5/27-6/8 Kid, cat, plants, and a eulogy for Granny

I confess. I didn't take a daily photo every day for the past 10 days.  Sue me.

5/27: Preparing for (tug of) war

Hubby's cousins threw a Memorial Day picnic.  They had a pool in their backyard, which is where the kids resided until they were cajoled out with games.  Among them was tug of war.  The pic of them actually tugging on the rope didn't come out well.  The kids had a blast!

Between the food and the company, we were having a great time.

Until I got a phone call from my aunt.  My grandmother passed away.

Then the party was bittersweet.

5/28: Cat in a box

This is actually a photo from 5/29, but I didn't take one today.  The presents we got for Thing One and Thing Two for their birthday came in a giant box.  The box lived in our family room for about a week or so, because the cats thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.  It was a fortress, a nap spot, and with the paper in the bottom, occasionally a pica-filled snack bar.

5/29 Eulogy for Granny

This is a photo of my grandparents at their 50th wedding anniversary.  Granddad died in 2001, and Granny, of course, died two days ago.  I wrote a eulogy for Granddad, and I wrote one for my dad.  When it came time to write one for my grandmother, the words wouldn't come out.  So I sat in front of the computer and just let the memories come.  This is what came out.

When my aunt told us the news of Granny’s death, she asked if anyone of us would like to say something at her funeral.  Being the big mouth that I am, of course I said yes. But as I started to write this eulogy, the words kept getting stuck.  I stared at my computer and began to type as the memories flooded my brain…

I remember hearing the story of how Granny and and her sister hid in a nunnery (or a Catholic school? I’m not sure) in Germany.  The SS came in, made them stand up, and pointed them out as model Aryan children. Nobody told on them, and that probably saved their lives. The story always  made me think of how incredibly brave Granny and and my great aunt were.

Granny traveled all over the world. The trips I remember the most were China and Mexico. China because I asked her about what it was like to eat such unfamiliar food, and Mexico because we went with her and Granddad that year.

Granny was a prolific writer. She sent us autographed copies of her books.   Once, my work and my brother’s work were published in it.  She asked us to draw a picture of a fruit tree.  She had asked kids around the world to do the same thing, and then she analyzed them.

A lot of my memories center round Rhode Island. It was (and still is) our annual vacation spot.  I remember one time Granny cooking up the trout that we caught. She used a cast iron skillet. The eyes were still on the fish. We rarely had fish at home, so I was hesitant to eat it. I don’t think I liked the trout, but I ate it anyway. Another time, years later, I remember we plied Granny with Dubonet at a family cookout.  She was so worried that, without her help in the kitchen, we’d make a huge mess of the place.  Once she had a few glasses in her, she didn’t mind at all that we took over and cooked a fine meal without her help.  (Granddad was easier to ply with a big bowl of shrimp.) And yes, we cleaned up after ourselves without Granny’s help, too.

I remember watching her train dolphins at the Mystic Marine life Aquarium, and I thought it was incredibly cool that she and Granddad were doing that.  I remember her telling me about Sassy, how she was her favorite dolphin, and how she’d try to mess with Granny and Granddad by picking the wrong answer on porpise, I mean purpose.

I remember Granny and Granddad yelling at each other over breakfast.  Neither one had their hearing aids in, and they both felt it was the other one’s fault that they couldn’t hear each other.  This happened every morning when we were in RI. We thought it was funny as heck.

I remember celebrating her and Granddad’s 50th anniversary.  She told Dad that she deserved a medal for putting up with Granddad all those years. So Dad got both of them medals. I have a picture of it somewhere.

Speaking of photos, Granny used to make us take these family photos at almost every gathering. She’d line us all up and arrange us ever so carefully, and then Granddad would take the shot with his Polaroid. Or they’d set up the timer so he could be in the picture, too.  I used to hate sitting for those photos.  As I’ve gotten older, however, I found a new appreciation for them.

I remember how proud she was when I got into vet school. I heard stories of her telling everyone in the world, including her dentist. Granny was proud of all of us grandkids, and it was clearly obvious how much she loved us all.

It doesn’t seem fair that this woman, who taught college level psychology, wrote oodles of books, and traveled the world, would have her memories robbed from her by dementia.  As she descended into the twilight and went on hospice, I got to say goodbye to Granny and tell her that I loved her. I’m glad that I had that chance.  

I wish I had some sort of profound ending to this speech, but I don’t.  And so I say goodbye, Granny. I’m going to miss you.

5/30: Look what I forgot today?

It was one of those mornings when I just couldn't get my act together.  I was rushing around like a chicken without its head, and I kept forgetting stuff.  So much so that I left my son's lunch box and backpack right on the steps.   The irony, of course, is that I put them there so I wouldn't forget them.

5/31: Couch Buddy

Trying to take a decent photo of a cat sitting on my chest isn't easy.  As you can see, I failed in my attempt.  The Red Beast wasn't thrilled with having a flash go off in his eyes at such a close distance, either.  Anyway, after the Small Human goes to bed, the Red Beast and I like to spend some quality time on the couch.

6/1: Cousin reunion

Hubby's second cousins came to visit his parents today.  We all got together for a picnic.  Their kids and our (collective) kids had a wonderful time playing together.  Like the Memorial Day picnic, they spent most of their time in the pool.  We managed to drag them out with the promise of food.  At the end of the afternoon, we were the mean parents that made them get changed into their dry clothes.  And then we gathered them up for a photo. Thing One and Thing Two were not about to sit still for such things.  As it was, getting the remaining 7 of them to sit still was like herding cats.  This is as close as we got.

6/2: New shade garden

My MIL is an incredible gardener.  I have serious yard envy whenever we go over to visit.  MIL was looking at my front yard, and rearranging it in her head.  Wanting to improve the look of said front yard, I called her and asked her to come over to give me advice as to where to move what.  I figured I'd do it next year, when my shoulder is hopefully better and I can shovel dirt without pain.  Instead, she came over armed with gardening gloves and a shovel.  She moved my hydrangea out of the sun and into a shady spot, in addition to moving my rhododendron over on the other side of the fence. 

Since this photo was taken, the plants have gotten much happier.  Also, since this photo was taken, she enlarged one of my flower beds, planted two new rose bushes, and rearranged one of the azaleas and a spruce.  On top of all that, MIL promised to come back and rearrange my boxwood shrubs!  My yard looks much better now. The woman is amazing.

6/3: A walk in the park

My current physical therapists has grounded me even more severely than the last physical therapist.  At this point, I'm forbidden to do kickboxing (of course), aerobics, the elliptical with arms, or even run.  I can't even do the stair master, because it hurts my knees.  The last thing I need is more injured body parts.  So I'm left with an armless elliptical and walking.  I'm trying to make the best of it.  A  two mile walk in the park on a glorious morning did the trick today.

6/4: No photo here.

6/5: No photo here, either.  

Whoops!

6/6: Tile porn

I've been wanting to redo my kitchen for years.  We're waiting until we can save enough money to do it debt free.  Since other expenses keep coming up, the kitchen makeover hasn't happened yet.  While we're adding new cabinets and putting in modern appliances, I want to redo our floors in the foyer and kitchen.  The tile in our foyer is particularly awful.  

I was in Home Depot today to buy new batteries for my solar lights, when I strolled though the tile section.  This is what caught my eye.

6/7: Preschool graduation!

My Small Human is growing up!  Today he graduated from preschool. The kids all got to wear special T-shirts, on top of their nice clothes.  The ceremony started off with the blessings for Shabbat.  Then the kids sang a few songs.  Finally, they received their diplomas.  The ceremony ended with a blessing for the families.  Afterward, they had a pizza party.

What's up with this growing up business? Wasn't he 3 1/2 pounds yesterday?  How did he get so big?

So proud of my little boy!  It's hard to believe he'll be an elementary school student come the fall! 

6/8: Funny face

We went to the diner for lunch.  The Small Human discovered a mirror opposite to his seat.  Of course, this called for funny faces.  This is one of them.

Until 10-14ish days from now...