A Weekend With Grandpaw

Life is curious. This weekend we played Guitar Hero on the TV at Granny's. Grandpaw Woody, age 90, watched on with amusement and fascination as rocked our guitars and played some serious tunes. To him the technology of today is mind boggling. I remember showing him the ipod and him saying he just couldn't imagine how they do that. The part I found so interesting was last night as we sat at the dinner table listening to Grandpaw's stories it was my mind that was boggled. Grandpaw made $.12 an hour as a field laborer at age 12 when he had his first job. When he was married and had a young family he was making $.62 1/2 cents an hour or $5.00 a day. I almost make as much in a hour as he made for a whole week of work. It's so incredibly different that it doesn't seem real. I know it was but yet how they ever did it, I don't know. Last night we spent a good hour at the dinner table, just Judy, Grandpaw and I and we just listened to everything he wanted to share. I learned more about his dad "Pops" than I've ever heard. He had stories of going to have Sunday dinners with all the cousins. My favorite story was how Pops chewed tobacco and when they would ride in the car everyone would fight to sit on the opposite side of the car as Pops because he would spit and it would come back in the window. YUCK and funny too! There used to be used car lots on both sides of the road at Killingsworth and Union and that's where Grandpaw bought his first car. He bought a 1928 Chevy. He had $15.00 left after he bought it. He said he was broke from then on. It's days like the ones we shared this weekend that make me feel so very lucky to have Grandpaw still alive and able to share these things with us.

With This Silver Dollar I Thee Wed!

I used to think that I didn't want to wear a ring. I contimplated getting a ring tattoo when it was time. I wanted it to be something different and if I were going to wear one I wanted it to be permenant. As soon as it became something that I needed to really figure out how I felt about it I found it funny that all I could think about was getting that ring on my finger so others would know the signifcance of Judy in my life. Suddenly it hit me. I have always wanted Andy to make me one of his rings. How special it would be if he could make our rings. When I asked him he was more than willing and even excited about it. We went to pick out our silver dollars that would turn into our rings. It was a crazy little adventure with too much going on. We just looked at them, picked two that were 1879 and 1880, because they were right next to each other in years and tried to escape the coin store with as little Ephraim tantrum as possible. (That boy loves his money!) Later we inspected them and discovered something very special..... one of the dollars is stamped with the initials A. J.. Who could ask for a better sign that this silver was meant to be ours.

Adoption Day Anniversary

It amazes me that two whole years have gone by. I am still amazed that she's ours. A friend wrote an amazing piece for Ruby on that day.

A little girl I know got adopted today by two mommies who love her very much.
Sweetie,I don't know if you will remember this day but you were surrounded by people who love you. Your moms, your brother, your grandparents and uncles, and friends of the family all showed up to let you know how loved and important you are in our lives. You were a little tired - the court time was scheduled during your naptime - and you didn't want to go up to the judge's desk, but she understood and came down to see you. Your moms and brother stood around you while the judge talked about what an important day today was. She could see that you already had a lifetime family, that you didn't need that little piece of paper to say who your mommies were or to explain to the world who loves you and cares for you, but she signed it anyway. I saw your mama wipe the tears from her eyes (I had to wipe mine too!) and your mommy held your brother while you told the judge who the most important people in your life are. It was over so quickly and I could see that you were beginning to be overwhelmed by the attention. We took pictures with you, brother, Mommy and Mama, and the Judge. We got a minute or two when you smiled and danced in the aisle of the courtroom in your new fairie dress which, I'm sure, your brother wanted to wear almost more than you.I just wanted to let you know how honored I was to be there for this day. Don't ever forget how much you are loved.

The original is posted at her site: http://auntie-ems-blog.blogspot.com/2006/08/you-are-ours-forever-and-ever.html

Sometimes I Amuse Myself....

Not exactly sure when I wrote this. I saved it just in case and stumbled across it today while looking for something else. It holds true in that the reason I write this blog and the kids blog is so that we'll have something other than just my memory to look back on. My life is filled with so much I want to remember for my children. I want them to know who I was when they were too little to remember. I confess there is a part of me that wouldn't mind being able to reconstruct myself for them and leave out the parts where their mother wasn't always the brightest bulb on the shelf or didn't make the best choice. However it's who I am and how things were and are. For now I share with you and someday when they are older and care this will be for them.

"Sometimes ideas swarm around you like a persistent mosquito out for a snack. I have found myself flailing my arms, spraying on the repellent, and swearing at it to go away time and again like a pesky mosquito. Today I smashed the bug on my forehead and the proverbial light bulb came on. Why not? I’m as good as anyone else. Maybe it might even be a little sweeter? Dear mosquito I am so sorry for putting up such a fight. I will let you have this one bite, I’ll itch like hell but in the end I’ll have shared a bit of myself with you and maybe that will make the world a little bit brighter. Just don’t come back and ask me to do it again! As you may have already discovered, I’m not so good with analogy. I was attempting to say something smart about writing out the stories of my life. If nothing else it will serve as a source of humor and embarrassment for my children when they grow and can read and understand it. At best it will hopefully bring them insight into who I am and what I might have been thinking during the events in our lives. In the most fabulous of worlds maybe we’ll make a few dollars for a vacation to Disneyland. So whether you are my child, my family, my friend, or someone I didn’t actually have to pay to read this, “Welcome” and “Enjoy”. "

My sweet Ephraim and Ruby, I fear there is no hope of paying for Disneyland as I'm way too inconsistent to write an actual book anyone would like to read. However, I promise we'll get there someday, somehow and I'll write all about it for you!