My grandpa Russon passed away this past Monday, May 11. He was 98 and had been ready to go for a while. My mom told me that a few months ago he said he didn't want to make it to 99 - but he wasn't a grouchy pessimist, quite the opposite. As he got older he seemed to get gentler (not that he was ever harsh), even as his aches, pains, loss of hearing, ect. gave him every excuse to be grouchy. My cousin said he took to saying, "I'm normal" instead of good when people asked because, "I have a doctor for each part of my body." I planted an apple tree yesterday in memory of him (wondering if I can figure out how to make a tree into a bench like the one at his house!) and made myself a real root beer float in his honor ("real" as opposed to a ginger ale/strawberry ice cream float - he always used whatever was on hand).
He was a wonderful man, who loved his family, he called us his kingdom. He was so proud of us. I wish I could be with my family to relive our favorite memories and laugh, cry and smile together. Thank goodness for modern technology, I'll be able to be at his virtual memorial, even if it's not the same.
This is the only time my girls met him, it felt momentous and I remember thinking it might be the only time, yet I didn't think to get a picture with him because he's just always been there, felt like he always would be. Grateful to be part of his legacy and to be counted as one that he loved.
The same day my grandfather died one of my dearest friends lost her father. I cried a lot that day. My tears were a mix of a farewell to my grandpa and aching for my friend as she was torn apart from her father being suddenly taken. It's the first time I've truly felt the truth of the words "mourn with those that mourn." I went and tended her garden as we got freezing weather - it felt good to serve and show my love with action. Actually felt like a wonderful tribute to who I was raised to be.
I figured out how to turn my blog posts into PDF! I just spent the last hour doing 2020 and 2018 (why not 2019 you ask, completely arbitrary). I've had great anxiety at times that this whole blog would someday crash and I would lose everything. Now to print it - course one post was 40 pages (some pages only had one picture).
We did porch pictures.
This progression of my kids is my favorite.
I got a package with so much packing and Jac decided to make it her Rapunzel hair. Later it was Elsa hair and I had to cut it and braid it. Cut and braid the packing plastic.
Wade couldn't find his jacket (it was hanging up where it belongs) and took to wearing Blake's raincoat.
This Jac loves this Stella dog. Stella got groomed this week. By me. She looks awful.
Bryan fixed the light switch to the basement. For the last 5 years we've had to hit it to turn it on or off, now you just touch it...like a normal one.
A big box came and my kids were overjoyed! They brought it in and opened it (it was a fertilizer spreader) and were speculating if they could all fit in. They tested it out. They fit. So cool. As I listened to them I realized WHY they needed a box that fit them all - they have a plan to put themselves all in a box for Santa to pick up and take to Nana and Grandma's houses. They're realizing the flaw in their plan: Santa only takes presents he makes to people. And they'll be too heavy for the mail. Only holes in the plan. Wade's mad here because he jabbed himself with the kitchen scissors while opening the box - "Why would they make the top so pointy?!"
One afternoon I made everyone take a nap. Everyone lays in my bed and I harass them if they make any noise. It's a beautiful thing. Blake was having a grouchy time of it (which is why everyone needed a nap, so much grouchiness).
Me: Just let your body relax.
Blake: But my body wants to play!
Blake: I want to sleep in my room.
Wade: Your plan is just to play.
Social distancing:
We were at Target to get water bottles with a squirt lid. Wade was making a pop dispenser and I helped him. We got home and I put it together and he declared that that's not how his pop dispenser works (the imaginary thing that I brought to life was wrong...). I gave up.
Wade also made a candy dispenser. When he showed me the lever didn't let any candy out, so he said "Or you can just grab it from here," pulling candy out of the top...so an elaborate contraption with levers, tape, glue, stickers, paint that you grab candy out of the top. He later revealed it was just an elaborate plan to get candy whenever they wanted. Clever kid, the plan worked.
He made a cardboard golf hole. It was required to be in my kitchen for over a week.
Last post I said I thought I bruised my toes. Ruined my self done pedicure and I DID BRUISE MY TOES!!!!
Kids made a snack. Cereal. Syrup. Fruit snacks. I always tell them they have to what they make. Ewwww.
Wade uses the iPad for school, which apparently gave the green light for them to use it whenever they want. They get on in the morning and have been watching shows. Turns out I wake up when someone comes to bug me, but no ones been coming to bug me in the mornings! Ooops. I've started charging it on my bedside table, but even that doesn't work anymore because they sneak in so quietly and then hide to watch it so I don't hear it.
Wade's decided he doesn't want to be an astronaut anymore, now he wants to be a farmer (and he's going to build it himself). He wants only flowers and plants. No toys. He doesn't want them crushing plants (funny how he doesn't care about his toys crushing my plants...). He was talking (obsessing) over his decision in the car and told me, "I only know one part about how to get milk. You go underneath and squeeze the pink things. That's all I know. That's gross. I don't know anything else. Also you have to shake it."
I made this pool noodle rainbow. I was proud of it and went out to tell Bryan with it on my head. He was talking and I assumed he was on the phone, he wasn't, he was talking to our neighbor and I turned the corner wearing a rainbow and yelling "LOOK WHAT I MADE!!! OOooo, hi."
I got some new clothes and I got ready. The girls requested a photo shoot. Several. They told me what to do. Blake has also taken to telling me that I can take a nap if I want to. They love making me feel special (which is often very annoying).
Bryan dropped me off at Aldi to stock up on meat (with everything going on we decided we better get some more in our freezer) while he went to get gas at Costco. As he drove away he told the kids they were leaving me there. I guess they spiraled into devastation. Throwing things from their car seats at him. They did not think it was a funny joke.
We were eating ribs. Wade was asking all about the meat (collecting information for when he's a farmer). We told him it was a pic. Continue talking about it, Wade's enthralled. Bryan says they cut of the pigs head. Jac's eyes got really big and she kept looking at her thumbs and declared that she couldn't do that cause she might cut her thumbs off (she got a cut on her thumb sneaking brownies earlier that week). Blake kept asking about how the head gets back on.
I'm trying an experiment to grow potatoes. Cut up 3 different types + sweet potatoes to see if I can get them to sprout. I don't remember where I heard this, but storing potatoes with onions makes them sprout - I used to keep them together in this drawer and they always sprouted, so hoping it does the trick.
And sprouting my romaine lettuce from the scraps. I feel so homesteady.
No comments:
Post a Comment