Today was back to Business as Usual. Meg went to work. The children and I made do. They played outside all afternoon. There were a few "I forgot's" when admonished to do some things. For instance, they filled the sandbox lid (upside down) with water--without permission--and were told to dump it when they were done playing in it. They didn't. They "forgot". Ryan was told to pick up some plastic bits from a broom that he broke. He "forgot". At one point, Ryan stuck his head in the door and started yelling, "Puppy! Puppy!" Robin went running. I was trying to call her back, but she didn't stop. A man was walking his dog. The children DID ask permission to pet it, but they don't know how to approach dogs. Robin got down to the dog's level...and even though the dog was on a leash, I got there just in time to see it lunge at Robin's face and start barking. I was mortified! We had a little talk about that...
For my part, I was washing bed linen. Ryan had wet the bed the last night before we left for Tennessee, so I had that facing me...and since ALL of the beds needed fresh linen, I washed it all. Put a few things away. Fixed dinner. Monitored the children. Supervised one bath and bedtime. Yet another day is done!
Today was back to Business as Usual. Meg went to work. The children and I made do. They played outside all afternoon. There were a few "I forgot's" when admonished to do some things. For instance, they filled the sandbox lid (upside down) with water--without permission--and were told to dump it when they were done playing in it. They didn't. They "forgot". Ryan was told to pick up some plastic bits from a broom that he broke. He "forgot". At one point, Ryan stuck his head in the door and started yelling, "Puppy! Puppy!" Robin went running. I was trying to call her back, but she didn't stop. A man was walking his dog. The children DID ask permission to pet it, but they don't know how to approach dogs. Robin got down to the dog's level...and even though the dog was on a leash, I got there just in time to see it lunge at Robin's face and start barking. I was mortified! We had a little talk about that...
For my part, I was washing bed linen. Ryan had wet the bed the last night before we left for Tennessee, so I had that facing me...and since ALL of the beds needed fresh linen, I washed it all. Put a few things away. Fixed dinner. Monitored the children. Supervised one bath and bedtime. Yet another day is done!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Trip Home
Tuesday—
I was up at 8:00, getting things packed, dishes washed, etc. Meg was up shortly thereafter. Checkout time at the cabin was 11:00. We pushed it to the limit. I told Robin that her snails and slugs and bugs could NOT come home to Plainfield. “Please? Pleeeeasssee???” Meg put her foot down. No bugs! Robin wasn’t very happy about that. We hit the road a few minutes after 11:00 AM.
I didn’t give Ryan breakfast. Figured he wouldn’t be hungry. We weren’t even to Pigeon Forge when he announced that he was hungry and wanted breakfast. McDonald’s doesn’t serve breakfast at that hour, so he had chicken nuggets and French fries…and chocolate milk. We ALL had junk food. A little while later at a pottie stop, he got a flavored drink and a bag of marshmallow “peanuts”. Still no sign of an upset stomach. As we approached Lexington, KY, we stopped at McDonald’s again…this time for WiFi. Ryan ordered a cheeseburger…but didn’t eat it. He DID drink the chocolate milkshake that he ordered. I got Apple Dippers for him, which he ate later in the car, saying “This will be my nutrition for the day.”
The Lexington experience was an interesting side trip. Meg has long known that her great-great-great-great-great-grandfather James Bryan had helped to settle that area in the late 1700s. In fact, there had been a place called Bryan Station (fort)…and Bryan Station Road still exists. She knew there was an historical marker there. I got to looking at the map and saw that we would be driving right over Bryan Station Road on Interstate 75. When we stopped at a McDonald’s for wireless Internet a few miles out of Lexington, it was to do a little research on how to get to the historical marker.
The “big story” was that Bryan Station was out of water. The spring was outside the fort, but 500 Native-Americans were observed hiding in the area, waiting to attack. In a complicated strategy, the men of the station managed to convince the women that they should go get water, in order to keep things looking normal, etc. They did. The attack never happened because the fort was adequately supplied and the Indians were thwarted. According to the Internet, the DAR had built a monument to the brave women around the spring, but that the spring is on private property and is not open to the public. L
We followed the Google Earth map on the computer. Only had to backtrack once…but suddenly, there was the historical marker. We parked in someone’s gated driveway (we apparently were in big-time racehorse farm territory) and walked to the marker for pictures. When Meg and I read that the monument around the spring was on private property, we were thinking, like, a farm or pasture, and that we weren’t afraid to knock on a door to ask if we could take pictures. We had no idea we would be in the ritzy area! Needless to say, we got back in the car, happy with what we had. It was only a short trek back to the interstate. It didn’t cost us much time. It would have been stupid to pass it by just because we were on the way home. I’m glad we stopped.
Our last pottie stop of the day was also a supper stop. Subway. Meg discovered a container of bugs stowed away in the car. When she confronted Robin about it, Robin said, “How did those get there?” Hmmmm….
We arrived in Plainfield, IN, a little after 8:00 PM. Back to civilization. Back to home. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like it! We did things we’d never done before (and probably will never do again). Saw places that were awesome. Enjoyed every moment as it came. The children are quite patient in waiting for the adults to decide what we are doing. (They were happiest in the hot tub and scouting out snails. Go figure!) Meg goes to work tomorrow. I intent to sleep as much as I can!
I was up at 8:00, getting things packed, dishes washed, etc. Meg was up shortly thereafter. Checkout time at the cabin was 11:00. We pushed it to the limit. I told Robin that her snails and slugs and bugs could NOT come home to Plainfield. “Please? Pleeeeasssee???” Meg put her foot down. No bugs! Robin wasn’t very happy about that. We hit the road a few minutes after 11:00 AM.
I didn’t give Ryan breakfast. Figured he wouldn’t be hungry. We weren’t even to Pigeon Forge when he announced that he was hungry and wanted breakfast. McDonald’s doesn’t serve breakfast at that hour, so he had chicken nuggets and French fries…and chocolate milk. We ALL had junk food. A little while later at a pottie stop, he got a flavored drink and a bag of marshmallow “peanuts”. Still no sign of an upset stomach. As we approached Lexington, KY, we stopped at McDonald’s again…this time for WiFi. Ryan ordered a cheeseburger…but didn’t eat it. He DID drink the chocolate milkshake that he ordered. I got Apple Dippers for him, which he ate later in the car, saying “This will be my nutrition for the day.”
The Lexington experience was an interesting side trip. Meg has long known that her great-great-great-great-great-grandfather James Bryan had helped to settle that area in the late 1700s. In fact, there had been a place called Bryan Station (fort)…and Bryan Station Road still exists. She knew there was an historical marker there. I got to looking at the map and saw that we would be driving right over Bryan Station Road on Interstate 75. When we stopped at a McDonald’s for wireless Internet a few miles out of Lexington, it was to do a little research on how to get to the historical marker.
The “big story” was that Bryan Station was out of water. The spring was outside the fort, but 500 Native-Americans were observed hiding in the area, waiting to attack. In a complicated strategy, the men of the station managed to convince the women that they should go get water, in order to keep things looking normal, etc. They did. The attack never happened because the fort was adequately supplied and the Indians were thwarted. According to the Internet, the DAR had built a monument to the brave women around the spring, but that the spring is on private property and is not open to the public. L
We followed the Google Earth map on the computer. Only had to backtrack once…but suddenly, there was the historical marker. We parked in someone’s gated driveway (we apparently were in big-time racehorse farm territory) and walked to the marker for pictures. When Meg and I read that the monument around the spring was on private property, we were thinking, like, a farm or pasture, and that we weren’t afraid to knock on a door to ask if we could take pictures. We had no idea we would be in the ritzy area! Needless to say, we got back in the car, happy with what we had. It was only a short trek back to the interstate. It didn’t cost us much time. It would have been stupid to pass it by just because we were on the way home. I’m glad we stopped.
Our last pottie stop of the day was also a supper stop. Subway. Meg discovered a container of bugs stowed away in the car. When she confronted Robin about it, Robin said, “How did those get there?” Hmmmm….
We arrived in Plainfield, IN, a little after 8:00 PM. Back to civilization. Back to home. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like it! We did things we’d never done before (and probably will never do again). Saw places that were awesome. Enjoyed every moment as it came. The children are quite patient in waiting for the adults to decide what we are doing. (They were happiest in the hot tub and scouting out snails. Go figure!) Meg goes to work tomorrow. I intent to sleep as much as I can!
Last Full Day
Monday—
Everyone slept late today. I didn’t get up until after 10:00, and that was with “encouragement” from the children. It was close to noon before we had breakfast, and close to 3:00 before we had lunch. The children played in the hot tub for quite awhile, then found snails and worms to play with. Meg and I were somewhat non-energetic. We didn’t get a jump on the day until almost 5:00!
When we finally set out, we went to Ober Gatlinburg. Took an aerial tram up the mountain to the place (a ski resort that has cashed in on year-round attractions). Riding the tram up the mountain was pretty awesome—especially for me who is not fond of heights. When we got to the Ober Gatlinburg level of the mountain, we stopped to eat. We ordered a small pizza. Ryan got a hot dog that he didn’t touch. Both children got Slushies. Robin swallowed a chunk of pizza that hadn’t been properly chewed and had a few moments of panic when it seemed to scratch her throat. She insisted it was stuck in there. After a bit, she said she couldn’t feel it anymore. There were a few times on the trip when I wondered how anyone could get emergency care if it were needed. Traffic, crowds, and mountains would have made it pretty tough, plus the fact that there was virtually no cell phone coverage in the area.
Then, we went outside to the “amusement” area of the high valley. Children six and under got in free. (We lucked out with Robin and Ryan.) Adults had to pay…and had to accompany all children six and under on the rides. The first thing that Meg wanted to do was to ride the ski lift to farther up the mountain to the with the children in order to ride the Alpine Slide down. The Alpine Slide is a much tamer version of a bobsled run. You ride the ski lift up to the midsection of the mountain, then are given a “sled” (with brakes) on which to schuss on down. The sled would only hold one adult and one child, which meant we’d both have to go…but I took one look at the ski lift and how high they would be going, I passed. That meant that Meg would have to go up once with Ryan, then again with Robin. (I told Ryan that I was a chicken. He got a kick out of that.) The trip up takes almost eight minutes; the trip down, just a few seconds. Meg and Ryan went first. Meg had the camera but couldn’t really take pictures. When they finally came down, the look on Ryan’s face was somewhat terrified. Meg looked a little less afraid, but I think she was pushing her comfort level, too! By this time, it was starting to sprinkle…just a very little mist…so Meg and Robin headed up right away. This time, I had the camera and was instructed to get shots of them coming down.
I waited and waited to see them come down. Ryan was watching for them, too. Finally, one of the workers told Ryan, “There won’t be anyone coming down there. They’ve closed the ride. It’s raining up there.” I mentioned that my daughter and granddaughter were up there. The man said, “They may be coming back on the ski lift.” Well…we waited and waited…and they didn’t come down. FINALLY, I could see Meg’s red shirt and Robin’s dangling little feet on the ski lift coming down. It seems that, since the slide was temporarily closed down, they decided to take the lift all the way to the top of the mountain. I looked up. It was a LONG way up there, almost vertical at the end. Yikes!
We let the kids ride a couple of kiddie rides. I noticed some guys coming down the Alpine Slide, but they were workers who were coming down with towels under their sleds, drying the slide. Then, we could see that “civilians” were coming down. The ride had reopened. Nothing to do but send Meg and Robin back up the mountain for their slide down! Meg said the view was breathtaking but that I wouldn’t have been able to handle the ride up. I’m sorry about that…but I’m glad she got to see it. (Later, Robin said her favorite part of the day was seeing the “beauty of the mountains and being with Mommy”. It sounded pretty programmed but was a good answer!
By this time, Ryan was bored with waiting for Meg and Robbie’s treks up and down the mountain. He wanted to do the bumper cars, which we did. By the time we were done, Meg and Robin were already down. No pictures!! (Boo!) We did a couple more rides with the children, had some Dippin’ Dots ice cream, then got in line for the reverse aerial tram trip back down to Gatlinburg. By now, it was dark. From above, the city looked like it was covered in Christmas lights. Pretty neato!
We got back to the car and headed to the cabin. Ryan found an adult-sized, unopened bottle of water in the car, which he chugged. Thirsty boy! This, however, turned disastrous. Back at the cabin, we got the children ensconced in bed. Meg was on the computer talking to her Russian friend. I heard Ryan struggling with the bedroom door and fussing. “What’s the matter?” “I feel like I have to throw up!” I cleared the way just in time. Up came his blue Slushie and his bottle of water…and one tiny chunk of hot dog (which was all he had eaten)…in two volumes. (God bless the little dude: from a very early age, he has been pretty good about judging the state of his stomach and almost always gets to a commode before getting sick!) I got a plastic tub for him to keep next to his bed and made sure that the light was on in the bathroom off his bedroom. I had visions. We would be on the road for 8-10 hours the next day…with a potential sickie in the vehicle. I figured we’d let him decide what and if he could eat the next day. He went back to bed and never got sick again.
Meantime, Meg was on the computer a whole lot longer than I liked. I wanted to finish up the day’s notes (which you are now reading) and check my email, but her conversation with Denis went on and on. It was well after midnight before she gave up--then got talkative. By that time, I just wanted Grandma Time. Go away and leave me alone! She went to bed. I didn’t get much done on the computer. Just gave up and went to bed. Big travel day tomorrow.
Everyone slept late today. I didn’t get up until after 10:00, and that was with “encouragement” from the children. It was close to noon before we had breakfast, and close to 3:00 before we had lunch. The children played in the hot tub for quite awhile, then found snails and worms to play with. Meg and I were somewhat non-energetic. We didn’t get a jump on the day until almost 5:00!
When we finally set out, we went to Ober Gatlinburg. Took an aerial tram up the mountain to the place (a ski resort that has cashed in on year-round attractions). Riding the tram up the mountain was pretty awesome—especially for me who is not fond of heights. When we got to the Ober Gatlinburg level of the mountain, we stopped to eat. We ordered a small pizza. Ryan got a hot dog that he didn’t touch. Both children got Slushies. Robin swallowed a chunk of pizza that hadn’t been properly chewed and had a few moments of panic when it seemed to scratch her throat. She insisted it was stuck in there. After a bit, she said she couldn’t feel it anymore. There were a few times on the trip when I wondered how anyone could get emergency care if it were needed. Traffic, crowds, and mountains would have made it pretty tough, plus the fact that there was virtually no cell phone coverage in the area.
Then, we went outside to the “amusement” area of the high valley. Children six and under got in free. (We lucked out with Robin and Ryan.) Adults had to pay…and had to accompany all children six and under on the rides. The first thing that Meg wanted to do was to ride the ski lift to farther up the mountain to the with the children in order to ride the Alpine Slide down. The Alpine Slide is a much tamer version of a bobsled run. You ride the ski lift up to the midsection of the mountain, then are given a “sled” (with brakes) on which to schuss on down. The sled would only hold one adult and one child, which meant we’d both have to go…but I took one look at the ski lift and how high they would be going, I passed. That meant that Meg would have to go up once with Ryan, then again with Robin. (I told Ryan that I was a chicken. He got a kick out of that.) The trip up takes almost eight minutes; the trip down, just a few seconds. Meg and Ryan went first. Meg had the camera but couldn’t really take pictures. When they finally came down, the look on Ryan’s face was somewhat terrified. Meg looked a little less afraid, but I think she was pushing her comfort level, too! By this time, it was starting to sprinkle…just a very little mist…so Meg and Robin headed up right away. This time, I had the camera and was instructed to get shots of them coming down.
I waited and waited to see them come down. Ryan was watching for them, too. Finally, one of the workers told Ryan, “There won’t be anyone coming down there. They’ve closed the ride. It’s raining up there.” I mentioned that my daughter and granddaughter were up there. The man said, “They may be coming back on the ski lift.” Well…we waited and waited…and they didn’t come down. FINALLY, I could see Meg’s red shirt and Robin’s dangling little feet on the ski lift coming down. It seems that, since the slide was temporarily closed down, they decided to take the lift all the way to the top of the mountain. I looked up. It was a LONG way up there, almost vertical at the end. Yikes!
We let the kids ride a couple of kiddie rides. I noticed some guys coming down the Alpine Slide, but they were workers who were coming down with towels under their sleds, drying the slide. Then, we could see that “civilians” were coming down. The ride had reopened. Nothing to do but send Meg and Robin back up the mountain for their slide down! Meg said the view was breathtaking but that I wouldn’t have been able to handle the ride up. I’m sorry about that…but I’m glad she got to see it. (Later, Robin said her favorite part of the day was seeing the “beauty of the mountains and being with Mommy”. It sounded pretty programmed but was a good answer!
By this time, Ryan was bored with waiting for Meg and Robbie’s treks up and down the mountain. He wanted to do the bumper cars, which we did. By the time we were done, Meg and Robin were already down. No pictures!! (Boo!) We did a couple more rides with the children, had some Dippin’ Dots ice cream, then got in line for the reverse aerial tram trip back down to Gatlinburg. By now, it was dark. From above, the city looked like it was covered in Christmas lights. Pretty neato!
We got back to the car and headed to the cabin. Ryan found an adult-sized, unopened bottle of water in the car, which he chugged. Thirsty boy! This, however, turned disastrous. Back at the cabin, we got the children ensconced in bed. Meg was on the computer talking to her Russian friend. I heard Ryan struggling with the bedroom door and fussing. “What’s the matter?” “I feel like I have to throw up!” I cleared the way just in time. Up came his blue Slushie and his bottle of water…and one tiny chunk of hot dog (which was all he had eaten)…in two volumes. (God bless the little dude: from a very early age, he has been pretty good about judging the state of his stomach and almost always gets to a commode before getting sick!) I got a plastic tub for him to keep next to his bed and made sure that the light was on in the bathroom off his bedroom. I had visions. We would be on the road for 8-10 hours the next day…with a potential sickie in the vehicle. I figured we’d let him decide what and if he could eat the next day. He went back to bed and never got sick again.
Meantime, Meg was on the computer a whole lot longer than I liked. I wanted to finish up the day’s notes (which you are now reading) and check my email, but her conversation with Denis went on and on. It was well after midnight before she gave up--then got talkative. By that time, I just wanted Grandma Time. Go away and leave me alone! She went to bed. I didn’t get much done on the computer. Just gave up and went to bed. Big travel day tomorrow.
Next Day
Sunday—
Today, our “somewhat” plan was to do the National Park, then try McDonald’s for WiFi, and hit up the grocery store…and be back to the cabin for a reasonable bedtime. We also promised the children a “movie night”. I think Meg wanted to do some hiking in the park. I knew I wasn’t up to that but was willing to wait if she and the children did.
We slept in late. Had breakfast, etc. It was easily 1:30 or 2:00 PM before we started out. We decided that we should probably find a place for lunch. Along the way out of Gatlinburg, we ran into several pancake houses…all of which were closed! Hmmmm… Before we actually got out of town, we turned around to go back to find something open. What we found was a small place stuck up against a mountain backdrop, with local license plates in their small parking area. They would be open one more hour. The place was filled with locals that all seemed to be related. We picked items from the menu that sounded good but turned out not to be so. The kids were getting squirrely, so we departed as quickly as we could.
The entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park from Gatlinburg can apparently only be approached from the southbound lanes of the highway . We were trying to get there from the north. When we hit the Pigeon Forge city limits, we backtracked…and finally found ourselves in the park. There is no entrance gate or entrance fee. You are simply there and need to know what you are looking for. We didn’t! We stopped at the Visitor’s Center. The children whizzed through a museum. My sister had recommended the Cades Cove tour, so we decided to take it. Twenty-four miles to Cades Cove. We took our time and saw the sights along the way. (We should have hastened along!)
Cades Cove is, essentially, an 11-mile one-way, one-lane loop around a meadow surrounded by mountains. It is gorgeous! The speed limit on the rough road was 20 mph, but we never exceeded 10 because of the people ahead of us. (Most of the time, our speed was 0-5 mph.) There were a few overlook/pull-off areas, but if anyone spotted wildlife, they just stopped in the roadway. We saw horses, wild turkeys, lots of deer, and a mother black bear with three cubs. (Meg also saw a squirrel.) We were halfway through the loop at the Visitor’s Center, when Meg had to go to the bathroom, but apparently so did everyone else in the Smokies. She found no good place to park so kept going. We realized that we were skewered by speeds of those ahead of us. An 11-mile loop at 10 mph (max) takes a whole lot longer than we had planned or hoped!
When we finally got out of the loop and back on park roads (speed limit 35), the rains came. Lightning, thunder, and some gully-washers. Meg did well to keep up and be on task…but suddenly, we were behind a dude who was doing 25, with an impatient tail-gater between him and us. After several miles of this, the slow fellow took a pull-off without a turn signal. The tail-gater nearly nailed him. It wasn’t fun, but at least our speed increased a bit after we got beyond him. When we got to the park Welcome Center, everything was dark…but thankfully, the restrooms were still open. Yay!
Okay…so we stopped at the cabin to pick up a laptop, then proceeded to McDs to see if they had WiFi. They did! The children and I ate while Meg connected with her Russian buddy in California. I took the kids to the grocery store to give her a little more time. When we all arrived back at the cabin, it was 10:30…way past the children’s bedtime…but we had promised them a movie… I burned the popcorn, and the children acted like children. In short order, everyone was asleep. Except me.
Tomorrow is our last full day here. We plan to go to Ober Gatlinburg. It sounds expensive, but I think the children will like it.
Today, our “somewhat” plan was to do the National Park, then try McDonald’s for WiFi, and hit up the grocery store…and be back to the cabin for a reasonable bedtime. We also promised the children a “movie night”. I think Meg wanted to do some hiking in the park. I knew I wasn’t up to that but was willing to wait if she and the children did.
We slept in late. Had breakfast, etc. It was easily 1:30 or 2:00 PM before we started out. We decided that we should probably find a place for lunch. Along the way out of Gatlinburg, we ran into several pancake houses…all of which were closed! Hmmmm… Before we actually got out of town, we turned around to go back to find something open. What we found was a small place stuck up against a mountain backdrop, with local license plates in their small parking area. They would be open one more hour. The place was filled with locals that all seemed to be related. We picked items from the menu that sounded good but turned out not to be so. The kids were getting squirrely, so we departed as quickly as we could.
The entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park from Gatlinburg can apparently only be approached from the southbound lanes of the highway . We were trying to get there from the north. When we hit the Pigeon Forge city limits, we backtracked…and finally found ourselves in the park. There is no entrance gate or entrance fee. You are simply there and need to know what you are looking for. We didn’t! We stopped at the Visitor’s Center. The children whizzed through a museum. My sister had recommended the Cades Cove tour, so we decided to take it. Twenty-four miles to Cades Cove. We took our time and saw the sights along the way. (We should have hastened along!)
Cades Cove is, essentially, an 11-mile one-way, one-lane loop around a meadow surrounded by mountains. It is gorgeous! The speed limit on the rough road was 20 mph, but we never exceeded 10 because of the people ahead of us. (Most of the time, our speed was 0-5 mph.) There were a few overlook/pull-off areas, but if anyone spotted wildlife, they just stopped in the roadway. We saw horses, wild turkeys, lots of deer, and a mother black bear with three cubs. (Meg also saw a squirrel.) We were halfway through the loop at the Visitor’s Center, when Meg had to go to the bathroom, but apparently so did everyone else in the Smokies. She found no good place to park so kept going. We realized that we were skewered by speeds of those ahead of us. An 11-mile loop at 10 mph (max) takes a whole lot longer than we had planned or hoped!
When we finally got out of the loop and back on park roads (speed limit 35), the rains came. Lightning, thunder, and some gully-washers. Meg did well to keep up and be on task…but suddenly, we were behind a dude who was doing 25, with an impatient tail-gater between him and us. After several miles of this, the slow fellow took a pull-off without a turn signal. The tail-gater nearly nailed him. It wasn’t fun, but at least our speed increased a bit after we got beyond him. When we got to the park Welcome Center, everything was dark…but thankfully, the restrooms were still open. Yay!
Okay…so we stopped at the cabin to pick up a laptop, then proceeded to McDs to see if they had WiFi. They did! The children and I ate while Meg connected with her Russian buddy in California. I took the kids to the grocery store to give her a little more time. When we all arrived back at the cabin, it was 10:30…way past the children’s bedtime…but we had promised them a movie… I burned the popcorn, and the children acted like children. In short order, everyone was asleep. Except me.
Tomorrow is our last full day here. We plan to go to Ober Gatlinburg. It sounds expensive, but I think the children will like it.
Gatlinburg Trip, Day 2
Saturday, July 4th—
We all slept in a bit. I was up first. Started breakfast. Then Ryan and Robin…and finally Meg (by maybe 10:00). We ate a good breakfast: some bacon, some eggs, watermelon from home, and (of course), juice and cereal. Then Meg and the children went down to the hot tub. It was like a swimming pool to them! By the time they got out and everyone dried off, it was time for lunch. We had hot dogs, beans, and chips, apple slices, and milk.
We didn’t leave for Gatlinburg until 3:00 PM or just after. The goal of the day was to explore the place, and eventually watch fireworks. We got the LAST parking space in a lot that advertised $6 for the whole day. We walked around some. Bought shirts. Bought candy. Watched candy being made. Went to the Ripley’s Mirror Maze place. Oh! At the candy place, Robin wanted a candy apple. Of course, Ryan wanted one, too—you know…the ones with a bright red candy coating? Well! Eating for Ryan is a whole-body experience. We sat on a bench while he just licked the candy coating for at least 30 minutes before he actually took a bite of apple…and by the time he was done, he had it everywhere! It was in his hair, on his socks, his sweatshirt, all over his hands….and, of course, all over his face, including up his nose! Virtually everyone who passed by looked on with amusement. Robin was messy for her…but not nearly as much as her bro! I walked back to the car to get a pack of wipes. I doubt that there is much left of that pack!
We found a Chinese restaurant for supper. By this time, the children were pooped and so were very well behaved. I discovered that both of my grandchildren like shrimp! It was a fairly expensive meal, but they seemed hungry and ate well.
A bit later, we stopped at a Ben and Jerry’s and got ice cream. Yet another whole-body deal for Ry! After that, things went somewhat downhill. “Whacko” fatigue began to take over. We continued to walk around, listening to various country music live groups, then Robin had to go to the bathroom, which required (as far as I could tell) a trek nearly back to the car to the public toilets. There were a whopping three stalls and a line! Meg and Ryan stayed where they were while Robin and I made the trek. She was in the stall a long time, God bless her! We went back to find Meg and Ry. I was getting out of patience with the crowds of people who seem oblivious to people around them…
It was beginning to get dark. We hoped the fireworks would start soon, but they waited until 10:00 to light the fuses. We were told that we just needed to be downtown to see the “look-up” fireworks. (Look up and they’d be there.) In the meantime, the children were finding other children and other activities to distract them. They were both dead tired but were running around like crazy with other kids until Meg put the kibosh on that. Once the fireworks started, Ryan sat quietly by himself watching the spectacle. Robin got distracted and sideways with her mother, but I noticed that when the fireworks finale started, she watched. And what a finale it was! That last blast alone must have cost $20,000. I’ve never seen anything like it!
Gatlinburg is 50 times more crowded than Nashville, IN, during fall foliage. The traffic is horrible. There is nowhere to park. We found ONE grocery store, late today. (Someone suggested Wal-Mart back in Pigeon Forge, but I said we’d do fast food and/or starve before we’d go back there!)
In any case, we finished off the day with Ryan listening to Veggie Tale versions of songs from my generation. It cracks me up to hear him singing “Blowing in the Wind” and “Crocodile Rock.” Robin stayed in our room to play Leapster. We were all tired babies!
We all slept in a bit. I was up first. Started breakfast. Then Ryan and Robin…and finally Meg (by maybe 10:00). We ate a good breakfast: some bacon, some eggs, watermelon from home, and (of course), juice and cereal. Then Meg and the children went down to the hot tub. It was like a swimming pool to them! By the time they got out and everyone dried off, it was time for lunch. We had hot dogs, beans, and chips, apple slices, and milk.
We didn’t leave for Gatlinburg until 3:00 PM or just after. The goal of the day was to explore the place, and eventually watch fireworks. We got the LAST parking space in a lot that advertised $6 for the whole day. We walked around some. Bought shirts. Bought candy. Watched candy being made. Went to the Ripley’s Mirror Maze place. Oh! At the candy place, Robin wanted a candy apple. Of course, Ryan wanted one, too—you know…the ones with a bright red candy coating? Well! Eating for Ryan is a whole-body experience. We sat on a bench while he just licked the candy coating for at least 30 minutes before he actually took a bite of apple…and by the time he was done, he had it everywhere! It was in his hair, on his socks, his sweatshirt, all over his hands….and, of course, all over his face, including up his nose! Virtually everyone who passed by looked on with amusement. Robin was messy for her…but not nearly as much as her bro! I walked back to the car to get a pack of wipes. I doubt that there is much left of that pack!
We found a Chinese restaurant for supper. By this time, the children were pooped and so were very well behaved. I discovered that both of my grandchildren like shrimp! It was a fairly expensive meal, but they seemed hungry and ate well.
A bit later, we stopped at a Ben and Jerry’s and got ice cream. Yet another whole-body deal for Ry! After that, things went somewhat downhill. “Whacko” fatigue began to take over. We continued to walk around, listening to various country music live groups, then Robin had to go to the bathroom, which required (as far as I could tell) a trek nearly back to the car to the public toilets. There were a whopping three stalls and a line! Meg and Ryan stayed where they were while Robin and I made the trek. She was in the stall a long time, God bless her! We went back to find Meg and Ry. I was getting out of patience with the crowds of people who seem oblivious to people around them…
It was beginning to get dark. We hoped the fireworks would start soon, but they waited until 10:00 to light the fuses. We were told that we just needed to be downtown to see the “look-up” fireworks. (Look up and they’d be there.) In the meantime, the children were finding other children and other activities to distract them. They were both dead tired but were running around like crazy with other kids until Meg put the kibosh on that. Once the fireworks started, Ryan sat quietly by himself watching the spectacle. Robin got distracted and sideways with her mother, but I noticed that when the fireworks finale started, she watched. And what a finale it was! That last blast alone must have cost $20,000. I’ve never seen anything like it!
Gatlinburg is 50 times more crowded than Nashville, IN, during fall foliage. The traffic is horrible. There is nowhere to park. We found ONE grocery store, late today. (Someone suggested Wal-Mart back in Pigeon Forge, but I said we’d do fast food and/or starve before we’d go back there!)
In any case, we finished off the day with Ryan listening to Veggie Tale versions of songs from my generation. It cracks me up to hear him singing “Blowing in the Wind” and “Crocodile Rock.” Robin stayed in our room to play Leapster. We were all tired babies!
Gatlinburg Trip, Day 1
Friday—July 3, 2009
Left Plainfield 2 hours+ later than hoped. Didn’t actually get on the road until 11:30-11:45 AM. Made several stops along the way. Kids were somewhat contentious but we tried to remain patient.
Got off the interstate at Sevierville, TN, for the last few miles of the trek, only to find a mile-long line at the exit ramp. Thought this was our Gatlinburg traffic…but it turned out that MOST of it was heading the other way, to a stadium. Some sort of game was going on. I figured we’d actually be at our cabin by 8:00 PM, since there aren’t many miles from Sevierville to Gatlinburg. Au contraire! Unfortunately, Pigeon Forge is in between. Getting through it was horrific. Took a LONG time. Driving through Gatlinburg on the way to the cabin, we noticed people all lined up on the streets for the parade, three hours early! I figured we didn’t have a prayer… We didn’t even get to our cabin until, like, 9:00 or after.
The so-called cabin is bigger than our house! It is on two levels. Upstairs is a living room with fireplace, kitchen/dining area, two bedrooms (one with queen size and one with king sized bed), and a bath-and-a- half. On the upper deck are chairs and a picnic table. Downstairs, there is a game room with a pool table, and a separate area with a jacuzzi. On the deck on the lower level is a hot tub. There are TVs in the game room, the living room, and both bedrooms, complete with DVD players. Ryan was smitten with the place!
After we unloaded the vehicle, we decided that we needed to find a grocery store and a place to park to watch Gatlinburg’s “Midnight on the Fourth” parade. (I mean, it’s the only place in the country that offers a Fourth of July parade at midnight, so I figured we should try to see it, however tired we were…for the children’s sake.) Never found a grocery, but we did find a little Mexican joint that sold eggs and milk…blah, blah. We parked in some motel’s space, hoping not to be towed, and put the perishables in the vehicle, hoping they wouldn’t spoil during our 2-hour wait for the parade to start.
The smartest thing I did all day was put long pants and sweatshirts on the grandchildren before we left for the parade. The evening turned off quite cool. The children were comfortable. Meg and I got a bit chilly. God bless the kids: they were good in spite of a long wait for the parade to start. It was late, of course, and they had been on the road all day, so their delightful behavior was particularly appreciated. Robin was prepared with a plastic sack for candy, but this parade didn’t provide any. What a disappointment for her! We sat on a curb. Robin found an adult friend right next to her…a woman named Arie from near-Effingham, IL. They chatted during the wait. Turned out to be beneficial because, toward the end of the parade when Robin had to go to the bathroom, and there were no open establishments to be found, we walked back to Arie’s cabin for bathroom privileges, arriving back to the parade at the very end. (I can’t believe that Gatlinburg doesn’t have porta-potties around for this event!)
Ryan was asleep in the car on the way “home” in minutes. When we got back to the cabin, we found him snuggled under Meg’s blanket on the bed they were to share. He was sooo tired! Robin conked out quickly, too. It was probably 3:00 AM before Meg and I crashed for the night. She worked to get an AOL dialup working so she could talk to her friend, Denis, in California. It wasn’t great, but better than nothing.
Left Plainfield 2 hours+ later than hoped. Didn’t actually get on the road until 11:30-11:45 AM. Made several stops along the way. Kids were somewhat contentious but we tried to remain patient.
Got off the interstate at Sevierville, TN, for the last few miles of the trek, only to find a mile-long line at the exit ramp. Thought this was our Gatlinburg traffic…but it turned out that MOST of it was heading the other way, to a stadium. Some sort of game was going on. I figured we’d actually be at our cabin by 8:00 PM, since there aren’t many miles from Sevierville to Gatlinburg. Au contraire! Unfortunately, Pigeon Forge is in between. Getting through it was horrific. Took a LONG time. Driving through Gatlinburg on the way to the cabin, we noticed people all lined up on the streets for the parade, three hours early! I figured we didn’t have a prayer… We didn’t even get to our cabin until, like, 9:00 or after.
The so-called cabin is bigger than our house! It is on two levels. Upstairs is a living room with fireplace, kitchen/dining area, two bedrooms (one with queen size and one with king sized bed), and a bath-and-a- half. On the upper deck are chairs and a picnic table. Downstairs, there is a game room with a pool table, and a separate area with a jacuzzi. On the deck on the lower level is a hot tub. There are TVs in the game room, the living room, and both bedrooms, complete with DVD players. Ryan was smitten with the place!
After we unloaded the vehicle, we decided that we needed to find a grocery store and a place to park to watch Gatlinburg’s “Midnight on the Fourth” parade. (I mean, it’s the only place in the country that offers a Fourth of July parade at midnight, so I figured we should try to see it, however tired we were…for the children’s sake.) Never found a grocery, but we did find a little Mexican joint that sold eggs and milk…blah, blah. We parked in some motel’s space, hoping not to be towed, and put the perishables in the vehicle, hoping they wouldn’t spoil during our 2-hour wait for the parade to start.
The smartest thing I did all day was put long pants and sweatshirts on the grandchildren before we left for the parade. The evening turned off quite cool. The children were comfortable. Meg and I got a bit chilly. God bless the kids: they were good in spite of a long wait for the parade to start. It was late, of course, and they had been on the road all day, so their delightful behavior was particularly appreciated. Robin was prepared with a plastic sack for candy, but this parade didn’t provide any. What a disappointment for her! We sat on a curb. Robin found an adult friend right next to her…a woman named Arie from near-Effingham, IL. They chatted during the wait. Turned out to be beneficial because, toward the end of the parade when Robin had to go to the bathroom, and there were no open establishments to be found, we walked back to Arie’s cabin for bathroom privileges, arriving back to the parade at the very end. (I can’t believe that Gatlinburg doesn’t have porta-potties around for this event!)
Ryan was asleep in the car on the way “home” in minutes. When we got back to the cabin, we found him snuggled under Meg’s blanket on the bed they were to share. He was sooo tired! Robin conked out quickly, too. It was probably 3:00 AM before Meg and I crashed for the night. She worked to get an AOL dialup working so she could talk to her friend, Denis, in California. It wasn’t great, but better than nothing.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Is There a Theme Song for Tennessee??
I mean, there's Back Home Again in Indiana, and California, Here I Come...but is there one for Tennessee? That's where we are (supposedly) headed in the morning. Why "supposedly", you might ask? Because I don't have a thing packed yet! I really need for the children to go to bed so I can think and function. We're working on that...
The morning didn't start well. The first words out of Ryan's mouth when he got up this morning were, "Can we play in Jack's house today?" The first words out of Robin's were the scream, "Ryan keeps coming into my room!" SLAM! (She tried to slam my door, which didn't work because I had some hanging clothes on the doorknob.) She went back to her room. When she came back out, I asked what was up with her...if she'd gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. She did one of the "blah, blah, blah" things and tried to stick her tongue out at me...at which point, I told HER "blah, blah, blah" and "go to your room!" Eventually, she came out (more civil), at which point I got an unsolicited apology with the explanation that she really MUST have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, along with a demonstration of what side of the bed she was on. Go figure.
Along about 1:00, we were finally all ready to tackle Wal-Mart. Now, I am fully aware that taking BOTH children to a store NEVER works, but I was strapped. No matter how much I threaten or bribe, it just doesn't fly. Ryan doesn't have any impulse control, and Robin feeds into her brother's temptations. Each one by him/herself is okay...but both? Not a good idea! Sure enough, their behavior was atrocious. There was the punching incident...and the time that Robin screamed at her brother, embarrassingly. I had people looking at me with sympathy. For the last few minutes of our shopping trip, Ryan was relegated to hold the side of the cart while Robin was caught between my arms, pushing the cart. Thankfully, we got out of there before I got charged with child abuse...but not before the kids started asking for treats at the checkout counter. I told them I wasn't rewarding bad behavior. Robin said, "Do you want us to starve??" Poor baby!
After we got home, they went out to play, so all was peaceful for awhile after that. Neighbor Sharon came over to tell me about some sights to see in Gatlinburg. Grandma Judy came over to deliver one of Great-Aunt Margaret's gorgeous homemade greeting cards for the children...complete with $2 each. (Grandma J. also contributed another $2 each. The kids are rich!) Meg came home; we had supper. Then the packing frenzy began.
But first, I needed to take a quick run to the local grocery store to pick up some last-minute things. I was wearing shorts with no pockets, so I took my wallet in my hand, which I then put in the seat of the cart, never to leave my sight. As I was unloading the cart at the car, I was saying (like Homer Simpson) "Don't leave your wallet in the cart. Don't leave your wallet in the cart." Got all the way home...and guess what? D'oh! I left my wallet in the cart! Mad dash back to the grocery store. The cart wasn't where I left it. The man at the courtesy desk said no one had turned in a wallet in the last ten minutes. Mad dash back to the car to look for it again. Mad dash back to the courtesy desk to describe the wallet and leave my name, etc. While I was talking, the man behind the counter was looking behind me over my shoulder and pointing. An older gentleman was approaching, waving my wallet. He was smiling and pantomiming pushing the cart, looking down with surprise to see a wallet, etc. It was pretty comical! I gave him a salaam bow and thanked him. He never spoke a word. Whew! My moment of panic was over...but what a dumb thing to do!!!
So now, the house is getting quieter...so maybe I will be able to get my packing done in peace! My next post will be when we return. Tuesday, I think. Tennessee Here We Come Back Home Again....or something.
The morning didn't start well. The first words out of Ryan's mouth when he got up this morning were, "Can we play in Jack's house today?" The first words out of Robin's were the scream, "Ryan keeps coming into my room!" SLAM! (She tried to slam my door, which didn't work because I had some hanging clothes on the doorknob.) She went back to her room. When she came back out, I asked what was up with her...if she'd gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. She did one of the "blah, blah, blah" things and tried to stick her tongue out at me...at which point, I told HER "blah, blah, blah" and "go to your room!" Eventually, she came out (more civil), at which point I got an unsolicited apology with the explanation that she really MUST have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, along with a demonstration of what side of the bed she was on. Go figure.
Along about 1:00, we were finally all ready to tackle Wal-Mart. Now, I am fully aware that taking BOTH children to a store NEVER works, but I was strapped. No matter how much I threaten or bribe, it just doesn't fly. Ryan doesn't have any impulse control, and Robin feeds into her brother's temptations. Each one by him/herself is okay...but both? Not a good idea! Sure enough, their behavior was atrocious. There was the punching incident...and the time that Robin screamed at her brother, embarrassingly. I had people looking at me with sympathy. For the last few minutes of our shopping trip, Ryan was relegated to hold the side of the cart while Robin was caught between my arms, pushing the cart. Thankfully, we got out of there before I got charged with child abuse...but not before the kids started asking for treats at the checkout counter. I told them I wasn't rewarding bad behavior. Robin said, "Do you want us to starve??" Poor baby!
After we got home, they went out to play, so all was peaceful for awhile after that. Neighbor Sharon came over to tell me about some sights to see in Gatlinburg. Grandma Judy came over to deliver one of Great-Aunt Margaret's gorgeous homemade greeting cards for the children...complete with $2 each. (Grandma J. also contributed another $2 each. The kids are rich!) Meg came home; we had supper. Then the packing frenzy began.
But first, I needed to take a quick run to the local grocery store to pick up some last-minute things. I was wearing shorts with no pockets, so I took my wallet in my hand, which I then put in the seat of the cart, never to leave my sight. As I was unloading the cart at the car, I was saying (like Homer Simpson) "Don't leave your wallet in the cart. Don't leave your wallet in the cart." Got all the way home...and guess what? D'oh! I left my wallet in the cart! Mad dash back to the grocery store. The cart wasn't where I left it. The man at the courtesy desk said no one had turned in a wallet in the last ten minutes. Mad dash back to the car to look for it again. Mad dash back to the courtesy desk to describe the wallet and leave my name, etc. While I was talking, the man behind the counter was looking behind me over my shoulder and pointing. An older gentleman was approaching, waving my wallet. He was smiling and pantomiming pushing the cart, looking down with surprise to see a wallet, etc. It was pretty comical! I gave him a salaam bow and thanked him. He never spoke a word. Whew! My moment of panic was over...but what a dumb thing to do!!!
So now, the house is getting quieter...so maybe I will be able to get my packing done in peace! My next post will be when we return. Tuesday, I think. Tennessee Here We Come Back Home Again....or something.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Absent-Minded (Retired) Professor?
Yesterday's post was entitled "Grandma the Mechanic"...but I failed to write about what that meant! **Paragraph breaks.** Ryan has two bicycles. One is very much too small for him and was stashed in the minibarn. The other, a little bigger, has become problematic. Both he and Robin apparently can ride their bikes in Muncie with no training wheels, so Ry requested that the training wheels come of the new one. I took them off. He couldn't ride it. That was weeks ago. Yesterday, he came to me, insisting that he couldn't ride the bike because the seat wasn't high enough. Could I raise it? Well, yes. There is a lever that tightens the seat post, which I finally was able to release...but wasn't strong enough to tighten again. Used a rubber mallet to pound it into submission. Then there is the issue of the tires. *The old tire pump has been left out in the weather for two years. They are cheap enough, so I bought a new one--which doesn't work. Back to the old one. When I tried to inflate the flattened tire, nothing worked. Don't know if something is wrong with the valve or if I am just incompetent, but he couldn't ride the bike with a flat tire. Ryan resorted to the old bike, buried in the shed. It, too, needs tire work...but not as bad as the new one. Grandma is not a good bike mechanic! *Getting ready for the trip. Trying to do up laundry, etc. Packing will occur tomorrow, I guess.
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