Grandmama's Farm

These days I can't talk, much. I don't have much to say about these pictures... Just for you to look at these pictures and smile.. because you ought to. There is much to smile about if you think positive. These are good memories, of course. Good ones to blot out the bad.

The beautiful, beautiful farm... From the hill, looking down to the shed and the house.

Work I

There are days when I see so much humor in life. This week I began a nanny job for a friend of my mom's. There are two children, a small girl, three years old, and a four month old boy. These children, as children go, are very sweet children. Funny, adorable, intelligent, darling. And it is humorous to me to be here watching them, and learning things. There is much I learn from my jobs. Just a few days ago, before I began this job, I was thinking that I think it will be very easy, and that the baby will be no problem for me. Well, I did not decide otherwise, but I did see how a young mother must feel with a toddler and an infant. I didn't realize how much a baby needs held! With a large family, with Ryrie when she was a baby, and the Gentleman Prince too, and even Princes... There were many delegations, and other arms to hold the baby with. But here - only person to hold baby, all day, is me. The baby doesn't lie down and gurgle happily for hours on end. No. He likes to be held. He likes to be bounced. He likes to be smiled at. Funny. I knew that, and certainly my siblings as babies were very demanding and fussy. But... I didn't realize that I'd be the only one to hold him! Basically, there are two times when I have some freedom. The morning nap, and the afternoon nap. So far, I can't tell yet, but it seems like each nap is about an hour or two. Yesterday he did sit happily in his carseat for a while with a toy. Today, right now, both children are still sleeping. I am glad for that, but I did come prepared today. I have a sling to hold the baby. My arms will be free. And I brought some ingredients for cookies that the Little Lady and I can make together. Generally she plays alone (unless she drags me into her games) but I want to start planning different special things to do each time I'm here. In case you were wondering, I am not complaining, I am not disappointed, I am not unhappy. I am on the other hand pleased. Pleased that I am getting to see things for how they are. And I have high hopes for the future. It will be frustrating at times, I'm sure, but I'm going to enjoy this. And Baby will grow. Sleep less, want to be held more, cry as he teethes, start playing on the floor more, start eating... Yep. And Little Lady will grow too. And me? Yeah, I'll definitely grow. Oh, and there were some extremely funny things that happened. Yesterday morning when I got here and the mom left to work, I changed Baby's diaper. I took off the diaper and turned for one moment to get a diaper wipe; when I turned back, I saw the end of a small stream shooting up in the air. Well, not quite up in the air. Maybe it would've been better if it had been up in the air. But all around his neck was wet, and his mouth had drops all around it. He had just about peed into his mouth. Not straight it, but it looked like to me he had gotten a taste. I was horrified and quickly cleaned him all over with a wipe. I was quite horrified. Little Lady says the most funny things. Just yesterday she was telling me all about how she and Robin Hood saved God from the flood. Or in her words, "The great water that flooded!" She was also telling me a story that half of the time didn't make sense, but she repeated over and over that God was being appropriate. It seemed she had heard that word somewhere and liked it. She also looked at me with big eyes and asked - not to me, but I believe she was talking to her invisible friend Larry the cucumber - "What would God do if Moses and I ran away?!" Then she told me with great assurance, "Naughty queens are perfect for ideas!" She also warned me about a dragon hiding in the closet, that bit her so badly once that she had to go to the doctor, who gave her money and told her to take it to the wisemen, which she did, then "went home again". What an imagination!

Ryrie's Purple Bike

Dearest Uncle Paul bought a little pink bike for the Princess Rye. Hana and I painted it the royal color. Purple.

Applesauce 2014

Days gone by, this was. I apologize duly for not writing and posting that for so long. I had plans to, then I totally forgot... then I was busy. Work. You know? Life. Ah.... But this is life, too, and I wish to show you that. AND - I do really apologize for not getting that promised post of my car out yet. I WILL. I promise.

 

 

Anecdotes

As I sit and consume my homemade Italian sub (with coleslaw inside), I inspect my surroundings. I am having my eleven o'clock lunch at work, and I'm sitting in the cafe. I do believe most all the employees eat their dinners in the cafe. At the table to my left, the quiet-and-dignified-tomboy-sort-of-lady, who works in the meatroom, is eating her salad she brought. The deli manager is sitting ahead of me a few tables, to my left also, eating a deli salad. Ahead of me is the girl I replaced in the deli, who went back to working at the cash regesters, eating her lunch... And a few others are scattered through the room. Today I waited on the sweetest old lady. I told my coworker I wanted to write about her, and so I am. Last time she was at the deli, I was wearing my hair in two braids, and she really loved it, and went on commenting about how that's the way girls wore their hair in the old days. This time I had it in a single braid, and she asked me in her sweet, wavering voice, "But where are the piggatails?" Then she saw my single braid and reassured me, "Oh that's fine, too." Every time she's in to the deli, she orders three pieces of minced balogna, for her little dogs. "They use psychology," she assured me. "I took psychology in college, and I told myself, that's what they're doing! They don't beg, like some dogs, but they use psychology!" She nodded her head sagely. "They just look at me like - mmmmh! -" She showed me a pitiful look, and shook her head. "They look at me real sad-like, and when I come through the front door, they run at me and look real expecting-like, and they just use that psychology on me!" There's some of those regulars at the deli that just make my day. The young mothers are fun to wait on, especially the ones who aren't all flustered and frustrated at their kids. There are some that are all frustrated at their energetic kids, and they're a pain. And then there are some friendly older men and women who make things fun. The couples are neat too. The young ones, of course, love each other, but its especially nice when an older couple comes in and give each other cute looks and hold hands... I like them especially. Today I am working from eight in the morning to nine at night. I'm covering the night shift for a coworker, and so I'll be here all day. It'll be a long day... I was slightly disappointed to not be placed in the bakery, but now I'm so glad to be in the deli. I love the people I work with and I haven't gotten bored of my job yet. Course, sometimes I get tired, but not bored yet. Just the other day D.A. asked me, "You're not going to leave, are you? You're gonna stay with us forever and ever, right? You have to! I like you, you're a nice lady!" And I must say, I don't really want to leave. I like my job and I like my friends.

Kittens, of sorts