Weblog 176

June 21, 2009~ 12:00am
This week was a whirlwind - (sometimes literally) hereabouts these parts this past week. We had flooding, violent thunderstorms and dangerous lightning. (Naturally, this is the week the roofers decided to replace my roof -- after waiting about 6 weeks: this is par for this golfer's course.)

No harm done. The back half (the half WITHOUT all the missing shingles and the missing soffit and facia piece) -- was inexplicably where they decided to start-- so the buckets were moved about the bedroom on Wednesday night when rain was pelting this region. (But people had walls taken out, porches washed away -- so this mere sloppiness was relatively nothing.)

And I complied with my most detested obligation Friday evening.....attending a wedding reception. LOL!!! God, why do other people love these things? Everybody dresses goofy



(and always have.) And it's not something that's really improved over the years. There are indescribable and unfortunate hats



and even more ridiculous hats. (Is this a pirate wedding? A bridal party of Dutch girls? Or did the rain simply droop some nice straight brims?)



and all the people look pained -- except when they're forced to smile for the photographers (which obviously wasn't the fashion in the 20's.)

"Serious" was 'in'! (No matter how much bathtub gin was going to be chugged later...and maybe that's it.) Maybe it's because I don't drink anymore (and truly, that's the only way to get through these things with some vague memory of having a good time. LOL!)

One of my favorite sites to visit and howl, is Ugly Dress DOT com. C'mon....you know you've seen 'em...hell, you probably even wore 'em! (My favorite title....'The Ass-Widener'.)

Where does this 'Bo Peep fetish' in garish colors come from? (For that matter, how did the 'smash your new wife in the face with the wedding cake' start?) A nasty part of me believes it's the first public male display about 'keeping the little lady in place'. ("You think you look good? You think you're something? Well, you're all mine now, and I can damn well do what I WANT with you...") This may not be the case.

It may very well be 'all in good fun'-- but I find it curious is all.

On Saturday (and before my 3 New York grandsons and their baby sister Shiloh) landed to visit at my daughter's for a few days, I babysat Kay and Bill, who were very anxious about 'the cousins' coming. For the seven hours I watched them, every hour on the hour, "When do you think they're coming?" "Gram.....how long is it now?" "Is four hours a long, long time?" Amidst watching 'Tinkerbell' and 'Once Upon A Christmas', those questions kept firing like bullets.

And last week, I featured some pictures from the Carnegie Museum of Art.....well this week, I have the pleasure of sharing Bill's creative efforts at the picnic table today. While I was busy drawing a hedgehog, Bill sat across from me, kneeling up on his chair and sounding out the names of animals he was drawing. (He's very proud of his kindergarten skills at 'sounding out words' and sight-reading.) The results were so enjoyable to me, I wanted to share them.



This is of course, the 'Monkey/Elephant' exhibit- (or Exhibit 'A' as I like to refer to it.)

And this....



quite obviously, is a wonderful depiction of the Grila silvrback ('Gorilla. Type: Silverback'.)

Finally, the always adorable



'bunee' (bunny, to the uninitiated)- and cute as the dickens, too! Unfortunately, I ran out of camera battery before I could bring you the 'moll'- (common lawn mole...dark brown, small eyes....ever fascinating to just-turned-six year olds.) And here we have



"THE PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN" ... Bill himself.

Reader.... Ritter Rietr Riter...... doing his very own cyphering.




June 23, 2009~ 6:15pm
Three days with the grandkids- all of 'em together! What glories!! What a fine little garden is growing here (and my roof's finally fixed too!)... I'm a lucky son of a gun.

First off... when you have grandchildren who live some distance from you, the change in them at 6 months or a YEAR (goodness!) is quite amazing. Plussss.....now there's a baby sister too, walking on chubby legs and absolutely doted on by all 3 brothers... just the queen of the roost.



(The YOUNG ONES these days! Always on a cellphone!)



...but ahhhh...what a beauty! Shiloh Sarai.... name like a soft breeze. She's feisty though, and was not to be kept from climbing (and apparently kissing) the sliding board just off the side of the playhouse. "Up, Shy! UP! At swordpoint if that's what it takes!" LOL!!!



(Actually, that's one of Bill's many, MANY, MAAAAAAAAAANY light sabers. He brought them all out -and everyone got one- (or two) except poor, 'odd man out' Kay, who got a wiffle ball bat. LOL!



There's soon-to-be-10-years-old (holy cow!) Isaac, and '8-in-2-weeks' Eli, sitting on the playhouse roof like a couple of pigeons. (Someone must have told them about the flooding here last week.)

The day would not be complete without a good shot of GABE MAGIC. THAT KID HAS THE SWEETEST SMILE.. it lights a room. (I think he was a firefly in a former life.)



You can just see part of John Bananas in that shot-- Kay and Bill's standard poodle. He was always noodling in and wanting attention.

As Gabe pushed Shiloh on the swing, John was never far away- toy in his mouth, and usually pushing it up against someone's butt to throw it for him to chase. What a babysitter he is! Guarding...barking at passers-by (growling and then HOWLING at my mother when I took her over there on Sunday.) I don't know 'who scared WHO' the worst! ROFLMAO!!

My own picture of a perfect summer day....the very essence of the ease and dreaminess -- the feeling that one is forever young and the sun will never set -- that all shadows are only lawn shadows cast in the lengthening stretch of an eternal summer evening, it is this one....



Eli on the swing, dog beside him....the world done up in emerald and gold. That's my picture of happiness.

How about you?





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