Transformed

Do you ever have those days when the unexpected seems to transform your point of view?

I had one of those days yesterday. It started at Masters Swim practice when there was a substitute coach at the workout time I usually attend. Her style was totally different from the usual coach. In addition to the workout instructions, she gave very specific techniques to practice. WOW! It felt like the two techniques she suggested transformed my work out--making it more aerobic and powerful.

Then I went on a "Dearma date" with my 16-year-old grandson, Cody. I always let the kids choose what they want to do, and Cody's choices never cease to surprise me. For instance, he wanted to go to Perko's for lunch. This is not a restaurant that I frequent and according to his mom they never go there, so what's the appeal? He likes a particular burger they serve. And I had a Thai chicken salad that was absolutely delicious. The place was cool and not very busy at 2pm when we arrived, so it was a perfectly delightful and, for me, unique lunch spot.

Then we went to see the movie: "The Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon." What a hoot! The movie is funny and the animation is fabulous. Cody and I shared a large popcorn and laughed and commented liberally as there were very few people in the theater. This is a movie I would not have normally seen, but I have to say I enjoyed all 2 hours and 37 minutes, something I surely didn't anticipate when Cody announced this was what he wanted to do. Another thing I liked was that we sat through the entire run of credits after the movie, something I ALWAYS do but was surprised to learn my grandson liked to do too.

The next unexpected thing was going to the final performance for Vacation Bible School at Chapel in the Pines. The plan was that I'd drop Cody off there so he could do the sound for the performance. I popped into the little chapel to get a Raleigh hug, and he encouraged me to stay for the show, so I did. What a blast! The theme was upbeat summer Caribbean, so there were lots of grass skirts and flowery shirts and plastic fruit. Brent Corson led the singing which was lively and joyous. The highlight of the evening, however, was the closing song. It was a partnered, hand-clapping affair which I did with Raleigh. The short verse was repeated 4 times at a rapidly accelerating pace. Glistening with perspiration, Raleigh and I hand-clapped and sang with joyous abandon.

My Friday was transformed by unexpected pleasures and I'm feeling pretty grateful.

Working with Dearma

This summer, I set a goal to have each of my grandkids come and work for me. I have tons of chores that need to be done, and I like working with someone. They like making money, and I like to think they enjoy spending time with me. I know I love time with them, especially one-on-one time when I get to hear from them without the distractions that accompany many of our encounters.

So I made a list of tasks that I thought were age and ability appropriate and went to work setting times for them to come. Lunch and a treat were part of the deal. Usually I took them to the deli to select what they wanted and then we went to freezer to choose ice cream or popsicles for dessert.

The first to come was Gianna. She helped me trim a 50 foot rosemary hedge. Gianna is methodical and always figures out the practicalities of a task. Based on her evaluation of the project, we used both hedge trimmers and hand held pruners and moved along steadily with her setting the pace.

Next came Clare and Mary Autumn. Three-year-old Clare organized drip system pieces by size, type, and color in the drawers a small parts cabinet. She also helped me plant rotten bananas in my rose garden. She loved that job, especially when the trowel turned up worms. Mary Autumn helped me clean and organize my potting yard cabinet. She cleaned pots, wiped down shelves, and put things back in the best of order. That cabinet has never looked so good.

Leon helped me build a rock retaining wall and a step into the side yard. While eating popsicles after completing the job, we discovered our shared love for bird watching. The kid has an incredible eye for sighting the smallest bird in a tree. We took a bunch of pictures.

Cody worked with Granddaddy to build a retaining wall and two sets of stairs in the side yard. It was hot, hard, dirty work but Cody hung in there and finished long after I had retreated to sitting in the shade. I now have a spot for a fruit tree and berry vine to be planted in the fall.

Taylor and Candice are window washers extraordinaire. Candice worked ahead of Taylor and I cleaning all the window sills and the cruddy tracks where the aluminum windows sit. We came behind washing windows, inside and out. Cindy meanwhile was working on cleaning the screens. This was a 6-hour job and there was not one complaint from these girls and plenty of giggles! And can I just say, Taylor voluntarily cleaned up inside after the job while I was putting things away outside.

Next came Athan who helped me trim the oleander, a monumental job that I have to do every summer after the bloom. High atop a ladder, Athan chatted away about the view and pruning decisions he was making, once commenting on how he was like his dad in his interest in pruning. Yep, this is true. The oleander have never looked so fine as when he finished.

Still to come are Kyle, Aliou, Huck, Nell, and Anna Mae. Also, Candice and I agreed that she is going to come twice. (She was saving for dance camp so she came along for Taylor's job.) I haven't mentioned August because he regularly works in Dearma's yard.

When people find out I have 14 grandkids, the first thing they often say is "How do you afford Christmas?" I must say the gifts I get from these kids far exceed what I give them.

(NOTE: I didn't get pictures of Gianna, Clare, or Mary Autumn and promised Taylor I wouldn't publish a picture of her as she didn't feel prepared for a photo shoot.)

Jenny's Triathlon-Inspiring

Inspiring is the only word that works to describe Jenny's triathlon. She smiled her way through the entire event and took 3rd in her age group. That smile was possible because she knew she was fit! She'd trained all summer and had the muscles to prove it. Watching Jenny had Raleigh, Cody, Kyle, and even me dreaming about doing it next year. It was really AWESOME! Here are some pictures including one with friends Tamra and Diana who also participated.

Surprise Moments

The best part of any day is one of those surprise moments! I had one of those moments this week on Tuesday, my homeschool day. I had just finished working with Kyle and Candice when Raleigh, who is home from work this week, asked if I wanted a latte. He has new espresso maker, and I happily agreed to the hot, frothy drink.

A few minutes later, he set a large cup in front of me and invited Cody to join him in singing a song for me--"Mess of Me." There I sat high on stool sipping a delicious hot drink, while my son and grandson strummed their guitars and sang in rich sonorous voice. It was heavenly, and got even better when behind me Kyle and Candice added their sweet, soft voices to the music.

I'm telling you, it doesn't get much better than this kind of surprising moment!

More Skiing

Leon and Aliou particularly enjoy skiing backwards.

Clare wanted to be part of the action and paid close attention to how Mary Autumn rose to her feet after a fall, i.e with Dearma's help.

The power of the snowplow.

Ski Party

Spectacular weather on the heels of the great snowfall last week, made for one terrific skiing birthday party at Dodge Ridge. Everyone was in high spirits, eager and cooperative, which made equipping 7 Tippett kids and a Harrelson a quick and easy task.

The four younger boys --Athan, Leon, Aliou and cousin Kyle-- took a 2-hour lesson in the morning which made them ALL ski-worthy in no time. Meanwhile, Michael skied first with Mary Autumn and then with his older children--August, Anna Mae, and Gianna as well as some of the Little Red Schoolhouse contingency who were on the hill yesterday. Back at the lodge, JL, Cindy, and I got the birthday party ready on the deck in the beautiful sunshine. Clare poked around entertaining folks who were coming and going with a congenial "Hi!" Cindy snapped pictures of anyone we spotted skiing on nearby hills using her long range lens.

Soon a bunch of hungry kids started trickling in. Once they were fed, we sang happy birthday to first Leon and then Aliou, who wore their birthday crowns with pride and clearly enjoyed having a ski trip birthday.

Papa and August were tardy to the party, but just in time for Mama to don Papa's ski pants and equipment and take off skiing with the children who were rushing from the deck party to get back on the slopes. Once suited up, JL headed for the rope tow and then skied across to Chair 2 with Athan and the rest of boys. A fifteen year lapse since she last skied had not cramped her style one bit. She shushed right into the swing of things. After a zig-zagging decent down Chair 2 with Athan, she met August and Anna Mae in line at Chair 3 with Leon and Aliou following and begging to go to. "Sure," she said and soon half of the Tippett family was settled in swinging chairs to climb the face of the mountain. We didn't see them again for over an hour. (If you click on the pictures below, you can see JL and Athan crossing the hill, and five Tippetts in two chairs--Mae & Aliou in the 1st chair, JL, August, & Leon in the 2nd.)

This prefect mid-week ski excursion and the ease with which my daughter took to the slopes made me think I could ski again. Uncle John, are you there? Can you get Dearma back on the hill?

Homeschool

Getting back to homeschool this week after the seasonal break underscored the simple pleasures in this occupation. How many grandmother/tutors have the privilege of enjoying:

• a seven-year-old gnawing a chicken leg at second breakfast while doing phonogram drills?
• the burgeoning vocabulary of 18-month-old, sitting happily at the schoolroom table repeating sounds and words from her older brother's phonics lesson as she marks a paper with her pencil?
• a fashion show-- in between geography and Latin lessons--of the new clothes a grand-daughter acquired at Plato's over the weekend?
  
• the song of parakeets joining the conversations and questions regarding various and disparate lessons: "Dearma, how do you make an uppercase cursive K?" "Dearma, do you know about librevox?" "Dearma, remember those maze books you used to bring?" "Dearma, what am I supposed to do here? Translate the Latin to English or change the person?"
• the Ah Ha of a child who suddenly sees/hears the relationship between 2 sounds?
• the careful and deliberate penmanship of a 4th grader mastering cursive?
• a phone call from a 9th grader making a date for help with a research paper?
• that same 9th grader remembering the Citation Machine used in a previous lesson, more than year before, to construct a bibliography?

. . . all of this against a constant backdrop of joyful noise: children clamoring to tell about a recent event in their lives.

My life's work has been entrenched in the laboratory of learning and homeschool is a glorious opportunity to continue doing something I love.

Christmas with Cousins

The best thing about the family Christmas gathering, other than celebrating with my wonderful children and their families, was watching the cousins play together.

(Athan is a rising pool shark who devoted considerable time at the table)

Christmas with cousins filled me with the same joy that Clare seemed to feel when handed her first Christmas stocking.

The party was definitely a success. I know because Anna Mae wrote a fabulous summary on her blog. Check it out!

Gianna & the Nutcracker

One of my life goals is to take each of my granddaughters to the Nutcracker ballet in San Francisco. This year Gianna accompanied me! She even wore a dress for the occasion, not her favorite garment. She looked lovely and her mom had curled her hair a beautiful pageboy, a style reminiscent of my youth.

The three hour drive to SF whizzed by as she sat in the back seat, eating pistachios and playing hangman on my iPhone (thank you Aunt Jenny and Kyle for suggesting I download this application). We stopped at Trader Joes and bought sushi for lunch, and she ate all 6 pieces and the ginger, exclaiming her pleasure.

We were a little behind schedule, so we really had to rush to get to the Opera Hall after parking in the Civic Center garage. But we made it in plenty of time. I thought I had purchased tickets for seats one level below the balcony, but as it turned out we were on the ground floor level with the stage. What a suprise!

Gianna has an eye for detail and the things she noticed say a lot about her. She said she liked being at a level where she could watch the dancers's feet. In the dance of the snowflakes, she said, "Dearma, do you see the muscles in their backs?" She commented on the lead male dancer by saying, "The reason his legs are so big is because they are muscular." She asked questions about the sets. "How do you think they move?" "Do you think they are made of metal?" She was also quite the observer of people, for instance, pointing out folks who wore jeans or very high heels.

After the ballet, we went to Max's for dinner where she ordered pasta with butter and parmesan cheese. She loved the hot rolls, which she said tasted just like Uncle Culley's fresh bread. The ride home was long--rush hour traffic and then fog-- but she was wonderfully patient. We talked about her trip to North Carolina and New York and about St. Nicholas Days from the past and she played more hangman. In Oakdale, we stopped at Cold Stone where she ordered cotton candy ice cream with gummy bears. In her words, "I'm sure glad we stopped there!"

When we got back in the car, she read the clock on the dash and said, "It's 8 o'clock. That's my bed time." And she promptly fell asleep. That's Gianna & the Nutcracker! A fine memory for sure.

And now she's 5

Mary Autumn was reluctant to enter the world. Not only did she come days past her due date, but her birth vigil was the longest and the most strenuous of labors for Jennie Lou. Little did we know that she was giving us a peek at her personality: tentative though quietly strong willed. Her abiding affection and closeness with Mama is another thing she wanted us to know about her. That was the message in her birth story and suddenly she is 5. Here are some pictures that show the beautiful Mary Autumn.

The Chocolate Fountain

Owning a chocolate fountain may not top the list of useful kitchen appliances, but when it comes to being the hit of a party, there is nothing like it. Adults grab forks as quickly as the children, reaching over the little ones to get a coating of chocolate on a strawberry, marshmallow, or piece of pound cake. See little William tucked just below Bonnie's elbow on the left of this picture? The little guy was in awe of this sweet machine and his fork worked as fast and furiously as any adult's.

The Chocolate Fountain has become a major attraction of our parties at the Rawhide Mobile Home Park Clubhouse. A few weeks ago, Andrea arranged to use the clubhouse for childcare while Waldorf parents worked on setting up the fall festival a few miles away. Accustom to the appearance of the chocolate fountain when he comes to the clubhouse, Huckleberry announced its eminent arrival to the children in attendance. What a sad thing to have to tell him that there would be no spilling chocolate that day.

Most of the year, the chocolate fountain sits in a box on a shelf in a dark corner of the pantry, but on party days it moves into the limelight: celebrated and adored! It's next appearance will be at a family Christmas party on December 20.

Downhill with My Grandsons

When I arrived at Raleigh's at 6am on Sunday, August's bike was upturned in the center of the living room and my son and grandson were were working on the chain that had broken the night before. They were surrounded by laughing family, 3 dogs, and a cat. Michael was on the couch drinking coffee with his new puppy Stella in his lap. Candice was cooing to the puppy, and Jenny was sitting nearby with her cup of coffee. Libby was whining from her kennel, eager to be part of the happy scene in the living room where deaf ole Blue had free rein. It was early morning in a Harrelson household, and I happily joined the fray, enjoying the familiarity of my family who rise early, excited about the new day.

Once the chain was repaired, all the activity moved outside, so Raleigh and the boys could hook up the bike rack to Cindy's truck and load up. August, Cody, and I were going to the John Fisher Downhill Bicycle race at Miami Creek OVH Park in Oakhurst. The 2-hour drive was "sweet," to use the boy's lingo. The ride was also filled with a vocabulary I didn't know-- bike stuff, like hardtail, forks, and rhythm patterns. I was a happy driver. Their non-stop conversation served as a backdrop to the beauty of the foothills outside of Coulterville. which sported a plant I don't remember seeing before: beautiful yellow flowers on a low-lying bush, obviously something that opens in the early morning hours and closes up later in the heat of the day.

This day was blooming into quite a fine time. We were among the first to arrive at the Kamook staging area. The boys were anxious to practice the course, which they did again and again and again, with me picking them up at the bottom and shutting them back to the top. Eventually the race shuttle arrived, and I took a breather. After about 12 runs each, they stopped to eat and drink before the race actually started.

There were two timed runs. I situated myself to take videos (which I'm going to try to post later). I cheered with other parents at the bottom of the first leg of the first run. For the second run, I hiked down the course and sat in a manzanita grove taking videos at a section that had several jumps. My video camera is new and my skills are limited, but I got short clips of both boys as well as everyone else because I never knew when they were coming. Riders start at one minute intervals.

It was a terrific day. My grandsons know how to play hard and they are refreshingly polite as well as generous and witty . . . not every grandma gets to hear tasteful jokes from her 14 and 15 year old grandsons. I feel blessed to be in the company of these smart, congenial young men.

Pictured below:
The scene in Raleigh's driveway at 6am;
August suiting up for his practice runs;
The boys after the first timed race, coming to get water & food;
Cody with his medal for first place in the hardtail category,

Grandsons

Friday, I went to Moaning Caverns with Cody and August. Cody rode the zipline and both boys did the climbing wall. Then we made our way down the sprial staircase deep into the cave.




Saturday was Athan's birthday. We went to Brentwood Lake with his family and the Harrelons. He enjoyed swimming with Leon, Aliou, and Kyle, but it seemed like his favorite thing was getting all wet and rolling in the sand.


I sure do love my gransons!!!

Timers & Tippetts + Nell

While Michael installed automatic timers in the garden with August's able assistance, Cindy and I played with five Tippetts and Nell and took pictures. We played in the pool, rode bikes, climbed the plum trees, tried out the new playground equipment, did dress-up, and played Parchesi. Nell painted almost everyone's toenails (she only got one foot done on Cindy before dinner). And we ate food ALL DAY! Boy OH Boy! Playing make everyone hungry!








This morning when I woke up, I heard the water spraying in my yard. YEHAW!! What a time saver this is going to be. Thank you Tippetts for a great birthday gift!!