Reasons for being Noni

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope;

The spirit of Christmas which is peace;

The heart of Christmas which is love.
~Ada V. Hendricks

Merry Christmas

Everyone. 

Halloween Magic

The transformation began.... It was a bright and sunny afternoon.

The pumpkins were slowly turning into Jack-o-lanterns....

Noni and Mommy helped, but Daddy did most of the hard work....
 
The Bean showed Noni some of his school work, which was, of course, brilliant..... and then he climbed  the Mock Orange to show me how amazing he is at scaling anything that he can get his hands and feet onto. The "silly's" hit and he couldn't control his face muscles.... so he stood on his hands and looked under his legs at me. "Hey Noni, look at me." and he giggled himself into super silliness. I knew we were getting close to the magic transformation.
Baby Bean was showing amazing restraint but he had taken a nap earlier. He checked his pumpkins many times and tried his costume on.

He had a bit of trouble with the hood on his costume but finally with a little help, he got it . It's important to see where you are going when you're packing all those muscles... in the dark.....
...and it WAS getting dark out there.
Then a small dog named Lizzy made a strange low growl and retreated to another room. She knew it was time. Mommy and Daddy were ready. As we turned toward the front door ..... it happen. 
My sweet grandsons had become big scary creatures.... 

The transformation was complete. They were ready for anything. The big night was here.


"Backward, turn backward,
Oh time, in your flight
Make me a child again
Just for tonight!"
~Elizabeth Akers Allen~ 




What a world.....
What a world.....
What a world....  
       

The Visit continues..., Bean on the move.

After lunch my son and I took the Bean to Wallmart and Papa took a nap. I needed a few things there and it was a "cooler" choice than the park. The temperature was rising and you just don't play in the park in almost 100 degree weather. (That's Noni talking, not the Bean.)
For a few weeks I had seen a sign on the highway that said BOUNCEVILLE and an arrow pointed up the hill near a storage business and some commercial buildings. I didn't pay much attention to this sign because it looked like a "kid" thing and , well, I don't think about "kid" things very much anymore..., until I have a puppy worm grandchild in the house with not much to do and it's 97 degrees outside. This is how we discovered Bounceville. Daddy and the Bean knew about these places. It seems that there is one in Elk Grove called Bounce World and they knew exactly what to do. I didn't have any socks so I just took pictures. You have to have socks to PLAY. Next time I will bring my socks because this is really fun and Noni is not going to miss out . For $7.00 a child (adults are free ) they can run, climb, jump, slide, shout, run into stuff, rest and do it all over again. A tired, worn out parent must have invented this place. What a lifesaver to parents and grandparents.

The Bean came close to collapes and had to rest a few times. But this little kid definitely got his moneys worth. Finally, he stopped and got that glassy eyed look of total fatigue. It was time to go home.

As we drove back down to our house a squirrel decided to play "outrun the car" with us. He was running ahead of us, in front of the car. His little legs were moving so fast that it looked like an old silent movie and my son and I started laughing . The Bean, from the back seat says.."What you laughing about?" He could'nt see the silly squirrel and I said.." There's a squirrel in front of us. He's running straight ahead and doesn't know he should go off to the side of the road and up a tree." The Bean said.." You don't run over him."( this was not a question. It was a command ) and I said.."Oh no Bean. We would never do that. It's just funny to watch.", and in his typical, serious response, he quietly said.."OK."

At home he played in the sprinkler and watered EVERYTHING with his cool firehose (a toy you connect to a hose). The Prospector and our son sat in the shade discussing the ecomony and house prices and jobs etc. I stood in the sprinkler and took pictures and made sure that the bird house in the tree above the lawn (with baby birds in it and an unhappy mother Finch complaining from the fence) didn't get sprayed with water.
Finally after a snack and a quiet book reading on Noni's bed, the Bean and his Daddy packed up and drove back down to their home in Elk Grove.
"Come up again soon, Bean. Next time bring Mommy and your brother too. We love you."

We went out to dinner with some friends that night. Had a lovely time. Came home and went to bed early. Gee, I wonder why?

The Bean and his Daddy came to visit

We got a phone call early yesterday. It was our son, down in Elk Grove, and he wanted to know if he and the Bean could come up for the day and visit. Mommy and Baby Bean were going to do some intensive potty training and wanted a little less activity around the house. Of course, I said "Come on up."
When they arrived, after the hugs and kisses, the Bean said he wanted to go down to the "veg'able garden" and pick the "ta-matos". "Oh Bean", I said, "The tomatoes are just little plants right now. They don't have tomatoes on them yet." He thought about this and said..." Well, Noni, we can go see. Do they need water?"
Then I remembered the little gourd seedlings that I hadn't finished planting and asked him if he wanted to help me plant them. "OK." he said. ( He's a man of few words, like his father. I love this.)
We got the little gourd seedlings and a couple of "diggers", the hose and MY CAMERA.
"Smile Bean". and he did. I took a few pictures and then (top right)..., the LOOK; as if to say..., Enough with the camera, Noni. I'm waiting to dig and plant stuff.
So I handed the camera to my son and the Bean and I planted the little seedlings.

..., and then came the best part: WATER. If there was one thing in this world that little boys agree on, it would be that water and dirt are the most wonderful combination in the whole world. My grandson is a MUD connoisseur, a prodigy of the art of blending and mixing. Give him a spot of dirt and some water and this boy is in his element.
"Did you water each little plant, Bean?"..., "Yes." he says. "I need to wash my fingers first. " I watch him play, with total attention to the task... " Be sure each plant gets soaked really good."... "OK." he says. Then the hand goes into the mud and more water is added. He never looks up. He is one with the mud. My DNA, my mothers DNA and my grandmother too have found a host in this grandchild of mine. We will work on the finer points.

I want you to look at the position that he's in. It's 90 degrees, no shade anywhere nearby, I'm sweating like a racehorse and sitting down on the edge of the raised vegetable bed looking at this little boy..., squatting ON his feet, rear end NOT touching the ground, knees up to his chin.., watering and playing for at least 15 minutes. Try that position, folks... Bet ya can't do it.
What happens to our agility? When did the squatting stop? Reality hit hard: No more camping without a porta potty. Squatting in the woods is gone forever. I might fall backwards and never get up. The mental picture was ugly. Where was I going with this......
It was just a moment of stark reality. a vision of how far I am from the agility of my childhood. It just came and went in a split second. I'm OK now. I'm older than yesterday, but I'm OK... Crap!

Tomorrow: The Bean in Bounce World.

Listen to the Joy in your heart

When was the last time you were this excited about something? Today, I have hope in my country and joy in my heart. I was agonizingly "on the fence" about this election and none of you really knew what Farmlady believed in because she was being so agreeable to all of you. Well, I made my decision. voted and even through I'm not sure how all this will play out, there is a part of me that feels like my little grandson on Halloween night. The excitement and anticipation of a new direction for this country is overwhelming. I didn't hate anyone and I don't have any "agenda" except maybe for GOATS and GRANDCHILDREN. So please take a good look at this little child and smile..., because everything is going to be just fine.

Snickerdoodles for Bambino

Yesterday I baked some cookies for the Prospector to take up to Pine Crest Lake. This is an annual event for the fathers , sons and daughters of the family. We moms are not allowed on this trip. It's a tradition. This will be my little bambino bean's first time going up there with his daddy and papa.

So this morning the Bean and his daddy arrived early. Papa hooked the boat to daddy's suv and Papa already had the tent trailer hook up to the truck. I gave the Bean his very own pail with cookies, grapes and things to play with. He had to have a cookie but check out the look on his face. He took a bite. He acted, at first, like he wasn't sure about the cookie, he savored the bite for a minute and then he smiled his sweet little smile and said "That's good Noni. Would you like a bite?" I answered "I'd love one", and took a bite.

"Thank you" I said
and Bean said "Lets go outside".
I said "Ok" and we put the cookies in the pail, which he picked up and never let go of.
He had the cookie in his right hand and I told him to hold it up high so Mokie couldn't grab it.
We got through the gate before Moke saw us and Bean went to Papa and said "Papa, want a bite?"
The Prospector said "Sure" and took a bit. Then Bean went over to his daddy and offered him a bite.
My son took a bite and said "Yum". He looked at me and said "Thanks". I gave him the big bag of cookies.

Bean gave me another bite of his cookie and his daddy finished off the rest of it.
We took a couple of pictures of him in the boat and then Daddy put him in his car seat and as they got ready to drive off, gripping his pail with both hands, " Noni, aren't you coming too?"....., Oh how I wanted to go with him, but someone has to stay here and feed the goats, the chickens and the dogs. Someone has to water everything and take care of the farm. This is the "Guy" trip: Fishing, sleeping in tents and for my little bean, learning to float in the lake and make the same memories that my boys did so long ago.
" Not this time Bean, I have to stay here and take care of the animals. But maybe next time, Ok?"
"Ok, Bye." and they left.

I know they will have a great time. Making memories: Cooking dinners, swimming , camping, sleeping in a tent together but next year I think I'm going to break a tradition and go with them...., next year I won't be standing in the driveway saying goodby.

Take care guys and watch the Bean closely. I'll miss you.

The Bracelet Maker

Yesterday I had to go to South Sacramento Kaiser and Costco. When I was through I stopped by to see the Bambinos. Baby boy was asleep because he's just 1 yr. 6mos old and he is into naps. Big boy, the "A" man was so excited to see me and sometimes he skips a nap because he has other things to do...., like show Noni his new bike; his DIEGO bike,... and his new helmet; his GREEN helmet...., and his new hair cut( that makes him look a lot older. No, no you can't grow up too fast little one.)

Mommy took them to Pixey Woods in Lodi. They "Rode in a train and saw a tunnel." and they had "...so much fun." and " Noni you should come too; you would like it."

" Can we go outside. I will ride my new bike.

It has 'taining wheels."

"Is that so you can learn to ride without falling?"

"I won't fall, Noni. I a big boy."

"Of course you are, sweetie. Just be careful."

"I be careful"

"Can you put your helmet on so I can take your picture?"

"Ok."

"Smile"



Baby bambino woke up and then it was snack time. After we had a snack "A" showed me how to make a bracelet like Mommy's. He had made one for her and wanted to know if I would like one. He wanted mom to give me her's. We explained that he needed to make one just for me. So he did.
This is the bracelet that "A" made just for his Noni. He had a kit with lots of beads and stretchy plastic string.

"What colors would you like, Noni?"

"Anything but orange."

"No orange?"

"Not today."

Just one orange?"

"No, I don't think so. Maybe in the Fall, around Halloween."

" Here. One orange ." He picks one orange bead up and looks at me.

"Ok, just one."

So I have a wonderful ,one of a kind, bracelet made by my grandson, and I love it. There is one bead in it that reminds me of Halloween and in my grandson's infinite wisdom, he has placed this orange bead among the others to express his own creativity and to remind me that I must not look at the world with old eyes and that I can wear orange in summer and live to tell about it.

"A garden is a lovesome thing" T.E. Brown ...., grandsons and flowers; planting joy.

"Speak to us of children"

This weekend our two boys came up to celebrate their birthdays. They are five years apart, but their birthdays are only 3 days from each another. Since we couldn't get together in a couple of weeks, on their birthdays, we decided to celebrate early. One will be 40 yrs. old and the other 35 yrs. So... that means that their Dad and I are...., um.... old. How does this happen? It seems like just yesterday that we watched them graduate from College. Where did all those years go? Those little boy years of not quite knowing what you're doing, but acting like you do. The years of sickness in the middle of the night, the tooth farie and little league. At some point you stop washing their little bodies in the bath tub and they start taking showers. That happens about the same time that they stop talking in complete sentences: Just yes/no answers and "Oh Mom." Could it have been so long ago that our youngest came home, in tears, because someone told him there wasn't any Santa Claus?...., and the reality, on his sad little face, that this also meant there must be no Easter Bunny either. That's when I started wondering about the wisdom of adults.

Now they're the adults. The oldest is head of the computer support for a large university in the bay area and the youngest is a manager for a health insurance company near Sacramento. We're so proud of them.

Now I have two grandchildren to love and play with. It's almost like "going back", only not as much work. It's way more fun to be "Noni and Papa", and we get to babysit any time we want to

and then......., take a nap.



I'm reminded of THE PROPHET by Kahlil Gibran



Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you, and

yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love, but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the

house of tomarrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children, as living arrows are sent forth.



....there is more, but this will do.

The grace and beautiful of my world

Sweetpeas and grandsons

Planted some sweet peas and turned over the compost pile: Wonderful stuff at the bottom of the bin. Dug the compost into the garden soil and planted the seeds. I expect gobs of prize winning sweet peas soon. They are one of the easiest joys of life.

I'm going to see my darling ,little, human sweet peas (the grandbabies) for a couple of days. These two little boys take lots of care; which their mommy and daddy do really well. No one tells you what hard work it is to raise children and do it right..... and not collapse from exhaustion. The boys are 3yr's. and 15 mo's. Mommy and Daddy both have demanding jobs. We have so much admiration for these two wonderful people. They are the keepers of our next generation, and they do it so well. See you all on Thursday.

"Blessed are the pure in heart..."