So Many Things to Do, So Much Life

It's been a long couple of weeks.

Two weeks ago was the loss of my long time fur friend, which I wrote about here.

Last week was a crisis of the extended family which I will not write about. It's not my story, but did have an impact on my immediate family.

But now I have hauled my butt back to the keyboard.

I need to get back to my story,  Renewal, that I've been writing on Wattpad.com.
I need to keep working on my random flash fiction stories on the other blog Elsetime and Otherwhen.

And I need to get back to the things I'm trying to accomplish around this house.

I did manage, in my time away from working, to reorganize my kitchen.

Get my Christmas horde semi-controlled.

My project now is to go through the gazillion pictures scattered around this house. They have been tossed into boxes, haphazardly slipped into albums, and many are still in the envelopes from which ever photo service was used to develop them.

Pictures of Christmases past. Many of my parents with my daughter. Some pictures from the distant past of relatives gone long before I was born.

I call it my ancestral archeology.

There are still farmer's market to browse, since the garden was not at its best this year. I've been able to get some canning and freezing done, but not as much as I'd wanted.

Although, I did succeed at sauerkraut this year!

And of course my long love affair with yarn. I'm trying very, very hard to use up the yarn stash before I buy new yarn.
(No, no I'm not.  I already have new yarn plans.)

So...enough boring life. Off to elsetime. To write stories of otherwhen.

History Avalanche

I'm spending some days in the upstairs of this old house. The one I grew up in, and returned to live about 6 years ago.

There are tons of pictures to be sorted. Some of my mother's family, some of my husband's family, my family, and so much more.

I wrote about the stoppage of time in 1952 here when my grandmother, Minnie, died. I wasn't around until 1956, so I never had the opportunity to know her. Except through my Daddy's recollections. Those came only occaisionally.

But I have a treasure trove of pictures, letters, and insane stacks of household bills from the late 20's until her passing.  A suitcase full of postcards she collected from 189? until shortly before she died.

There are also a few letters and a lot of pictures from my grandfather's side as well. As I am a geneaology freak, I have plans for these. Many of them have names and dates. Some of them are of people I'll never be able to identify. Maybe.

I have a fascination for these things that should have been garbage seventy years ago. Bits of paper with ancient information. Fragile pieces of wood pulp once held by hands long turned to dust.

I've Been Busy

It has been a hectic few weeks.


I finished my fundraising stint for Muscular Dystrophy.  My friends and family helped me raise $505.00 for the MDA.  Thanks again to all who contributed cash and moral support. (this is the worst pic ever!)

The derecho that blew through on June 29th left a big mess in the yard.  We're still cleaning up.  We were one of the lucky households, we never lost power.

I played with my other blog, Elsetime & Otherwhen, a little.  Added some new pages to try and organize some of the related stories.  Actually wrote something too!                                            

Finally got almost all my profile pictures changed out since the haircut.

And been busy with work as usual, restaurants are demanding creatures. 

Oh, and spoiling grandchildren.  OHOHOH!  Grandchild number 3 is on the way!  Due in November.

That's it.  For now....



This Thing is Huge!

I was at Walgreens today. Had to pick up cat food and dog treats. It's easier to stop there than run 120 miles inside the super store to the pet aisle.

While I was there, I checked out the kid stuff. I don't have a ton of toys here for the grandkids. I wanted something new for the next time they're over.

That's when I found this:

OK, so it's just a cardboard playhouse. But I thought it was cute.

The grandson will be able to color it however he wants.

The granddaughter will just want to be where her brother is.

Of course, they'll have to fight the cats for it. They're sure I got it for them.

By the way.  This thing is HUGE!!

I'm Easily Amused

Things that tickled me this past week:

This piece posted on the Red Dress Club by @MamaTrack, here Too funny!

The grandson playing with the extra plastic drain lines that didn't get used for the basement project. He had a riot with his "tunnels".
Hardware store toys are much cheaper than toy store toys.

And of course it's the best revenge when the grandkid is an angel until his mother comes to get him. Then he becomes an accomplished button pusher.
I remember those times.

Watching the granddaughter twist Grampa right around her tiny finger. She must be held by him almost the entire visit.

Making checks on the yard as it gets a bit warmer. I love seeing the buds peeking out.

Finally seeing roots start on the pussy willow cuttings a customer brought me. Probably going to plant them this week.

Watching the tomato seedlings get stronger. Need to get bigger peat pots now.

Visiting with my twitter friends.

What tickled you lately?

Just Another Day

I'm loving my Friday ritual.  Go to work at 4am, well maybe not that part.  But taking the grandkids home with me at noon is awesome. 

I get to watch Dora and Diego.  The grandson is all about Max and Ruby right now, oh and BubbleGuppies.  My personal favorite is UmiZoomies.  I almost tuned in the other day.  By myself.  But I got over it.  I was a bit concerned for a moment.

In non-annoying-gramma news:  the honest to goodness bathtub is in the foreseeable future.  I will probably spend an entire week in the tub when it gets done.

Hubby dear is working on the drain lines this week.  And a miracle!  All is going well.  (throwing salt over shoulder)

Must get back to my mundane life. 

Dog needs to go out.

I Am Not a Doting Grandmother

Yesterday I got to babysit for the grandkids again

Yes.  I'm that annoying Gramma with the perfect grandchildren.

The granddaughter is 3 months now.  She does 3 month old stuff.  Eating, spitting up after eating.  Pooping, smiling after pooping.  Crying cause the diaper is dirty.  Smiling again in a dry diaper.

She is also trying to roll over.  She is a Genius.

The grandson is all kinds of 2 year old BOY.
Grandpa has a bunch of plastic tubes, connectors and pieces to replace the old drain lines in the basement.  They are also the best toys in the entire universe. 

The boy spent the entire day dragging them around.  Trying to put them together.  Propping the long line up and rolling a ball, pen, kaleidoscope, battery and back scratcher from top to bottom.  Over and over. And over.

His vocabulary is increasing daily.  I can understand most of what he says now.  He says Gampaw, but hasn't figured gramma out yet.  My name this week was mostly "cracker?", but at least I knew what he wanted.

His mother has a potty chair for him.  The kind with the duck.  When the duck gets wet, it quacks.  He doesn't ask to go yet, but if she puts him on it, he goes.

She is in for a challenge with this kid.  Last potty use, she rinsed and emptied the little bucket.  After she replaced it, this boy, ran his finger across the bottom.  Stuck it in his mouth.  And said ahhh.

Daughter speaks, probably loudly," NO!!!  That is disgusting!"

Boy looks at his mother.  Grins.

And does it again.

I love this boy!