Beginning with this list number seven,

I am adding asterisks after the titles that were particularly compelling to me.

Glow Kids by Nicholas Kardaris, PhD. Non Fiction.  ***  One of the most profound and disturbing books about the effect of electronics, primarily screens have on our current generation. Fully documented and supported by mental health professionals, historians and others who have witnessed the take-over of technology in our time. I was overwhelmed with the potential for  damaging people of all ages who could not resist the constant use of phones, iPads and computers or the over-use of social media sites.  I don’t fall for much and readily question statistics of any kind. I am a skeptic at heart but everything I read rang true to me from my own experience observing the evolution of electronics in our lives. I was so taken by the problems  of addiction, kids living in basements and refusing to go out and many cases of murder that resulted directly from a child or young person’s continual exposure to video games or bullying on cyber-sites such as Facebook. I bought copies of this book for my adult children and a friend who are currently raising children who have or want phones. These same children want to play video games on iPads or computers with or without permission and into the night. Tom’s experience as a teacher of 40 years is also on record as being made more difficult by the introduction of technology rather than improved by it. I hope my children read their books and I plan to read mine again. I can’t do much about other people but I can protect my grandchildren from access to our computer when they are at our home. HIGHLY recommend. 

Angel Unaware by Alissa Parker, Memoir, Non Fiction. ***  This is a memoir by the mother of a murdered child. The place of the horrible deed was Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. At first, I didn’t think that I could read it. I was overwhelmed by the emotions connected with the event and by my own remembrance of my children at that age. I put it down before I got to the murders but picked it up again and continued. I am so grateful that I did. Few books have born such a testimony of life after death or of the love a Heavenly Father has for his children. I don’t feel uplifted by everything I read about other people’s faith experiences but this book was amazing. Perhaps it was also that I share a theology with the author and so everything she went through and described made sense to me and I believed her. In fact the Spirit touched my heart profoundly. When it came to the information about the shooter, I could not fathom his actions under ordinary circumstances, but I had just finished reading Glow Kids (above) and that book devoted almost a whole chapter to Adam Lanza and his years of video game addiction including the escalation of what it took to keep him engaged. My daughter read it after I did and said she could not put it down. She cried for hours while she read but felt better for the experience when she had finished. I highly recommend this beautiful book.

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson. Fiction.  When Tom taught the book The Crucible, he also had his students read the very short story by Shirley Jackson called The Lottery. I enjoyed all of the “other stories” in this small book as well.

American Jezebel by Eve LaPlante. Historical Fiction.  

Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicines by National Geographic and Steven Foster-Rebecca L. Johnson. Reference. ***

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent. Historical Fiction.

Deadline Artists: America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns by Jesse Angelo, John Avalon, and Errol Louis. History, Journalism.

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. Fiction and Netflix Movie.

Holy Ghosts or How a Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things That go Bump in the Night by Gary Jansen. Fiction, Supernatural.

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. Historical Fiction.

Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome’s Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt. Historical Fiction.

The American Way of Poverty: How the Other Half Still Lives by Sasha Abramsky. Current Issues.

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. Current Issues.

Hitler: Downfall 1939-1945 by Volker Ullrich. History.

Greyhound, Previous Published as The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester. Fiction.

The Great War for Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East by Robert Fisk. History and Current Issues.

Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather. Fiction.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Historical Fiction.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Fiction. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

What Falls Away by Mia Farrow. Memoir.

A Guest at the Shooter’s Table by Rita Gabis. History, Memoir.

 BeFunky has a generous selection of ” cartooning and digital art ” options.

This photo of Henry, while engaged in a Shaving Cream Fight, has been tweaked with two digital art overlays. )

My first experience with photo-editing was with Picasa. It was quite limited and didn’t include anything unusual with few ways to touch up details in a photo. When Picasa announced that it was closing, I was devastated because “I had figured it out !” I began trolling for a replacement and found Pic Monkey. In the beginning, Pic Monkey was easy to learn and fast to use. I LOVED IT ! But, as happens with many of the things I love in the world of computers, Pic Monkey got smarter and smarter and more and more complicated until I couldn’t figure out all of the upgrades and changes and improvements which were supposedly made for my benefit. When I sought help from the Monkeys, I was sent a three page tutorial which brought my love affair with Pic Monkey to a screeching halt. My simple question had been something like “how do I move my photo into Pic Monkey to edit it?” The changes the Monkeys had made, had changed to path and I couldn’t make it work. The Monkey wanted me to send it/him/her all kinds of “screen shots” and high surveillance photos from drones and secret recordings for which I had no official clearance. That is how it felt and that ended my collaboration with the Monkeys although I dearly loved them, all.

Time passed.

Recently I went looking again. I found BeFunky. I am in love again and for the present time I am able to do fun things with my photographs which I expect will gradually fade away as the Funkies keep improving and making things less complicated for me . . . ha ha. In all seriousness, I expect that to happen because it always does. I have been tempted to send a note along to them, begging that they “leave well enough alone” and refrain from “improving” their services so that older people like me can keep using it.

(  Millie and big brother/protector Talmage at Pine View Reservoir for the Annual Family Gathering.

I have used a light “digital art” overlay for this photo.

This tweak makes the photo look a little like an oil painting. )

Most of the photographs on this post were taken with a Canon Rebel with a 75-300 telephoto lens. I have given up using my Canon 50 D camera because it is just too heavy. Since this is my second Rebel, I must say that it is my favorite because it is easy to use and takes great pictures. I used a “hood” for these photos because the day was bright and the water reflected and yes . . . many of  us were sunburned at the end of the day.

( This shot of Henry eating his lunch and getting the last drop out of his Capri Sun has been tweaked with a “cartoonizer” .

I LOVE the clarity and the wonderful potential for telling stories, just like a comic book.)

We found a great shady spot under a grove of tall trees. You can see the shade line but you can’t see how very far it was from the shade to the water. Pine View Reservoir is 20 feet below average for this time of year and so the water was quite far from any natural shade and from the parking lot and bathrooms. Our only other option was to put up the dining fly right at the water’s edge but the sun kept moving and the kids were in the water all of the time anyway. Heather and Melissa brought their beach umbrellas along, which sit on the sand and provide great shade. Lunchtime was the only time the kids were out of the water.

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”

-Vincent Van Gogh

Miles and miles of beautiful sand. We decided that a million dump trucks had spread the sand on the beach. All around the reservoir we saw the sand. It had no watermarks and no debris. The sand was covered with footprints, especially those we could see in front of our shady spot in the trees, where the children ran to and from the table with the food and the cooler with the water. There were no rocks to avoid but as the day wore on, the sand was as hot as a pan on the stove and little feet had to be carried over it. 

Everyone ran . . . rather than walked and by late afternoon bare feet on the sand were impossible. Even flip flops didn’t offer much relief. The hot sand still touched uncovered feet.

Half in and half out. There were actually shells to examine though no one knew where they came from. They must have been in the sand that was spread on the beaches. Sand that had come from another place. Little Millie Rose loved everything about the day. She loved the water and the cousins and the uncles and aunts and the food and the treats. She was covered with sun screen and frequently wrapped in a towel. She was always carried across the sand and sat on many laps, wrapped in bright towels. She didn’t fuss all day, or cry and make a cross sound. She ate and drank and rode on paddle boards with her brother Talmage and her mother and her sister Olive. 

( This photograph is only slightly altered by a digital art transformation with adds clarity to the shot.)

Yes. I took many more photographs this day but they became repetitive. Water, sun, children, food, plastic water bottles, paddle boards and kayaks, bright towels, beach blankets, sunscreen, hats, flip-flops, coolers, snacks, goggles, more sunscreen and more water. 

Watrous Family Gathering July 2021 at Pine View Reservoir.

Recent Reads

In the past I added Recent Reads to Part One but it has become uncomfortably long.

Part Six, this part, will now contain my most recent reads

in chronological order BACKWARDS

ending with the book I finished most recently.

Titles in RED are those which I found compelling.

Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. History/Non-Fiction.  I don’t know what it is about me and stories about the sea. This is one of many books I have read about famous ships or expeditions which have unexpectedly run into trouble and have sunk with considerable loss of life. I remain fascinated that so many men, from such an early recorded date, wanted to go to sea. They knew how difficult it would be and how risky but they went anyway. I like to hear the stories in the lingo of the sailors and captains and storytellers. I continue to be appalled at the things they ate, including things that had grown moldy or contained maggots. I have read other books by Erik Larson which I have liked. He did not disappoint as a writer when he wrote this true story.

Blood, Sweat and Tears by Winston Churchill. History and Memoir.  This volume contains many of his best speeches written and given from 1938 through 1940. They all pertain to the British fight against the Axis powers, primarily Germany in the early years of World War II. Mr. Churchill is on my short list of people I admire. I am willing to overlook every quirk and oddity he manifested in order to benefit from his wisdom and quick mind. This is one of many books by or about Mr. Churchill and was worth the time I spent to read it.

Memoirs of the Second World War: An Abridgement of the Six volumes of The Second World War by Winston Churchill. History and Memoir. This was a big and fat book. I can’t imagine reading the full six volumes considering how long it took me to read the abridgement. That said, I loved this book and learned from it. I have always enjoyed Mr. Churchills’ style and wit. Even though I have read much about the Second World War, I loved every word of this book and learned many new things.

The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin. History, Non-Fiction.  A sad and poignant truthful tale of life on the American prairie  during the early days of this country. It was both a story of immigrants who homesteaded land and faced hardships and of the horror of weather at a time when it could not be predicted and people were unprepared. It reminded me what a small variation in temperature can do to the human body and especially to little children. It was a sad story but a look into the lives of our ancestors as they moved west.

The Word Museum: The Most Remarkable English Words Ever Forgotten by Jeffrey Kacirk. Reference.  Couldn’t find a single word that I miss using today.  I am kind of a nut when it comes to books like this and admit that I did find it very interesting. Tom and I talk quite a bit about how our language has been dumbed-down and diluted by the use of technology which forces us to use fewer words and smaller words at that. Nothing avoids serious words like texting. Texting peels everything from the word choice list and leaves a person with small and unexpressive words. It was a fascinating book. 

A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead. History.  This amazing book tells a story that was heartbreaking and difficult to read. It represents one more small piece of the puzzle that was the behavior of Nazi Germany in World War II which displayed the bankruptcy of the Reich’s souls and the unbelievable courage of those of were members of the French Resistance. The book is specifically about 270 women of all ages, their husbands and children and their ultimate demise at the hands of the Germans. Of the 270 who are featured and documented in this particular tale, only 70 survived the war and none were undamaged physically and emotionally. I was especially touched by the information given at the end, which must have required years of research. It listed each of the 270 women, what happened to them, how and why they were arrested, what became of their children and husbands and the role that each played in resistance activities. Most had been denounced by French citizens who thought it was safer to collaborate with the Germans than to resist them. I was forced to consider what I would have done in their places. I have never lived in a city or country occupied by evil and brutal forces and perhaps I might have had the courage some of these women showed but I am afraid that my fear of endangering my children would have held me back. I cannot say. I was in awe of the chances they took and the things they did to make life difficult for the occupiers. It is amazing that any of the women survived. Most of their husbands were also killed by the Germans and some in very brutal ways. 

Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel by Carl Safina. Animals Studies.  This was a substantial book as far as number of pages and an enlightening book to read. I have read many books about the intelligence of animals and this one fortified my belief that they are very bright and that if we could only talk with them, we would be astounded. Mr. Safina loves elephants. I especially loved his personal experiences with them. I also loved his anecdotes about monkeys and dogs. Melissa’s dog Bernie is beyond smart. When Tom had recent surgery to remove cancer from his lip and chin, we were all reminded about Bernie. Even though his stitches were out, and there was no bandage on his face and his mustache and beard covered most of the healing wound, Bernie went to it immediately and sniffed around. She didn’t touch it but she knew that something was amiss or, maybe she knew that what was amiss (the open skin cancer) was gone and she couldn’t smell it anymore. Millie had a small accident and lost the toenail to her little toe. Bernie ran to her and knew what had happened immediately. She began to lick the injury and wouldn’t be discouraged from keeping it up. Millie actually let her. Melissa said the toe healed in two days. So. There are so many things we don’t know about animals and the measures of their creation. I have been trying to talk to the doves on the deck when I leave their food, but they won’t sit still to talk to me. The little gold finches are more friendly. I loved this book. 

The Best Kept Secret: The Story of the Atomic Bomb by John Purcell. History. Two printings of this book. 1947 and 1962. Much more was understood about the bomb in the second revision. Fascinating history and explanations of scientific things for the smarter people among us. Tom is reading it now. He gets the scientific things. After he finishes the book he will send it to George, who, at 12, is very interested in physics. He recently participated in a workshop with a well-known physicist who offered to tutor qualified young people. George lives in Houston. He will likely be very interested in this story from the 1940s.  Tom’s uncle Francis Christiansen was involved in selecting mining sites throughout the country for the procurement of the needed materials for making the bombs. He was a professor at Princeton University at the time. 

The Sketchbook by Washington Irving. Fiction.  Delightful book. In this context, the title means “sketches of various towns in England) which Washington made as he traveled. This compilation also contained Rip Van Winkle, which is always a tread to read. I thrifted an old volume with heavy pages and a wonderful cover. 

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism and Treachery by Steve Sheinkin. Young adult history and non-fiction.  I already knew about Benedict Arnold. His threads are all through any book one reads about the American Revolution. This was a condensation of facts, written for the young adult reader. I thought it would be an easy read and that it would refresh my mind. It was and it did. It reminded the reader that people can have two sides . . . just like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Mr. Arnold was both a patriotic person and later a traitor. Excellent review of parts and players in the Revolution.

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer. Science and Self-Help. HAVE READ IT AND CONTINUE TO REVIEW IT. AN EXCELLENT BOOK ABOUT TRAINING YOUR MIND AND MEMORY. I have tried a few of the tricks he talked about and plan to read it again. 

The Terror by Dan Simmons.  Historical Fiction sort-of.

I could not put this book down for 682 pages of 788. I read while I was watching basketball games and until I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I already knew quite a bit about Sir John Franklin and Captain Crozier and their ships named the Erebus and the Terror. I have read many exploration novels and historical accounts and I was just fine with everything for most of the book. It was well written and full of suspense. I didn’t mind that the author was taking liberties with the truth here and there because I understood that he was using the 1840s sailing adventure as a vehicle to consider strange things that were happening to the ships and crews as they spent two years locked in the ice. I knew that many people had looked for the Northwest Passage and thought that this was the plan for this book. THEN, just after page 682, the author lost his mind. I think he realized that he had to wrap it up and so for 100 pages he almost wrote a new story which belonged in the Fantasy section. He solved everyone’s problems by killing them off or having the monster Sasquatch kill them off unless they were rescued by the beautiful Indian girl who does not have a tongue but is a friend of the monster. The Indian maiden saves Captain Crozier’s life, after he has been shot 7 times, makes a sledge from what is handy in and around her snow cave, chews his food for him until he is well and makes clothes from skins she has found somewhere. She is little and he is big but she harnesses herself to the sledge and pulls him around until he is well. They fall in love, he finds out she is a magical shaman, he gives up his tongue to be like her and they live happily ever after. Oh, they have two children, a boy and a girl. You can tell that I am more than miffed at what the author did because I was very impressed with his historical handling of the facts in story form until almost the end. It is not the first time that an author has done this but I am always disappointed when he or she does. I do not recommend the book for the reasons I have stated.

The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty. Fiction. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. I love the writings of Ms. Welty. This particular novel is only 180 pages but they are incredible pages. I have read this book more than once and will likely read it again. It is the story of a woman who returns to the southern home of her childhood to visit her father who has need to undergo surgery on his eyes. Her father has recently married a young woman who is younger than his daughter, who is telling the story. Her father dies while convalescing. It might be complicated enough to lose something of the weight of the story by trying to explain it so I will say that it was wonderful, thought-provoking and thoroughly “southern”. 

The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse. Fiction, Murder Mystery.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Fiction. Autism.

The Pioneers by David McCullough. History.

Awakenings by Doctor Oliver Sacks. Non-Fiction.

Migraine by Doctor Oliver Sacks. Non-Fiction.

Hallucinations by Doctor Oliver Sacks. Non-Fiction

Musicophilia by Doctor Oliver Sacks. Non-Fiction.

Bonhoeffher: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Erik Metaxas. Biography.

The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark. History.

The Constants of Nature: The Numbers that Encode the Deepest Secrets of the Universe by John D. Barrow. Science/Physics/Mathmatics.

Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand by James Barron. History/Music.

Ava’s Man by Rick Bragg. Biography.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. Historical Fiction

Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Alzheimer’s Disease.

Sully by Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III. Biography of Event.

The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan. Fiction. 

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. Historical Fiction. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Happy Birthday

to my friend.

This is a magnetic-super-fast-keep-track-without-a-pen-grocery-list I made for her.

It is for those moments when you have neither paper nor pencil

but know you will forget what you just remembered if you don’t do something. 

I have made these several times for myself.

( I like to change the background because I get bored with things easily.)

The list is on paper attached to an adhesive magnet sheet. 

The magnet sheet attaches to the fridge.

The magnets have to be heavy enough to stay put

and not slide down the page because they are usually right on the fridge.

So, if you make one, remember that.

In 2017 an amazing story unfolded.

It was filled with mystery and tension.

It had everything you could every want in a story including aliens and exploding bats.

The heroes and heroines had familiar faces

and an arsenal of special powers and immense reserves of courage and ingenuity.

  It would have been terrible for the story to sit on a shelf somewhere

just gathering dust and long forgotten

for years and years

without someone remembering it and passing it around.

So.

Here is the amazing story.

It will be on Grandma’s table with all of the “remember” books

prepared for the Annual Watrous Family Gathering in 2021.

Have a seat and be ready to

cover your eyes and scream “oh, no” out loud.

( Below  is a picture of the first page.

It is the only one I am going to show you.

YOU are probably on several pages,

(although you are probably in disguise,)

thinking up clever ways to Save the Universe with your cousins.

You are all so very, very SMART !)

*

BEWARE !  

You can’t outrun these problems

and they are so loud that you can hear them even with your head phones in.

Grandma

I have finished a project. A big project.

I have assembled binders by year containing my favorite photographs I took during our

Annual Family Gatherings since 2004.

This summer I will spread them out on my big family room table

and hope that curious eyes will take the time to look through them.

Too many times, I have asked grandchildren about something we did in the past

only to have them say ” I don’t remember that“.

I thought children remembered everything.

I get teased for how tightly I hang on to my comfort with “hard copy” but it is true

and I am determined that my photographs will also have a home outside of my computer

because not everyone can sit at my desk and browse through them.

I hope my children and grandchildren will sit down together with the books spread out on their laps

while they point to, laugh at and remember how much effort has been made

by the adults in their lives to make them happy and to make it possible

for them to spend time with their extended family.

Two binders are dedicated to the infamous Photo Booth.

*

That is the activity where Grandpa made a frame from PVC pipe

and I bought unusual shower curtains as backgrounds

from which the kids could easily change the backgrounds

depending on their costumes.

I thrifted and thrifted funky clothes and accessories

and for several years took wonderful pictures of grandchildren

dressing up in creative ways.

Their personalities and creativity was fully on display.

(I am ready for this year.)

Should you decide to tackle such a project for yourself,

here are the details:

*

10-year-old HP 7510 Photosmart hung in there with me.

I printed everything myself and only re-started once. 

Binders from Amazon. White binders are the least expensive.

Yellow and Red are the most expensive.

I used mostly white binders

Refurbished ink from Amazon.

Double-sided glossy brochure paper from Amazon in the Infit brand. 

Printed each picture as a 5 by 7 on 8 1/2 by 11 paper

with a caption underneath with the name and date.

Used a trusty three-hole punch for the paper.

Found Internet images for the covers which I personalized before printing.

*

(Melissa, Sandy and Heather )

For the people I love from

GRANDMA

I have never discovered a single thing that could qualify for Antiques Roadshow but I have stumbled across a multitude of interesting things at bargain prices. It has been about ten years since I started prowling thrift stores in earnest and I still spend each Tuesday morning snooping around. This post is about thrifting nice clothes. I am going to use three examples out of zillions I could have chosen. Let’s start with my favorite recent find.

I prefer Savers to all other local thrift stores.

For some reason the quality of the contributed items is nicer than what is available in other local stores.

I prowl each Tuesday morning because Seniors are given a 30% discount off of anything they buy.

I noticed this jacket immediately sort-of-sticking-out of the aisle with denims and the only reason that I came home

with it was because on this particular morning I was inside when the store opened at 9 a.m.

That is one of the keys to finding the most unusual things.

They are snatched up quickly. 

I would have bought the jacket whether it had fit me or not because it was so wonderful.

Luckily it does fit and I have been wearing it. That is because it was marked at $6.99 before the discount was applied.

The longish-shirt has an H&M label and is in perfect condition. I will just pop it into the wash.

It was marked $2.99 before the discount and is wonderfully loose with long sleeves. I love the fabrics used by H&M.

I have long collected thrifted jewelry of all types but especially love chunky stuff in faded silver.

I put three necklaces over the hanger just to show you how fun this jewelry can look with denim. 

 Above is a close-up of one of the appliques. 

I love hummingbirds and so this was a welcome decoration.

The jacket is covered with flowers and birds . . . front, back and on the sleeves.  

I especially love the colors included in each applique.

When I think I have a treasure,

I use the Internet when I get home to see what it might have cost originally and who made it.

  Some people cut the tags out of clothing when they get home because they are so scratchy.

I have done that many times myself.

I have found, however, that the nicer the piece of clothing,

the more likely it is that it will have an intact tag which only matters if you are interested in quality

or in learning about the treasure you have found.

I was able to find the brand of the jacket and also learned that it and other jackets

like it were currently for sale on the website beginning at $70.00.

The second jacket I thrifted recently was also very unusual

although I don’t see myself wearing it.

It has its label intact and appears to be brand new. 

The label meant nothing to me initially but later when I researched it

I was astounded by what I learned about clothing with the “i magnin” label. 

Below is the jacket with the label and thrift store price before the discount attached.

(front and back)

What a terrific patriotic jacket !

It almost makes me want to ride on the back of a motorcycle with Grandpa.

Thankfully for our safety he doesn’t have a motorcycle anymore. 

The bead work is incredible. You can see that I paid $8.99 minus 30%.

My research after-the-fact taught me that eBay is packed with i magnin clothing for sale.

Most of it probably came from sample sales or department-store close-outs years ago.

This label was sold in the snazziest of New York stores and even simple shirts had hefty price tags.

I won’t tell you much more about the brand but if I wanted to sell it, which I do not,

it would bring a minimum of $150. but most likely quite a bit more.

Some people thrift for the purpose of re-selling. I do not. I simply love to collect odd and interesting things

because I have found that people get tired of things pretty quickly. . . even very nice things.

Our culture is quite prosperous and so people give clothes away before they are worn out.

Before I buy something new I check Savers first.

Let’s close this post with a conservative little number for people my age. 

Both the sweater and the shirt have H&M labels.

I bought both this Spring because this is the time when people unload clothing in Fall colors.

  This shirt is like the one under the first jacket and was only $2.99 before the discount.

The sweater was marked $3.99.

I added a couple of nice necklaces to the mix the choice of which in real life will depend on your mood.

Scarves at Savers are usually priced between $1.99 and $2.99 before any discount.

Here’s a closer look at the jewelry which also came from the thrift store:

If you are a person who is pinching pennies then thrifting is for you

If you are a senior over 55 then Tuesday is the 30% discount day.

If you aren’t a senior, but are just a granddaughter without much money, you can make a donation of something used, big or small and receive a 20%-off coupon.

Since 20 is almost 30 I still take the discount and run if I am shopping on a day other than Tuesday. 

(Saying hello to you in a Jones of New York top, delicate thrifted earrings and a wonderful, thrifted necklace)

Grandma

I used to think that mortality would go on and on.

The starting place was clear but the finish line could not be imagined.

I thought that I would always remember things.

I could not imagine that things would change as much as they have.

I appreciate that the best way to measure the passage of time is by looking at photographs of children.

 I admit that today I am looking back far more often than I am looking ahead.

 I am wondering if what I will leave behind will be enough.

I am grateful that there are photographs.

(Uncle Daniel and Holden)

With each passing year I find that I weigh things more and more on an imperfect scale.

Things I once thought I could not live without have receded and taken their proper place. 

Other things have moved to the front and want attention.

In retrospect the value of things is clear.

I am not certain what the sign posts will say as the days pass and I look down what is left of the road.

Will I need a horse or simply a little snack to make it through the journey?

Interesting thoughts to fill a person’s mind.

( Clara and Lydia in Grandma’s backyard putting grass down each other’s backs )

I am always trying in my mind to get a glimpse of them like this but I can’t maintain the focus.. Today they are not as carefree and silly as the photograph suggests rather they have become more serious and wonderful in other ways. I can sit down and watch them grow from babies to adults by browsing through my photographs. How would I remember all of my grandchildren and their stages and changes if that was not possible? How did my ancestors remember their children and grandchildren without photographs? Did their memories fade until they questioned them altogether?

If you are growing older, you might understand what I am going to say. It makes me sad. It makes me lonely. It haunts me. Time used to move slowly when I was younger. Now, time and I feel as if we are racing.  Even though I am in touch with the way they look today and the things they say and do, I feel that I am fading away as the days go while they are coming into focus. I expect that the world sees things in that way. That is what it is to grow up.

(Afton dresses up at Grandma’s house )

Child’s Play is serious. 

Children play with props and costumes as do adults. Photographs collect the clues to personalities and freeze them in time. I can conjure up a million memories about this child from the props and costumes she has appeared in thus far in her sweet life. If not props and costumes then little quirks and special characteristics like smiles or frowns or something in the eyes. I especially love the little wand. It is small but she performs magic with it. I have seen it.

-Grandma-

It felt a little like a “Little House on the Prairie” idea and I liked it.

It was the kind thing my Grandmother Clara would have done.

I still remember her Christmas dolly blankets made from scraps.

Rather than buy something new, I would make a gift of Maya’s favorite playroom dolly

in a way that would make the gift personal and special.

She had long wanted to take this dolly home and so she did on Christmas Day 2020.

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Now and then I had asked Maya to remind me what she had named the playroom dolly.

She told me but I couldn’t remember and since there are many baby dolls in the playroom,

I was pleased that this little dolly was unique, with a smile that couldn’t be mistaken for another.

What I did was really very, very simple and very, very fun and so you see that

sometimes the very best gift is right under your nose.

*

I made a little dolly blanket in Grandma style. That means “by hand”. I sewed on a new fabric label which I bought from MommieMadeIt on Etsy. Next I made a pillow out of white “pillow” fabric and stuffed it. Then I made a pillowcase for the pillow. The basket for the baby came from the thrift store, the very store from which, some years ago, I had brought Maya’s baby home in the first place.

This baby doll wears “preemie” clothes.

I found a set of two swaddlers with hats for bitsy babies on Amazon

and wrapped the dolly in one.

Maya will have fun changing the dolly’s clothes.

For years and years our Christmas Tree has been much the same. It was covered with animals and toys and objects which were designed to capture the attention and imagination of our grandchildren. It was covered with beads and sparkly things. There were alligators made out of sequins and glass dolphins. There were spacemen and dancing flamingoes.

There came a moment when we said to ourselves “what would happen if we put up a different sort of tree?”

We bought a new tree and gave the old one to our daughter.

She was very happy and we were happy that she was happy and I had something in mind.

Our trees had never had anything to do with color or style but this year I had an idea.

I began prowling the thrift stores for ornaments of all sizes in brown, bronze, gold and silver.

I found many. I bought them.

I found beautiful, breakable animals in forest colors at Hobby Lobby. I realized when I bought them that I had not given up the idea of decorating a tree to appeal to children. This tree is decorated with fewer ornaments than trees in the past but the animals are prominent. The lights are attached to the tree and are in two sizes. They provide a beautiful, winter forest look to the flocked branches and the branches are very, heavily flocked.

Yesterday, we took down the tree.

We took the tree apart and put it into its box.

We wrapped the breakable ornaments in paper towels.

We brushed the flocking from our clothing.

We swept and vacuumed the hardwood floor and the rug.

We carried the boxes to the basement.

Our home looks very bare.

After-Christmas Bare is a very loud kind of bare but it is nice.

It is the end of the Christmas Season of 2020.