Teachers' Days Off

Since I’ve been home these teachers have cut their teaching time in half in order to conference with parents about their student’s progress. This means the kids are only gone from home for 90 minutes a day if they’re in kindergarten. This also means more together time with grandma or maybe the computer. Lucas loves to play games so he would stay with that the entire day but that would make a grandma feel too guilty. Anyway it has been an eventful week. When I complained that I needed to buy groceries, my walking partners just said, take him along, he’d love it. He did love it for about the first 10 minutes and then he was ready to leave. We did but not before I’d purchased a coconut, two tiki torches and a gallon of green berry rush.

On the plus side I won’t have to ever buy a coconut again. Lucas announced that the liquid inside tasted like hair. And he spit out the chewy part. I still need to buy fuel for the tiki torches so it will be awhile yet before we’ll have fire in our back yard.

My mom and I played cards Saturday. When I walked into her residence she was sitting in the living room area and she smiled when she saw me. She says, “Will you take me where the others are going?”

“Yes,” I answered. “As soon as I get the cards?” “Do you want to play cards?”

“Yes,” she says and I hold her under her arms as she tries to get up off her chair. She needs help getting to a standing position and then begins to shuffle toward a chair at the table. I show her each suit of cards and say the names, hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds.

I deal eight cards to her and eight to myself and we play my altered version of Crazy 8. She doesn’t know the difference between hearts and diamonds but she does match colors to the discard pile and she does like to put things in successive order from 8, 9 to 10 and then perhaps 9 again, followed by an 8. She does not get frustrated but seems to enjoy the passing of cards and just the feel of the cards in her hands. And I enjoy the pleasant feeling in the room and the friendliness of the residents as one comes up and asks me how she can get the next train to her party.

It is great that you have your plans made for Memorial Day. Also I need to remind you that you need photo posing lessons from Linda the next time you see her. Several photo viewers have mentioned my favorite cousin’s glum look in the Greece photo album and I know you had a smiley time there. And another thing, where is the dancing video?

Home Again

It is nice to be home and I had a good arrival as Lucas and Miles were at the airport gate when we got off the plane. Nancy stopped to get her car and then left for Prosser and I headed to bed. I couldn’t really sleep so I read email, two People magazines, mail, bills and even took the Dr. Phil personality quiz online. If I hadn’t read Jane’s comment I wouldn’t have remembered that. You know I couldn’t sleep at that point. I did nap here and there then went to visit my mom who was happy to see me and finally I went to the store to get Greek Salad ingredients to go with the pizza for dinner. The salad was a big hit as it always is the first time. It’s the constant repetition that gets to you.

My photos are all up on the flickr site and I’m waiting for Diana’s professionally done DVD to add more. I wish I knew the names of all of the places we visited. The names, the number of years before Christ these things were built, and the significance of the art and architecture is all jumbled in my mind. I need to construct a big time line on paper so I can keep it straight. Mostly I’m waiting for Hank to put up your dance on the front of the ship so we can share your talents. It was a great holiday with no problems or concerns and lots of activities.

Nancy got her Turkish carpet home and when she unwrapped it she was even more pleased with her purchase. I haven’t heard yet if her husband noticed it but it does look very authentic and it wasn’t switched after purchase. It should be nice since she had to hand carry it everywhere. We all shopped for several hours in Amsterdam where I found some pirate shirts for boys.

What did you like best? It has to be the lobby greeting we gave you when you arrived at the hotel. We had been waiting at the taverna for hours just so we wouldn’t miss you. I think we all liked Ephesus the best as it has the most spectacular ruins.

Well, it’s 6 p.m. and I’m in bed. I hope I can milk this jet lag thing for a couple more days.

Be Happy

This was my last week to spend with Lucas and I’m sure we’re both ready for a break though I love to be with him very much. He likes to play games on the computer, watch television, and play WII games so anything I want him to do like work on tying his shoes, telling time, and reading books has to be arranged and bartered by the minute. He always stays happy however and when I thanked him for being that way he says, "Well you always tell me that.” And I think he may be right, as he goes into his classroom I say, “Smile and be happy.” A psychologist would no doubt say that is masking his true feelings and may cause deeply seated hidden resentments because he isn’t in touch with his inner being so I hope his mom doesn’t find out about the brain washing by Grandma.

Lazy mornings are good for me too as I slow down and hang out so to speak thus avoiding the sin of busyness which my church going friend just informed me is right up there with lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. Wikipedia hasn’t identified it yet but I guess it means driving around in your car, going to meetings, shopping, going to lunch, or just going, going. Luckily I’m sure I don’t have that vice, unless you can count surfing as being busy besides I think sloth fits me best.

One day last week Lucas and I got Alberta in the car for a routine doctor’s appointment. She has quit walking much so that involved getting her into a wheel chair both leaving her residence and going from my car to the clinic. I had help getting her in and out of the car as that seems to be the tricky part. Now she has a physical therapist working with her to enable smoother transfers and hopefully to encourage her to walk more. She is also sleeping much more and while she does not know me one day she does other days. Her lab work is perfect so maybe she’s just tired of looking at this snow. The better weather might get her moving outside I’m hoping.

These are our last few days to have the pre-trip phone calls with serious discussions about shoes, dressing for dinner, and money belts. Someone inquired about bringing a bathrobe, really, and there has been talk about what to buy while there. I think now we have all read the complete information so we are ready to go. Do you think Hank and Jim will bond?