Sunday, May 25, 2025

Jacob, and Jayden and Noelle


I had to laugh.  It turns out 8 y.o. Lilly is being pushy with Jacob and aggrvating him because 4 y.o. Jacob told me this.

      "Yah, I'm getting stronger than sissy.  If I get stronger, she can't pick me up!" 

 

Then there's Jayden, talking about the number of children at church,    

     "It's like there's 3 boy kids and 50 billion girls!!!"


And, lastly, our trip to church, with Jayden and Noelle in the backseat of the car brought a deep discussion - snacks, LOL. I had brought a snack with me and they had their goldfish with them.  I offered them each a bite of my banana telling them there's good stuff in a banana like potassium.

     Jayden pipes up, "And an apple is good, too!"

     We had a big discussion on calcium and vitamins and what nutrients are in some broccoli, and beans, and other foods.  

      "Apples have vitamin K good for blood and bones," I told them as I read what google search brought up.

      "Is there potassium in a apple, too?" asks Jayden.

       Noelle excitedly pipes up, she knows what's in apples, she exclaims with conviction, 

       "SEEDS ARE IN APPLES!"






Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Did The Boys Really Do That?

I've been thinking about the differences in boys brains and girls brains since I've never had personal experience with girls until we got granddaughters.  Then a grandson was born and it's obvious his interests are different than the girls.  So, I've compiled a list of things my own sons have done in their youth. 

Do you think they are all true or are some made up by me?


1.  Pulled boat behind a pickup with brothers riding along in the snow.

2.  Launched water balloons over the state highway.

3.  Rebuilt differential on vehicle.

4.  Rebuilt transmission on a classic truck.

5.  As toddlers, totally removed all branches from neighbor's 3 evergreen trees.

6.  Siphon fish tank water by use of garden hose extending through bedroom window to outside and back in to the bathtub.

7.  Crawled in grass in camouflage behinds neighbor's houses, and acroos the road behind some more neighbor's houses and said, "Do you know you can see everything through their windows at night?"

8.  Whacked golf balls over the barn

9.  As 2 y.o. collected Mason jar full of bumble bees

10.  Drove mother's car downtown near fairgrounds, beneficially blowing the carbon out so it drove better, and got a speeding ticket, and said,  "I wouldn't dirve downtown for a while...in that car."

11.  Lifted the sliding glass door off it's tracks to get in a locked house after curfew.

12.  Climbed a 180 foot tall cross-country high voltage power line tower and took a selfie.  Only telling girlfriend, "just in case."

13.  As elementary aged boys, built a bridge across a 10 foot pond and made an island in the middle.

14.  Floated a couch down the river at university.

15.  About drowned when ice gave way on reservoir on a jet ski and said, "If I could just keep my grip on the jet ski, I knew I could make it."

16.  Two toddler brothers chased blue ball onto state highway, traffic stopped, and semi stopped and the driver was walking around to rescue the boys.  One boy said, "I looked both ways first."

17.  Discarded a combine's tire into a ditch, but got surprised by it's continuing to roll, and keeping up along side of the truck.

18.  Brought home a Ford Escort that had thrown a rod and was smoking.  Borrowed grandpa's backhoe, dug a hole, and buried said Escort in barn yard, "I had to do it while you were on vacation."

19.  5 y.o. rode a mini bike into a tree "Daddy, did you save me?"

20.  Hid from cop by entering the property at the corner and driving behind the barn.

21.  Fell asleep at the wheel on a mountain in Kentucky and a passing tow truck peeled metal off side of his truck.

22.  Fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended the couple ahead of him, compassionately they said, "We're just so glad he wasn't hurt."

23.  Built a play fort out of plywood complete with a drawbridge.

24.  Drove dirt bike off the sharp edge of grandpa's hill.

25.  Poured 5 gallons of gasoline on bonfire, and because there was a 20 foot long furrow around it, it puddled there and around his feet.  Once lit, he was consumed by smoke and fire and amazed a friend, "I couldn't believe he came walking out of the smoke like that!"  Suffered nothing except singed hairs.

26.  Carpeted the yard with bottle rockets sticks while we were away for the 4th of July.  We learned 5 years later that cops were called.

27. Several of them, and neighbor friends, got together and slingshot rocks over the highway and one passer-by stopped in to notify parents.

28.  3 of 20 year olds confessed at Thanksgiving dinner that they got airborne jumping over railroad tracks.

29.  One ramped mini bike and got a shock when brother coming up from behind him ramped his dirt bike at the same time.

30.  Laid mom's van on its side during ice storm.

31.  Laid Durango on its side at "high water" sign.

32.  Dragged a highway sign then dragged same highway sign with friends riding on it.

33.  Wrote in wet paint on Blazer "No Fat Chicks Truck Will Squat" and sadly it's still there, though faintly.

34.  Parents never knew until sons were in their 30's that a couple of them had a booze party.

35.  Can efficiently and safely run a bulldozer, backhoe, and a skid steer.

36.  Can efficiently and safely run a front loader, pulverizer, and dirt machine.

37.  Walked rafters in barn, so did their cousin, and all carved their names "We were here."

38.  Cut down a 25 foot tall evergreen tree to top it for a Christmas tree.

39.  Shot own hand.  Bullet went through house wall, too.

40.  Passed his best friend on the right, cop saw, gave ticket.

41.  With female cousin rode go-cart into a young evergreen tree and flattened it.  It grew crooked.

42.  With many friends, dug 7 foot hole in front yard, and in some shifts at night by spotlight.  When it got so deep that the sides needed shored, DH said, "No more, boys."

43.  While welding, melded ring to ring finger.  Scarred for life.

44.  Run his thumb through a band saw.  "Emergency!"

45.  Brought home sign of rules for swimming in lake, and was told, "Take it back!"

46.  Brought home stop sign, and was told, "Take it back!"

47.  Pelted stop sign at the nearby intersection with fast food drink cups and after he was told to clean it up, asked, "How'd you know it was me?"

48.  Had a 3 person Cub Cadet race with friends -- one had electrical meltdown, one laid it on its side, one caught fire and needed valve stems replaced.

49.  Was drag racing D150 and Dodge Dakota when Cadillac pulled up to join.  The Caddy lost.

50.  Rode his bicycle off the bed of a truck, and ended up flat on his back, "It didn't work like in the cartoons."

51.  Shot his hand with a "It's not loaded" bb gun.  BBs still there.  Hand can stick to magnets.


As I was talking to the boys about these, they got stiff and still.  I think they were wondering if I knew EVERYTHING.  And besides that, they had twinkles in their eyes.  Boys are dare devils, they enjoy the thrill, and they are lucky to be alive.


They've kept guardian angels very busy.  VERY BUSY.
They've kept mom close to God!  I think he wanted them to live, wink.  

Friday, May 2, 2025

Rusty's Kids, Kittens & Salmon Cookies

Last night (May 2023) it was a 3 ring circus!  

The kitties were protectively living in the garage, so I invited the grandkids over to watch them while we moved the skid steer, zero turn, hand truck, and various other things.  Besides I wanted all, kids and kittens, to get used to each other and the outdoor sounds and sights.

"Can they climb a tree?"
"This one is sticking to me!"
"But I wanna hold him."
"She's on the picnic table!"

"GrammyPam, can I take her in the house?"
"Is she her mommy?"
"Her in the cuddle, her won't come out."                                                                 
                                                                              "Luna doesn't like Detroit."                                                                                               "Why him growl?"


Questions, questions, questions....then since Mom brought supper so they all came in and had spaghetti, EVERYWHERE!  

"Can this one come in with me?  I'll take care of her."

LOL, and again, "Why him growl?"


September 2024

NOTE:  For supper, I fixed salmon patties, broccoli, and pork n' beans as the grandkids went out to play.  

I thought Jayden and Alayna wouldn't eat salmon and told Rusty how surprised I was.  He said, "Oh yah.  They run around here with them in their mouths like they're cookies!" 

 Whoo-hoo, that's my grandkids!  Finally, some that like patties like I do.  Wait.  Wait.  They aren't blood related!  

Oh well, happy dance, them's my grandkids!!!!



Sunday, April 27, 2025

David Wayne's Coffee and Mowing

David Wayne and Annie 
       At Easter

David Wayne, my little 8 y.o. nephew, actually I'm his great-aunt, was interested in the coffee we were passing around at Spencer's house.  Some folks liked it with a little sugar, some wanted cream AND sugar, and some wanted it to stand on it's own!

Surprisingly, he had never made coffee for any one before, a novelty for him.

After a bit of instruction, I told him he could have some for himself.

He made a cup, put a little sugar in it, stirred, took a sip.

"Arrh, that's nasty!"

"I don't know how you all drink this!"

"I'm gonna wash this cup out like thirty times!"

 

* * * 


A few weeks later, David Wayne comes with his father to help him mow our property.  I had gassed up the zero turn, and put a charger on it 'cause it had sat all winter.  But his dad thought our yard was a big undertaking for the first mowing and brought his own zero turn along.  The plan was for each of them to mow to get the job done faster.

Now, there's 4 acres here.  The April showers had done their trick.  The dandelions were proliferous and the grass was tall.

I noticed there was two or three times dad had to get down on the ground and pull wads of grass out from around the spindles and belts.  It made the clutch click and whine, and put out smoke one time.  This upset David Wayne, made him nervous, he shut it off and got off!

Towards the end, watching him mow in a circle, I went out to check on him.  He saw me and made a beeline in my direction and idled down the mower to have a talk.  He was so adult-like, so matter of fact.

"GrammyPam, you need a new zero turn, or ... you need to not let the grass get so high."


I had to laugh behind my hand, this little pipsqueak was laying it on the line!  ROFL.






Saturday, April 26, 2025

Noelle Sweepover "Snake"

 


                                       

September 2024

Noelle who's only 4 y.o. and hadn't been here for a few weeks, went into the back bedroom and picked up her dollie, as I was walking by I heard, "There you are, Sweetheart.  Did you have a good sweepover?"


March 2023

Took a walk in Lapel park but picked up Alayna and Noelle first to go with us.  I taught them "step on a crack break your mother's back", "step on a line break your father's spine" and they thought that was just the best thing, what a hoot!  So Alayna she'd step on them on purpose and listen to John moan "Oh, my back!"  And Noelle said, "I nice, I no step on", and with her white shoes she'd take a giant step with a little jump right over.  


15 minutes in the park's playground to let them get good and dirty and home we all went.  It was good all around, I slept in!  



June 2022

When little 2 y.o. Noelle, who's the same age as Jacob, sees a slab of meat, instead of steak, she calls it snake.  The pic above is her at the display counter of steaks at Texas Roadhouse.  

She showed lots of personality that day.   In the second pic she's trying on my reading glasses.

Noelle, Ainsley, 3 Marker Challenge

 

Ainsley and Noelle

One granddaughter, Noelle, asked if she could ride home with me from church.
The other granddaughter, Ainsley, asked HER DAD if she could ride home with me from church.

HE did not ask me!

Next thing I knew their dad had plopped two booster seats, and an Ainsley in my backseat, LOL.
He was just a'laughing at his own audactiy of decision making.

So after chicken nuggets from McDonalds we came home to play -- color and cut, papers with mermaids.


and then 

I was introduced to the 3 Marker Challenge, evidently a game learned from a youtube video.


"No!", says Noelle, "you don't cover your own eyes, you cover mine.  Then I pick 3 markers without looking."  

"Now I cover your eyes and you pick 3 markers without looking."  And so, the 3 of us did.  And we colored our mermaids with only those 3 randomaly chosen markers.


At one point 3 y.o. Ainsley was tired of leaning on her chair and table, so she ambled down.  I told Noelle, "she's on the floor."  But from the floor Ainsley corrected me.

"I'm under the table."  

Well, then, okay......
and she further instructs us, "Don't look at mine.  Don't look at mine."

Noelle talks a bit differently, saying things like "My goodness!"


With more clarification, Noelle, in her raspy voice, explains the game.

"It's called a game that parents like, too.  The Three Marker Challenge.  Because they want their kids to "shut up" sometimes and "don't talk like that".


I'm busting a gut laughing, chuckling, 
and thorougly enjoying the coloring, these adorable  kids!





Sunday, April 6, 2025

The Night I Sat In The Closet


Keep the phone.
Snatch a banana.
Grab shoes, and some socks.
Throw pillows in the closet.
Pull the door shut!

Huddle and text.  

That's what I did. 
They said there was a tornado near me.

Strange. 
Strange that I never thought of I.D.

After awhile, with my friend's texting, and another one checking on me, it was weirdly amazing how comfy I felt!

There I slayed - Ian's word, my youngest son.  He says it means reclining with legs straight out in front of you; not sitting, not laying, but slaying.  There I was slaying against two comfy orange bed pillows, closeted in a 
3 x 4 space, in the dark, and listening.

Mostly to the wind.

There was the jingle-jangle of the applicances going off and on.
Near the refrigerator some thing did a happy sing-song.  
Then all power went out.

As if it was in my front yard, I could hear the blaring of the warning alarm from the county seat 6 miles away.  LOUD.  INTRUSIVE.  DISTURBING.

And that wind!  Oh, it thrust by the house with slamming rain and the sounds of a roaring train!  I'd heard that sound before in the early 60's when I was 8 years old.  There were no railroad tracks near us.  There were tracks at grandma's house in Kentucky, but not near us.  I knew that sound.  But that 60's train was coming towards us across a corn field!  That didn't make sense.

Dad said it was a tornado! 

And, that we 3 kids had to sit in the V of the T shaped red brick house until it passed!  The neighbors' lost their house, but we were spared. 
 
Until my friend called I had no clue a tornado was near!  Turns out there were two!!!   Oblivion has it's own silver lining - there's no anxiety, wariness, or fear beforehand.

Her text coincided with the city's outdoor warning siren.  The county practices it every Friday at 11:00 to ensure all is working well, so I knew what it was.  

And there I slayed, warm and cozy, in the dark of night, oblivious to danger, and feeling loved from friends, texting!

"Don't open that door!"