The Beginning of the End

Today is my last day of babysitting with this precious baby. I've been here every day for 2 1/2 months so you can imagine how hard it will be to leave knowing I won't see him but once a month or so. If I'm lucky. Every morning when I get to my son and daughter-in-law's house the two girls come running yelling "Grandma's here" and give me a hug. Then this one wiggles from head to toe and lifts his arms. Sigh.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm ready to go home. Back to my own little nest, my own bed, my own stuff. It's amazing how much you miss your stuff! When you're away for a while you appreciate it all the more.

But I'm thinking today about beginnings and endings. What a precious gift both are. Remember the excitement you felt at the beginning of your relationship with your husband? With each child or grandchild? Remember the thrill of a new job or a new church? My goodness, even the excitement of a new car or a new house can make our hearts beat extra fast. Beginnings are opportunities...times when we can become who we want to be, savor the unknown and embrace the things we haven't enjoyed before. But endings are just as sweet if more poignant. Graduations from kindergarten, grammar school, high school, college are all endings that make our hearts swell and, sometimes, our eyes leak tears of joy. Friends moving away tug at our heartstrings. Leaving the first home we shared with our husbands, going to a larger house to gain bedrooms for the coming children, can cause us to stop in our tracks and relive the early moments of love. But truly these aren't really endings; they're just bridges to a new path. This is very likely my last grandchild. The next baby born in our family will be a great-grandchild (no not yet!) That will be a whole new beginning for me and one that I never dreamed about since I never thought I'd be that old. :) But oh what fun that will be! Today I'm crossing a bridge from this season of my life to another season. Looking back I can't possibly choose which was my favorite season but I suspect it will be the next one coming.

A Brief Comment

As you know my computer is in the hospital. :( I am using my daughter-in-law's for just a moment to check e-mail and fit in a bit of the blogging addiction. This is my last week to babysit with my sweet new grandson; on Friday I will be going home after a 2 1/2 month stay here in this city where my son and his family live.

First, just let me say that my daughter-in-law is a saint. I shall be nominating her for this position as soon as I figure out how you do that. I've talked to God already and He agrees with me. That has led me to wonder how many others I know who need to be nominated for sainthood and how many I might be overlooking. Here are some I thought of:

1. Two different neighbors of my son's who walk their dogs each day, on a leash, with pooper scooper in hand. Bless you both.

2. The young woman at AT&T who has patiently answered a million questions I've asked since switching cell phones even when they were obviously things I could have read the instruction book for. Thank you for recognizing that I learn better when shown.

3. The young man who "lives" next door to me in the camper park and who replaced the electrical plug on the outside connection when my electricity went off (he's an electrician so he knew what he was doing, as opposed to me who knows nothing!) Bless you for taking care of this neighbor who probably seems ancient to you in your youth.

4. My dear friend and neighbor, Connie, who keeps saying, "I miss you. Come home." Bless you for making feel so loved.

5. My cousin Carol's husband, Keith, who made the effort it took for the two of us to spend time together. Carol doesn't drive on the highway alone so Keith drove her the two hours here and then came back to get her a couple of days later. Thank you for the wonderful conversations and memory boost that you gifted me with.

6. The owner of the Asian restaurant where I've met friends for lunch several times and who keeps small plush toys to give to the babies who visit there. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

I could go on but my time is limited so I'll stop now. But not without saying that I hope I not only am thankful for people who touch my life, but that I remember to tell them!

I Have a Sad Face

My computer is sick. It has gone to the hospital. It's a hardware problem and will take.......two weeks. :( I'm on my husband's computer today but next week I won't have access to it. I'm very sad.

Go Me!

Today I saw sunshine. That's been a rare even the last few weeks. When I first thought about babysitting with this new little one I thought I would walk every day pushing the stroller and surely the pounds would fall off. Ha! It's rained nearly 7 inches here...this month. And this is just the 13th! But today we walked. :) It is exactly one mile from my son's house to McDonalds. Where they have sweet tea. With that as my goal and my reward I made it to McDonalds and back in one hour and five minutes. Pushing a 17 pound baby in the stroller. I forgot that with the sunshine you get heat and humidity.

Things That Drive Me Crazy

1. When my computer won't get an internet connection at home but does at the computer hospital and then does again when I get home but won't the next morning. So the computer geeks think I'm crazy when really, it's the computer.

2. Neighbors who mow their grass at 7:00 in the morning. It's wet for heaven's sake and the grass piles up in clumps all over the lawn.

3. When weather predictors on the local channel say it might storm really, really bad tonight with lightning and hail and maybe tornados, or maybe it won't. When I'm living in a camper.

4. People who let their dogs roam free and poop in the yard where my grandchildren play. Even when there's a leash law and besides it's just good manners to walk your dog and use a pooper scooper.

5. Telemarketers. Especially the ones who call when the baby is asleep. Not that they know when the baby is asleep but all over the world some baby is asleep at any given time.

6. Double pane windows that somehow get a leak and it gets dirty between the two panes and you can't do anything about it except replace the window.

7. Parents of children who throw screaming fits in the grocery store and the parents don't take them out until they can calm down. Poor things are probably exhausted and yes before you tell me I know it might be the only time the parent can shop and I'm sympathetic but the poor children are making themselves sick.

8. Television advertisements for creams, lotions, salves that claim to enhance sex. At no time is that appropriate.

9. Female evangelists on television who wear enough makeup for six people. Not necessary. And makes you look like a working girl.

10. People who pass me in a curve, on a hill, with a double yellow line. When I'm driving 5 miles above the speed limit. And then a mile up the road pull into Sonic.

Seventeen Pounds of Love

95th percentile in height.

85th percentile in weight.

Seventeen pounds.

Four months old.

My arms are getting really toned!

Fog

It's about 11 miles from where my camper is to my son's house. Every morning I drive there to keep my grandson for the day. This is what my drive looked like today. Thank goodness by the time I came home, about 5:30, the sun was out and it was beautiful, though steamy. Rain returns later tonight and will stay for the weekend even though we've already gotten nearly 7 inches in the last 10 days. Yuck!

Actually I kind of like fog. Everything seems so quiet and peaceful, as if the world has slowed down for a time. And that's not a bad thing.

Just a Few Thoughts - Be Sure You Read The End

Last summer we had a hibiscus in this pot and it was simply gorgeous. About the middle of the summer this red shamrock came up around the base of the hibiscus. I think the birds had to have dropped some seeds there. Over the winter the hibiscus died but just look at the shamrock! It's a little beaten down by the rain here but it is overflowing this pot and has hundreds of blooms. A gift from the birds!









Isn't this peony stunning? Several years ago my sister dug up some at my mother's best friends house and shared them with me. My mother's friend has since died so these are very special to me.

Can you believe how big my Rosemary has gotten?

It has rained nearly 7 inches in the last 10 days. I only have a tiny garden plot but it is now mainly mud though the plants seem to have survived the worst of it.

At the end of the summer I found a little pencil cactus on the sale rack at WalMart for 50 cents. It was about 6 inches tall. It's now threatening to take over the window!

At the campgrounds where I am we all have to take our trash to a big dumpster at the very back of the park. One day this week when I took my trash this little chair was there. It's very small, a child's chair for sure. I sat and looked at it for a while wondering why it landed on the trash. It was in pretty good shape really and could certainly be recovered and be just perfect in some child's bedroom. I wonder if the child who owned it grew up and didn't want it any more, or if the parents divorced and the chair didn't go to the new home, or if.... I bet someone could weave a good story around this.

I walked outside my camper this afternoon to where the pavement ends and some concrete blocks are stacked supporting the pavement and saw this little petunia. There's not one speck of dirt there, just gravel where the pavement has crumbled. What a testimony it is for us all. Bloom where you are planted. Persevere and you can do it. Never give up. Bring joy to your surroundings. Beauty is everywhere if we but look.

I challenge you to find some beauty in an unusual spot and post it so we can all share in it. Be sure and leave a link.

April Goals Revisited

Managing goals is easier when you don't make such grandiose ones and when you are realistic. I thought I was doing that but I forgot to factor in babysitting. Did you know that when you're the grandmother and the baby is 4 months old you don't do anything during the day but take care of the baby? And at night you're too tired to do anything but sit? There's probably not anything more rewarding or more fun than what I'm doing and there's another plus to it...you don't have time to eat. I've lost 6 more pounds! That's 16 since Christmas and finally, finally, I can get into some pants I couldn't wear last summer and they are comfortable. :) That's a good feeling!








I did finish an appliqued pumpkin block and thought I might even do a second one but didn't manage that.

















I also got the binding on the rose quilt and had it finished and ready for my sister but the planned visit fell through. We always have our "cemetary gathering" the first weekend in May but this year we all decided to skip it in recognition of this new flu that's floating around. No point in taking chances and getting together when many have to travel long distances to do that and who would come in contact with lots of unknown people. In addition, many of us are getting older and have health issues that getting the flu would exacerbate. Not to mention bringing back germs to this baby I'm keeping! It was truly a sacrifice because we all love it so, but certainly a wise one.









I didn't finish this charity quilt even though Lindi sent me some wonderful circus animals to applique on it. I just couldn't muster the energy! I also didn't get the binding on the School Days quilt or put together the Winter Wonderland quilt or read Beth Moore's book. But here's what I did manage to accomplish:










1. I watched Andrew turn over for the very first time, and the second time, and the third. That's all he managed so far but he's on his way! All have been back to stomach...the first two to the right and the third to the left. Oh my goodness, he'll be rolling all over the room soon. :)

2. I heard two other grandchildren yell, "Grandma!" as I got to their house each morning about 7:00. How in the world can they have such energy that early?

3. I got pictures of two more grandchildren holding the newest one and loving on him like cousins ought to do. I love that we are still able to have extended family around us. In today's society that is rare, way too rare. We feel blessed that all three of our children live in the same state and two in the same city.

4. I heard my husband say, as he prepared to leave for a mission trip to Mexico, "This is God's work and whatever happens is God's will." Even though I hated for him to go I knew he was right and that God's hand was on him. There's probably not a greater gift a woman can have than to know that her husband loves the Lord and wants to serve Him. And best of all, he's now home safe and sound and free from any flu symptoms. :)

5. I took pictures of another granddaughter in her prom dress and then listened to her the next day talk about how much fun she had. She was beautiful, of course, but more than that she was happy. She got to dress up, go out to eat with her friend, dance and talk, and then play games at "After Prom" where she won a microwave oven (which she immediately gave to her parents because, according to her, "they always buy for us and sacrifice what they want or need to do it.") Besides, her dorm room for next year has a microwave in it already! Can you believe that? When I went to college a hundred years ago we couldn't even have a hot plate!

It was a good month. A very good month!