Sleepovers

Of course, any loving married adult over the age of 60 knows that God's greatest gift is GRANDCHILDREN.  There is a very marked discrepancy at this point, however.  I think mine are the best, the smartest, the cutest, the most polite, and the most loving.  I have a sleepover before they all go back to school.  The boys always choose the mountain, so I load up my SUV as full as I can with boys, air guns, bows, arrows, and many other boy toys.  This year I had to arrange for a couple of them to go up in another vehicle.  Walt said I am going to have to get a school bus before I am through with this tradition.  They had a great time, but Brad said he had really been cheated this year.  We did not go until August and I usually take them late June or July.  I spent July with my sister Robin, so it threw me off schedule and this grandson let me know about it.  They love it.

The girls are all too prissy to want the mountain experience.  This year they chose to sleep at our house, picked out a movie, and opted to dine out instead of roast over the camp fire.  They had a great time.  Tori (Victoria) is in Young Women now and she is the oldest.  I was impressed with how patient she was with the younger ones.  Lesley, after everyone  voted on where to eat, quietly asked me if it was too expensive and that they could select one that is cheaper.  They decided to watch Sound of Music.  They had so much fun playing that the movie was put off until 8:30, which made for only Taiha and Tori making it to the half way point.   At 1:30 p.m.  Josie woke all of them to go down stairs to the bathroom.  She was too scared to go alone.  They all trailed down, so she would not be afraid.  I think when I was that age I would have yelled "Go yourself you little coward" and went back to sleep.    (9-27 post script:  I have since been corrected.  Perhaps they all woke up each other and one of them had to go to the bathroom.  As I said previously, when I was that age, I would have not been as sweet as all these girls were to each other.  I would have rolled over and said something not very nice and definitely went back to sleep.  I am so pleased with the kindness they all show to one another.)

Josie Ann Got the "Cleaning Machine" Gene

Josie went to the mountain with her Dad during Labor Day weekend and did not want to return with her brother and mother, so she hung out with me for a few days.  I taught her to ride the 4 wheeler.  She would drive at 3 miles per hour, while I got my walk.  Walt and I came down from the mountain to attend a funeral and then went back a few hours later.  I explained when Josie wanted to stay that she would be alone at the camper while we were gone.    Josie said she could stay alone, so her mom left her.  We returned from the funeral and Josie had completely scrubbed clean the 5th wheel trailer.  I think she might suffer her Granny's trait of having to make use of energy caused from worry or anxiety.  She had even beat the rugs.  She even got down on her hands and knees using the scrub side of a sponge to clean the kitchen floor.  Those spots had been there all summer.  What an dedication and focus!  It probably took her a long time on one little ugly spot.   I was impressed.  Walt always knows when I am upset over something because I become a cleaning machine...cupboards, floors, drawers, closets.  The louder the cleaning noise the better I feel!  Regardless, I think of all my "interesting" ways to handle times of anxiety would be the one to pass on to my posterity.  Being a cleaning machine for a few hours is better than getting into words with someone, filling a kleenex with tears, tearing someone's head off for no some unknown reason, or watching a clock tick by until I feel better.  Yup,  utilizing the cleaning -machine- gene works almost every time at least for me and Josie Ann.