Project Boxes

There was another project day on Leadbetter Rd. recently. Two grandmothers went at it with tissue paper, old children's book illustrations, scraps of this and that and a new found medium called Mod Podge. That turns out to be a sort of glue and varnish that holds stuff, like ephemera, together on a surface. I decided to try out using Trader Joes coffee canisters of which I had only two, and a shoe box which had been sent to me by the other grandmother on my birthday a couple of weeks ago.


As I worked I had very little patience and a lot of drive to get the project done as quickly as possible. I doubt that I'll ever do this again. BUT, I was pleased with the results. They looked pretty colorful and the Mod Podge definitely worked in creating a glaze over the whole "design." Design? It was so haphazard, I can't really claim to have had the foresight which the word design implies.

Filling the boxes is what counts for the kids, and the boxes are FULL! (of surprises)

More on Grandparenting

Stress may be a pejorative word, but in yin/yang terms it's absence does not serve us well as creatures on this earth. Coping keeps us our brains healthy, our adaptive skills tuned up and our youthfulness zipping along. In decades past, I have fantasized about leading a relaxing life, doing what I want without the stress of meeting unpleasant and unwanted demands. Naive. I'm a slow learner.

What I'm accepting more in my sixties is the beauty of such demands. In my retirement, I have fewer things to cope with than ever. Back when I was a youngster, a mother with two small children, I observed a young woman during the summer, reading in a bikini under an umbrella to her heart's content. I looked wistfully at her, remembering my pre-child-rearing days, and thought how nice it would be to sit and read peacefully. Oooh, Heaven.

Fast forward many decades and I have had the time to resume this heavenly activity. But guess what? It hasn't been nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be back when I didn't have that leisure time. In fact, there are new nagging discontents that have seeped into my old brain.

My friend, Audrey, told me about her audiologist whom she respects greatly. He said when the time comes, he plans to live in a group situation with others his age. Seeing many patients he has observed that the folks who live alone/with a partner seem to deteriorate mentally faster than the people who are forced to interact with others regularly, forced to negotiate, compromise, problem solve.

We get a great deal of pleasure from our grandchildren...and they exhaust us. One day while caring for the two boys aged five and three, I was overwhelmed with sleepiness. Dexter was napping but Zach was wide awake. I told Z that I was going to rest for a minute on the couch. When I awoke only moments later he was gone. When I found him he had gotten into wet paint and was trying to remove it from his clothes and body. He was covered. A midday bath cured all, but it was clear that resting was not an activity to partake of when the boys are awake.

Grandchildren and grandparents are a perfect match. We don't like being rushed and we have endless time to learn together. If we can keep up, I think this is a great way to combine leisure time and a good amount of stress. No wonder extended families have worked so well over the centuries.

A Few Days in the City

A short trip to Boston brought me much joy. Just opened was a Dale Chihuly installation at the MFA.

These are actually glass baskets, inspired by Western Native American ones. They are exquisite and wowed me with their tribute to the human imagination, most notably Chihuly's.
Called Ikebana Boat, this structure is filled with glass flowers and reckons back to the artist's youth spent in his mother's garden.
Amazing fiery plants appear to be growing in the grass in the courtyard, with statuary overseeing it all. Please, can they stay, after the exhibition has moved on??
In the new cafe is a spiky cactus-like plant that reaches toward the ceiling and radiates brilliant light.
The most meditative of Chihuly's work concludes the exhibit. These cool, light shafts emanate out of birch logs.
In Dylan's Mexican bag, featured here, I snuck in a ball cap. Thank goodness, as it turned out to be his favorite part. He wore it everywhere during the time I was at his house.
and Yes, he liked the toy too, so primitive and folk-arty, so non-tehcno, but he liked pushing the button and seeing the tiger and trainer go at it. They DO look a bit fierce.
Sophia incorporated Soledad's doll into her fantasy play right away. This whimsical little chica now plays with fairies and Barbies.
The loteria game was a success with both kids, separately. And being so young, it is no problem learning the Mexican names for the objects, including Muerte with his scythe.
Through it all, my diligent d-i-l plumbed and plumbed some more, as well as cooked dinners and made the yummiest cookies on the planet, for which I am ever grateful.

More About Vintage Toys and Grandkids

Here's that area (described in the post below) like my grandparent's and aunts'. All the cupboards are filled with vintage toys. We're making 2-D shapes from geometric shape blocks. I'm making characters, S is making flowers and Dylan, a robot.



Dylan doesn't know it, but he's also learning about geometry.

This is the first time Sophia has shown interest in Auntie Sylvia's dolls. There are old Scandinavian handknit sweaters and matching hats knit by Sophia's great-grandmother and me, her grandmother, and hand-sewn doll clothes by the two of us. S entered her fantasy world and played by herself with her "children" and then without being reminded, packed them all up in the suitcase and carried them back to the room where they are stored.

Vintage Shopping with the Grandkids

It has given me great pleasure to introduce my grandkids to vintage shopping. Sophia and I spent a couple of hours with friends who also love estate sales this morning. It was wonderful seeing these four and seven year olds enjoying old things rather than Ikea or Toys R Us. They were happily occupied for as long as we were. Neither of them ever asked to leave. They actually argued about who would get the Saint cards (I"m sure they're called something else). Maybe they thought they were trading cards? Who cares?! Dylan chose a Digger Dog for whom I made a collar and leash when we got home, and a great old sock doll that needs a bit of repair. Happiness for under $5 each.

Tiger Tail - Rocket Balloons

Thanks to the inspiring Blackburns for these spectacularly popular balloons which shoot into the air, make lovely farty noises and can reach heights of thirty to forty feet before spiraling around and down to the ground. Dexie was determined to operate the pump himself, and Voila! Even a two year old can manage to pump up a Tiger Tail. Exceptional fun with fifty balloons and a pump for under ten dollars.

American Black Duck Visit

Zach and I spent several hours on our beach yesterday. We had a welcome surprise visit from two American Black Ducks who were far from shy! Zach loves birds and has been told he can keep any bird he can catch. Wisely, this time he decided to sit quietly and let the ducks approach him. They came right up on shore and gathered tidbits (no idea WHAT) not more than ten feet away from us. It was a thrill for us both and made for an idyllic afternoon.

Summer Visitors

Zadie and Zach (Two Zs in a pod) search for minnows in the vast 4,000 acre lake called Androscoggin....The two "sinker siblings" (so named by their swimming instructor when they were children as they hadn't enough cellulite to float) discuss parenthood. It's a rare opportunity as they live on opposite coasts and are at demanding points in their careers.

California boys meet the Vintage Grandparent Toy Collection for the first time.

Gwynth

My mother, Gwynth Lukens Woodbury, was born on this day in 1914. She was the youngest of ten children and her mother died when she was eight. Here she is with her six sisters, Viola, Frances, Dorothy, Norma, Florence and Thelma. She was the only blonde and favored by her oldest sister, Viola, who was left with the task of raising her.

Most of all she taught me to listen carefully and lovingly to others and to put relationships above all other activities in life. She had many friends and was always making more. When she visited me in my adult life, she always made friends with my neighbors, with taxi drivers and hairdressers. In her last year at a nursing home, she bonded quickly with her roommate and included her in all of our family visits. I am grateful to have been able to call her my mother.

Zach and the Injured Pigeon

Zach has shown great concern over a pigeon with an impaired leg in the local town green. Today we decided to try and nourish it with chicken feed from home. Zach shooed away the competition and managed to get the pigeon to eat out of his hand.

Firefly Trap

Although Zach does figure drawing, I prefer his more imaginative work. When asked what this was, he looked at me as if I were nuts not to be able to see that this was "a trap to catch fireflies!"

don't get around to blogging much anymore

The reason I don't get around to blogging much these days is because I am keeping company with my paintset. It is very old and used and has been around, but it is still useful.

I spent some of the last 24 hours with Cathie whom I didn't know at all previously. She is wonderful and full of wisdom. Her father was a migrant worker from Arkansas who moved with his family of origin to CA when he was a child. He emancipated himself at age 13, had five children, two jobs and managed to go to college at night and get his degree. All of his five children got theirs too. Cathie says, "Anything is possible."

Watching Ice Age

They were watching Ice Age while the adults watched the unrated version of The Hangover.

Zach and his Birthday Gift

Syl and Bob got Zach CHICKENS (bantams - Spike, Rusty and Dusty) for his fourth birthday (Nov. 29). Syl reports that Spike and Zach have bonded. I remember when Syl bonded with her own chicken, Funnyfeathers in about 1977 or 78. I must admit I feel some pride in this choice of gifts, as if somehow Syl's upbringing had a positive impact on her in some ways, at least.

Having just spent a week with Zach and brother Dex (and cousins Sohpia and Dylan), I was pleased to note that Zach has a real love of nature, especially birds. Apparently on a recent holiday he asked if he were able to catch a seagull, could he keep it? YES, his parents said, for obvious reasons. Then, with me, he was back at it trying to trap a goose into his arms. I love his fearless and joyous approach to living things. He also loves bugs. When stung by a bee, he didn't cry but reported, "it's only a bee!"

Blurred by Tears

Corina and Jay were married July 25 at the Hotel Monaco, Washington D.C. It was an awesome wedding and reception and we're exhausted with happiness.

More Easter Weekend

We dyed eggs, of course, and look at Dylan's little piggy bib - the same one Ethan wore as he really WAS a little piggy.

Even though the ice isn't all the way out, we took a boat ride with Ethan's nifty one horsepower electric motor that he brought from home/Boston. It is so quiet, it's almost like canoing. When Sophia saw me don my twizzle tops hat, she put hers on too!
We explored a patch of sand on our property in the loon cove that isn't usually accessible.
and we played a few very loose games of Hide and Seek. Loose? Yes, because Sophia counts very fast and expects that you won't hide at all, nor will she, but we all will be found almost immediately and spontaneously. One hides in the same place each time too, to make it easier. Dylan loves to be found even though he isn't hidden, and then chased.

Your turn!

The Road Back

Dexie loved playing on the edge of St. Moritz pond. He chortled with glee, grabbing and shaking brachen and moss covered twigs. Thanks to Aunt Cindy and cousin Dylan for loaning him boots to fill with pond water!

On our way back to Maine, we counted EIGHT red-tailed hawks along the highway. That was a record for us and we wonder if the foggy spring day was the reason for so much lurking about.

Four Cousins on St. Moritz Pond

Gramily and Zadie's Grandchildren

We're in MEXICO now!

The welcoming committee on the roof

First View of the Day from K and G's casita

In Boston, just before our departure, we saw the grandkiddies. Sophia can get Dylan out of his snowsuit! Isn't she something?

And she has her own little digital camera to snap Zadie!

Dylan loves to choose oranges, over and over, and take them to adults to peel. He then hands each section to that adult to eat. It is a very focused activity. Here he has pulled over a chair to climb up to the counter to get his project going.

Twin Twizzletop hats on Gramily and 'Fia.

Bedtime for Dylan and hugs for Gramily

Zadie reads Gramily's old storybook to Sophia.
Dad Ethan reads the very same book to Sophia that was Emmy Lou's/Gramily's in 1948.
Booo Hooo, I missed getting a photo of Cindy this time.