Saturday, August 20, 2011

The Grands Are Coming! The Grands Are Coming!

S, J and Memere, cooking

"What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change and they give me a million dollar's worth of pleasure!"      Gene Perret

Tomorrow I will disappear amid a tangle of small arms and legs and grinning faces and won't reappear until Saturday the 27th. All three of my grandchildren will be here though the smallest, my little Bean, will go back home Monday. The older two, S who is 10 and J who is 8, will spend the rest of the week with me.

The days take on a new order when they are here. The moment all our eyes open we spring from bed, hustle into our clothes and take the Secret Path to the farm next door. We'll bring our table scraps and vegetable peelings to the pigs, stop at the chicken house door so J can practice his cocka-doodle-do, pull several handsful of succulent grasses for the cows, and pat the wooly sheep. When our tummies start to growl we'll head back to the cottage for cow pancakes and chocolate syrup. (One of the farm cows is a Belted Galloway, an Oreo cookie of a cow, black on either end with a white stripe around its middle. I have a cow pancake mold and the kids like making their own Belted Galloways with the chocolate.)

Once the breakfast dishes are washed and the beds are neatly made, we settle in for some serious play. If the day is hot, we'll don bathing suits and head for my brother's backyard pool. If the morning is cool, we might take our bicycles to the town park and zip around the trails there, taking time to swing on the swings and climb on the jungle gym. If it's a rainy day, the closet is crammed with paper and pencils, pens and crayons, paints and brushes, scissors and glue just waiting to make imaginative crafts. In a large basket are stuffed animals, toy cars, a Slinky or two, some small puzzles, and several balls. In another box, dolls sleep in their best dresses, their eyes closed until some small tot wakes them. The town library beckons, the pond across the street hosts bullfrogs and turtles and ducks and a couple of muskrat families. There's always something to discover there.When evening brings a weariness to our limbs and darkness to the skies, we will make some popcorn and curl up on the big bed, pillows stuffed behind us, and watch a movie. 

There won't be time to read (or write) blog posts, so once the week has passed and the cottage empties out, once the noise and the flurry have subsided, when the silence and the missing grow too much for me, I will return to my regular life, and here.


13 comments:

Out on the prairie said...

You make this a real adventure, what a great grandma these children have.

Brian Miller said...

big smiles. you are in for a lot of fun...enjoy every minute of it..

Marion said...

Oh, this sounds like me when the kids visit! There was no lying around in bed in the morning when there was a whole day to be lived and enjoyed!!

"so once the week has passed and the cottage empties out, once the noise and the flurry have subsided, when the silence and the missing grow too much for me, I will return to my regular life, and here."...this brought tears to my eyes, it's exactly how it is...

Have a great week...I will be thinking of you. xxx

Hilary said...

It sounds like you and those beautiful kidlets will have a magical time. With your own Secret Path to adventure, how could you not. Enjoy, Pauline!

Judith said...

See you after the wonderful week ---
How great it was!

Pauline said...

OOTP - it's always an adventure when the kids are here. It's one of the reasons I've loved teaching - kids are way cool!

Brian M - oh, I will and thank you!

Marion - thanks. It will be fun no matter the weather or what comes up. Those after hours will be hard to get through but that's where blogging helps :)

Hilary - we have Secret Paths everywhere and they always lead to adventure!

J - I can't believe I have to go back to work two days after they leave. I'm going to need a pep pill! Will call you the next time I come to your town - maybe I can see you either coming or going?

Anonymous said...

What a magical week it will be! You make me wish you were my grandma!!

Teri said...

There just are no words for the way a grandparent feels being in the presence of his/her grandchildren. Although you have written some really great ones here and wonderful descriptions of the fun we have when we have them around. Enjoy!

Reya Mellicker said...

Have a wonderful time with the grands. See you on the flip side.

Barbara said...

It's obvious they simply adore you! Enjoy every moment of their visit. You can give us a full report when they are gone and you are free to write once again. Maybe they would enjoy collaborating on a post -- you know, guest Bloggers. Just a thought... It would be interesting to see what they would write.

molly said...

Have a wonderful week Pauline!

red dirt girl said...

Hi Pauline,

Your week sounds so lovely! I always enjoyed visiting my grandmother's farm growing up - so many adventures I had. The kids will remember their times with you forever!!

I am 'up' and blogging again more consistently. Take a moment to stop by and say hello. It's been too long, girlfriend.

xxx

Kerry said...

This sounds like a lot of fun. Now that I know I am going to be a grandma I can see myself having days just like this.

Is THAT what you call those oreo-cows? We pass by a herd like that on the way to the Oregon coast, and I've always wondered.