The Tree

The kiddos and I helped my mom and dad put up their Christmas tree this past weekend. It was a crazy event at first. Half the lights on their pre-lit tree were not working. After a lot of hemming and hawing, my dad decided they needed to come off. The next several hours were spent removing the many strands of lights. Despite the use of wire cutters and other tools, the kiddos lost interest early.

Finally the lights were restrung and the hanging of ornaments could begin. Aine selected her favorites and only wanted to hang those. 

Benton wanted to hang the ornaments on the tippy top placing a stool upon a chair to achieve this.

Eamon decided to install new batteries in the electrical ones and was puzzled when they did not quite work.

Despite these very specific individual goals, everyone helped and decorated the tree while Dave arranged holiday music for us. It was very interesting showing my kiddos the ornaments from my childhood. They particularly liked the plastic lid decorated with red felt and my school. I think I made it when I was in first grade. I recalled the favorites of my childhood and told the kiddos of my holiday memories. They shared what they liked most and mentioned wishing they had their special ornaments. We all decided that although it is a different tree, it is our tree this year. And it is a good one.

Friends and Family

It was a weekend full of friends, family and each other.
* I joined in a walk along side my good friends to support one of us and her teenage (wow!) son as they live, learn and love with epilepsy.
* Later an evening walk with the family. Two on scooters and one on a bike zipping and zooming along the bike path as the adults relished a few moments for talking. Everyone perfected pull-ups, flips, jumps and stretches at each of the exercise stops. The weather is cooling off and the evening was beautiful.
* Early morning decorating in recognition of a milestone birthday. Thirty two balloons were blown up and hung along with streamers and signs.
* Boisterous play with siblings and cousins filled the air. Forts were assembled, costumes were donned, wildflowers were planted and minecraft was played.
* A baby was cuddled and held as she slept making up for the time I missed when she was born. She is getting so big so fast, but is just so precious right now.
* Dave made the delicious meal. Leftovers were few. A rousing chorus of Happy Birthday was sung to the delight of all.
*The evening ended with a talent show complete with the Hokey Pokey led by the birthday girl.

It was a good weekend.

Traipsing through the Past

Although it has been quiet here online, we have been busy. The past two weekends have included excursions south to Ohio to visit with my dad's extended family. Over these weekends both sides of his family have held reunions. Since we were in the area it made perfect sense to attend.

The kiddos were delighted to see their grandparents so far from home. We exchanged hugs and caught them up on our adventures promising to be back in Arizona soon. It was so much fun to visit with my aunt and her family. I haven't seen my two cousins in a couple years. There was a whole lot of laughing and a bit of snorting. (Yes, I snort when I laugh). I spoke with my great aunts and gave best wishes for an upcoming 90th birthday. I was amazed that one of them remembered me and marveled at ninety people gathered to celebrate family.

The kiddos ran and played with distant relatives. They played on climbing equipment, conquered huge dirt mounds, caught footballs, shot baskets, played lawn darts and had all sorts of fun. Aine "found" an antler. Benton shot baskets on the shoulders of a new found friend. Eamon lifted bowling pins pumping up his muscles, hoping to improve his game. They even created a worm habitat with help from the older generations.

As the kiddos and I talked about the reunions, I started remembering the past. I recalled the last cousin picnic held in 1980. I played with twin girls who I thought were amazing. I had a trick for telling them apart - one had on an izod belt. So easy. They were at the reunion as well, only much taller. I shared the story of my dad's double cousins and how my grandparents' two families grew up close to one another. My grandmother's youngest brother told of riding the school bus together with my grandfather's sisters. I remembered those who were here in the past especially my grandmother and a special great aunt who could braid my hair like no one else. We looked at photos including one from 1980. Aine wondered who the little girl was who looked like her (and was surprised when I shared that it was me). I was amazed at how young my parents looked. And my grandmother. They were just babies!

We stopped by my grandmother's old house and then my old house on the way home. So many stories were shared. I loved my childhood in Michigan running around exploring and I am glad I could share it with my kiddos.

My Mom

loves her children and grandchildren

works hard

is smart and learned

shares her knowledge with others

teaches

cares deeply

creates

can cook delicious meals

helps when asked

is reserved and quiet

will get down and play with my children

loves to shop and can always find a bargain

has a good eye for fashion and dresses well

likes it when my children sleep over (per Eamon)

is active exploring the outdoors and helping others experience its wonder

remembers the little things

and has hummingbirds in her backyard (also from Eamon)

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

DIY

My dad is the consummate DIYer. He will tackle any project. Growing up, he had a plan for everything, and it often involved child labor. We moved river rock, shoveled dirt, dug holes, painted rooms, hung ceiling fans, ran electrical lines, moved outlets, installed telephone lines, built a swing set, chopped firewood, changed brakes/water pumps/alternators/oil, laid brick, and installed irrigation. You name it; we did it. Work was truly a family affair.

Benton and GrandDad

It has always appeared that my dad knows everything. For every project he has a story about how he has done this particular thing many times. His recount often includes one time when he was quite young living next door to the Avery's. His knowledge is truly extensive, and it is only surpassed by his tool collection. Having the right tool definitely helps when you tackle so many things. He has whatever you need for the project. Some of his tools are old, and most have a history. A few need a bit of work, but all are perfectly good in his mind (and don't tell him otherwise). 

His perfectly good wheelbarrow

My dad works hard, however, he does not work well with a deadline. Some tasks can take a very long time. (Don't even get my mom started on that one.) He made our playstands, but it took a lot of gentle nudging. Projects can last many months and occasionally years.

Benton and Grandma holding the tether

The most memorable DIY project as a youth was installing the landscaping. My parents bought a new house in the early 80s that came with no landscaping. Instead of hiring someone to do it, my dad felt our family was up to the task. He had the dirt excavated from our neighbor's pool installation deposited in the street to help shape the front yard. We shoveled and moved dirt to sculpt the rolling yard. Once that project was done, we trenched and installed irrigation lines. Then he had river rock delivered as well as granite. We shoveled and raked until I never wanted to see rocks again. Finally we laid sod and planted trees and scrubs.

Eamon waiting to use the pickaxe, while watching GrandDad with the chainsaw

A bit later, we tackled the backyard. My dad joked that as a family we would dig the diving pool. I wasn't completely certain he was kidding until the contractors arrived. When the pool and playcourt were done, he decided he wanted some of the front yard rock moved to the backyard around the pool. We shoveled and moved the rocks again. Finally it was finished. Or so we thought. I think we moved those rocks a total of 5 times. I was certain no one ever had it worse than me.

I spoke with my brother today. He is in town to help my parents with some household chores. I asked if he was moving rock. He wasn't completely sure that it wasn't on the list. We joked a bit about past DIY projects.

My brother's work boots

The kids wanted to see their uncle, so we went to say hello. True to form, we ended up helping. We didn't move rock, but we did remove a few scrubs that have grown beyond their space in the past 25 years. Eamon, Aine and Benton learned how to shovel, hoe, use a pickaxe, remove an agave stump, feel an agave center and sweep. They LOVED it. There was a lot of joking around with my brother and parents. I could tell my dad was happy.

As it turns out, my dad was right. Work is still a family affair.

A Good Foundation

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my Grandma W. When I was younger I would spend a week with her during the summer. It was a great time. Grandma was a widow who worked as a cook at the school in her town. She had lived in her area all her life, so she knew many people. We would spend our days puttering around the house, visiting relatives, walking around the reservoir, walking to church and the library, and watching her stories.

Grandma loved visiting and would take you to see Aunt Alice with her floor looms for hand quilting, Aunt Ruth with her candy jars, great grandma with her mysterious dark rooms, Roxanne with the basement hair salon, Aunt Adelphia and her daughter June, her friend Betty, and many more. She would talk about who lived where when and what they were currently doing. She told me about my dad and painting houses with my grandfather. She told me everything about her town, and a lot about the neighboring towns as we drove around in her blue Buick Monarch.

Soap operas intrigued her, and she loved One Life to Live and Guiding Light. She called them her stories. As a widow, Grandma was also partial to Tom Selleck. I always wondered what exactly she meant when she said he could put his slippers under her bed anytime. If we weren't busy, we would watch her shows in the afternoon working on crossword puzzles together. She was a whiz at crosswords. Occasionally she would start to snooze a bit with the warm sun coming in the front windows.

Grandma was quick with a game of Old Maid. She would try to foul you up by putting cards in the front of her glasses and look at you like nothing was amiss. Should you pick from her hand or grab the one sticking out of her glasses? Oh, how to decide! She loved playing games -- War, Go Fish, Rummy, Old Maid and sometimes Euchre.

There were always sandwich cookies in her house. Sometimes she even had the neopolitan wafer cookies. The ones that you could separate into layers and eat the cream and then the flaky wafers. She was generous with them too. You weren't limited to three like at home. She also had a stash of gum. I remember her always chewing gum. She would give you a stick whenever you wanted one. At Christmas she even gave you a plenti-pac!

After dinner most nights, we took a walk throughout the neighborhood. She would stop and talk to people as the mosquitoes started to appear. We would head to one of the three reservoirs in town. You could walk clear around them. It was great fun throwing rocks into the water and watch the sunset. She was a spry and energetic Grandma.

There are other things to remember about my Grandma -- her shower in the basement, keeping glass soda bottles on the stairwell, the heat register in her middle room, her garden, the smell of the garage --but the biggest thing reminding me of my grandmother this week is her foundation garments. I always wondered about them. They were all white, and they were pointed. Why did they stand up when she dried them on the washer or the line? My moms laid flat, but not Grandma's. The reason I have thought about my Grandma and her foundation garments is that I went shopping this week. All I saw were pointed, preformed cups. They looked just like the ones my Grandmother wore. Granted the new style is colorful and textured, but they still look the same to me. 

So as I tried on various sizes, I thought of my grandmother. I thought of her changing into pants from shorts to leave the house. I thought of her running upstairs when I was scared during the night. I thought of my first memories at her house when I cut my own hair. And then I thought of her smooth silhouette and of Tom Selleck.

Christmas 2009