Fun and annoyance

Well, my son called me last night to give me his agenda for today for my car. I told him I had a bone to pick with him and let him have it both barrels. I also told him he will never again borrow or drive my car. If he has no more respect for my property than to smoke in my NON-SMOKING car, then . . . well, you get the picture!!

Today, however was fun. Tess and I along with Cassie went to pick her car up from the mechanic. Yippee!! New starter, new sensor, Jeep is good!!! We decided to take Cassie out to lunch. She chose pizza. (one of her current favorites) She got to play in the arcade room and she and I had photos taken in the photo booth. Tess and I decided to order salad bars, appetizers and a single 8" pizza to share between us all. It was a ton of food, and she took the leftover pizza to her co-worker who never remembers to bring lunch. There was a group of kids at the pizzeria, and they were very curious to see a tiny little girl in her tiny little wheelchair. One girl asked if her leg was broken, and I said, no, her legs just didn't work. She was very curious, so I told a whole group of the kids a little more about Cassie. Cassie, fortunately isn't bothered by people's inquiries. She probably wonders why they don't know. One little girl asked her why she wasn't walking. Another wondered if she used to be able to walk. Tess and I both educated them some, and Cassie was delighted by the attention. One mother came over with her daughter and wanted her to apologize for her questions. Tess and I both assured her it was perfectly normal to wonder why Cassie couldn't walk, and at this age it is a good time for kids to figure out not everyone can walk. The mom thanked us for being so understanding, but we told her we were happy to be able to answer the questions. Kids can be very cruel, but they can also be so innocent and curious like the kids today. They were very kind to Cassie, and when Cassie had played all the games she wanted to she gave her remaining tokens to her new friends. It was a great time out for all of us.

She came back to the antique mall with me when I had to go to work, so Tess could go see her boss and get her pay so she could pay the mechanic. Cassie was delighted to be there. She said, "It's so beautiful," as we walked throught the front door. She loves all the sparkly glass and fun things to look at. She also was thrilled to see my co-worker, Tammy, and my boss, Ann. She had a chance to meet a couple of the antique dealers who have spaces there, too. They didn't know she was a paraplegic, so it was another learning experience for the day. All in all it was a good day. Then Tess came back and took Cass home. Ann and I went to a lady's home and bought some cool stuff for the mall. I hurt my back carrying Cassie around, though. She is really getting too heavy for this poor old grandma to carry around. Guess we will just have to be sure we have her wheelchair with us all the time now.

Starting a New Year

I am a 54 year old grandma, living on the central Oregon coast. The photo shows me at the art studio I hang out at. It is a non-profit group with awesome classes and free open-studio time. Something is going on every day of the week.

My fabulous daughter and her two girls live nearby and I share a home with my 88 year old papa. He is awesome, getting shorter by the day, but still as cute as he was 15 years ago. My mom always said he was so handsome, not homely like some of the guys she knew.

She said he might have been six years younger than here, but he was so much more mature than they were. He had been out on his own since the age of 15, so at nearly 21 he really was more mature than the "boys" here age.

Hopefully this will be a more productive year. I had plans for last year, too, but they were kind of pushed aside amidst all sorts of family angst and turmoil. Not to mention the bad boyfriend.

This year I am going to be much more proactive. I am going to do something creative everyday, whether it is just read about art, jewelry, beading, or check out other people's work on the web.

I am also going to get an Etsy store up and running if I can ever get through the hoops they make you jump through to get everything up and running. I have to find my digital camera so I can actually photograph more of my work. I have paintings and jewelry just waiting to be posted. I keep thinking there ought to be an easier way, but the only one I can think of involves spending money I presently do not have.

My jewelry work gives me a lot of pleasure, and as an added bonus, if it doesn't sell I get to wear it. I have had a love of jewelry since I was a little girl, and as I got older my folks gave me some beautiful vintage pieces. My daughter and I design jewelry together. She has great designs just pouring out of her head, and I like to just sit down with piles of silver wire and beads and let it happen. So, she does the very formal compositions and I go free-form. She loves my work, but says there is no way she could ever do it. In her OCD head everything has to be symetrical. She cracks me up. She is so meticulous about so many things, but her house is not one of them. Of course with two girls it is kind of hard to keep up with everything. She is a good woman, and a great mom and daughter. She took care of my dad before I moved in with him last April. I did drive bys several times a week, but she was there for the day-to-day. Now she fills in if I am not able to be here. She has a paraplegic child, so she needed a break. I also help her with the girls. They are both awesome. The 8-year-old is hyper, funny, and not so good at entertaining herself. The 3-1/2-year-old has Spina Bifida, she also is funny, very independent, and loves to have her own space and do things her way. She adores her big sister, but she doesn't want her to touch her things.

More tomorrow.