No more babies..aka Jett's 1st day of preschool

Thirty-five days shy of three and Mr. Jett Hewitt Hatfield walked in the door to his first "educational" experience!  "I so excited!"  No worries, no qualms, no shyness, no fears....hung up his coat in his new cubbie and headed to explore and play.  He did have to be reminded that chairs are for sitting and not standing but a quick jump and he was grounded again.  Mom, Dad and Grandma left with a couple of smiles and one mini frown.  Fast forward three hours..........Dad called to report he was a good boy and can return for day # 2.  We're all hoping every report is as good and he makes new and lasting friendships.

Still Mine... A movie to see!

There's a fine line between maudlin and light-hearted reflection.  I started to watch a movie in 2018 and finished it the next year......a mere 12 hours later but light years in perspective.  The story began in the waning years of a couple in their eighties.  I thought how old and wrinkly they appeared. How their gait was slow and each step was contemplated.   I happened to look at my hands....not a smart move.  The wife was content living in her house of many years.  She had raised her children, many of them, and was growing old on her own terms... until the signs were no longer ignorable. The story went on to tell how hard it is for octogenarians (or any seniors) to cope with change. It pretty much sucks! Things move faster and rules are different. It doesn't make a difference if it's making a phone call, paying your taxes or disciplining children. We have old rules, good rules, rules that made sense for decades. Change is inevitable..I know that and the characters in the movie knew that but...we are wise, they were wise and wisdom should make a difference. Simple is good, always was but I still want my lights to come on when I flip the switch, the TV to bring me good entertainment and my toilet to flush when engaged. What I really want.......................................is a phone call or a visit just because, an affirmation that maybe it wasn't any of my business but the advice was good nonetheless, unsolicited "I love yous" and the realization that a lot of this time is not all that much fun.

Life is indeed short but passes at the speed of sound..(Ok, maybe not for Lee;-)  I have promised myself that I will hoe out and throw out for the next few weeks.  Emotions are on high alert but remembering is still a valued sense and I'm usin' it before I'm losin' it.

Closing Statement 2018

Wow.... It's the last day of 2018 and it's been several months since I have penned my thoughts.  Slacker indeed!  So, in the spirit of the New Year's Eve and the tradition of declaring resolutions, here are a few of my thoughts, regrets and intentions.

First, here are a few things that won't change:

• My verbal spontaneity..better known as I generally speak first, think later. It's a character flaw that allows me to sleep better!
• Limited cooking
• Laughing........a lot
• Attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation (I may occasionally slip up)
• My love of football
• My love of "home"
• My unconditional love of my grandkids♥
• The majority of my poor eating habits
• Saying my prayers every single night regardless of their ever-growing length!

A few regrets: Sadly (or not,) this one stumped me a bit...

• Exercising....sort of... my arthritic knees kept me from doing a few things like walking, climbing stairs and chasing after Jett.
• Not writing more...I thoroughly love it!
• Not sure if not being able to list more regrets is a positive or a negative :-/

Finally, some possible changes: Late 60s often hinders the inability of teaching an old "female" dog new tricks!

• I will drink more water and less soda!
• I will, more faithfully, write my blog!
• I will let go of the things that I cannot change (This will be the toughie)
• I will clean out and minimize my dressing room, my den closet and the basement...(files, decorations, heirlooms, etc.  (#1 priority)
• I will spend more time with my friends....who are undoubtedly my real family!!!!!
• I will spend more time outdoors
• I will continue to have a short regrets list for 2019!

These are all contingent up sanity staying and staving off senility for another year. Happy New Year to all and hoping only good things are in store for us all!

Slacker

Once again, I'm slacking on blogging.  I should be on top of it this week with Bailee at camp but there always seems to be something to finish (or start!)  It is SO good for B to go to camp. She loves it and always has a great time. This year, she's going to two camps again.  Art Camp is this week and Master Chef is next week.  She'll also be staying in the Highlands next week in a yurt! I think she'll have a blast if she can live through the occasional walking jaunt to the water and meals.  Two weeks with her away and only Bunk 1 delivered messages is trying....mostly for Grandma. She passed her swimming test ( pool IS good for something) so she should be enjoying time on the Blob and slides!
The nights are cooling off a bit so sleeping should be a tad easier...She is not a fan of the heat...period!  The Highlands will be even cooler!!  Tomorrow afternoon is her Art Show. I can't wait to see what she's been up to!  Here are a few of pox from Week 1:-)

Such a wonderful place to be and only 5 minutes away!!!!

Hair today-Gone tomorrow

I think they must have made some kind of pact.  My handsome son and handsome grandson became victims of the "The Clippers!" yesterday.  Jeff has been wanting to buzz Jett but until yesterday, hair won!  I must admit they're both pretty good looking with or without hair!  I know, it'll grow back!!

The Pool!!!!

Wow, we have had "The Pool" for 2 months already. Thanks to the heater, we have been using the pool for two months already!  Sometimes you second guess a pricey addition or improvement.  I am thrilled with this move.  The kids enjoy it, we enjoy it and it's so much easier to care for than a liner pool.  We have an add-on system that lowers our use of chlorine and chemicals and it works wonderfully.  It is a smaller pool with only a depth of 3 feet in the shallow end and 5 in the deep end.  We all showed our "Silly Salmon" skills yesterday so 5 feet works fine!

Like they say, "If you build it, they will come!"...........and they do♥

I remember!

Two words, nine letters, one huge exclamation!  There isn't anything more wonderful or more taken for granted than starting a conversation with the words, "I remember!"  Most of us never even think of those conversations as extraordinary. I do!

Now, as we age more rapidly than we could ever imagine, as we (and I mean me) can no longer sprint across the yard after our grandchildren, lift them up out of the water without a Tylenol filled next 24 hours or run up and down the stairs without the help of oxygen, our memories are the most consoling parts of our day. Sharing things we remember from throughout our lives is a lovely, verbal novel that we are required by age and privileged by memory to tell our kids, their kids and even theirs (if we're lucky!)

So many times we'll pass a location and I'll say, "Did I tell you that when I was a kid...........?" "Yes, Grandma, you tell me every time we drive by here!"  Everybody just smiles now and listens to the story over again...or sometimes just pick up the story and they tell it. Somehow, that's even better.  That means they'll remember it forever and maybe tell it to their kids. 

But what happens, when you don't remember?  It's very, very scary!  Not remembering people's names is supposedly very normal.  Not remembering a word you're thinking of is supposedly age appropriate.  Oh God, I hope so!  I suppose that as we age, everything wrinkles! If we wrinkle on the outside so must we be wrinkling on the inside.  As sad and depressing as it is to have our exteriors  withering, I'll take the trade-off for maintaining fresh and cognitive gray matter.  I prefer my 50 shades to be internally healthy versus externally whipped!   But oh, if we only had that choice.

So it's time to write down your silly stories, your wild adventures, your sad encounters, your favorite sayings, your dumbest mistakes, your school achievements and even your heartfelt regrets. Grab a notebook, make a video, plop a grandchild on your lap and tell them your story because one day when a song or a smell or a conversation reminds you of something to share, you might not be so lucky to say, "I remember!"