The Grandchildren

Cole, who is a senior this year, has been accepted by several colleges, but he was disappointed when he hadn’t heard from his first choice.  They had all his all of the necessary paperwork except for his application. The lady told him to re-submit the application and she would rush it through. He received his acceptance a few days later. He’s so happy!

He is also playing varsity baseball again his year. They have already played several scrimmage games and one tournament. It has been so cold. I went to the first one which was on a warm sunny afternoon. The next game was played at 5:00 pm. It was so cold, Bella and I sat in the car through six innings. Last night Mr. Fixit almost froze his tush off. The game for tonight has been cancelled because of rain. It has rained here for days it seems.

Noah, our seventh grader, made the C team for his middle school. It’s for seventh and eighth graders. He made the A honor roll as usual, and his classmates voted for him to take part in a program that I don’t quite understand. It foster the virtues of knighthood; it’s based in Texas, I think. I think it’s great that the other kids see what a peach of a kid he is.

He is so logical, too. We were having lunch, and I asked him if the chicken was good. He said that he always eats his fries first. He explained that if he filled up on french fries, the chicken could be taken home and warmed. He said that warmed over french fries weren’t very good. I never thought about that.

Bella starts her volleyball season soon. She had a practice last night. She made the laugh and also realize that she has common sense. The night we were sitting in the car waiting for the game to be over, she brought up the subject of bathrooms on tour buses. She told me the ones she had seen were pretty nice, but you are bounced around while taking advantage of the facilities. I said, “I guess you have to be careful not to go in right after a boy.” She said, “The girls try to go before the boys get in there.” I can imagine a group of fifth grade girls discussing and solving the problem.

Owen made the honor, too. He’s going to be playing baseball on the rec league and his travel league. His hip-hop team competed recently; they did very well. The kid can dance! Even though he is 10 years old, the instructor put him on the teen team. He “has the music in him.”

Levi is in first grade and is looking forward to baseball season, too. They may have had a practice already. He’s such a good player in both baseball and football. And he’s sharp as a tack.

Grandmothers are allowed to brag a little once in a while.

Meanwhile Back in Geezerville. . .

When one lives in Geezerville, one must become a Geezer or Geezerette in good standing. For a Geezerette, the uniform of the day is the ugliest black shoes that SAS manufactures worn with white socks, jeans that are an inch or two too short, and a chic flannel shirt. This outfit is appropriate for those cool, winter mornings, and  one hopes that no one knocks on one’s front door.

It’s Official!

This morning when Mr. Fixit dressed to go out to change the oil in the car, he was neat. He had tucked his shirt into the waistband of his tidy whities and cinched the belt on his jeans tight. Very neat, indeed. The problem was that his jeans had slipped a bit and the waistband of his whities was showing above his belt. I (tactfully, of course) suggested that he adjust his clothing a bit. The next thing I know he had put on a cardigan sweater  to cover his faux pas. There was a little problem there, too. He had buttoned the sweater wrong making it a tad askew. After he re-buttoned, he put on his jacket and his new knit cap to work outside. It’s cold here today. I noticed his cap. The tags are still attached.

Yes, it’s official. I live in Geezerville!

Tip of the Day

Yesterday pot roast was on my menu. I started it a little late and was in a bit of a rush to get it on. When I prepare the meat, I sprinkle it with pepper, ground mustard, and a bit of garlic powder. I’m the first to say that I’m not a great cook, but I usually don’t mess up pot roast. After all, I’ve been making it the exactly in the same way for almost 50 years.

After browning the meat and adding the vegetables, I added the water, a bit of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, a bit more ground mustard. I opened the cabinet for the mustard, and picked up the container I had used before. It was different. Then I looked up a shelf and saw a container that is clearly marked “Ground Mustard.” It was not the one I had used before. The first application turned out to be ground ginger.

The finished product tasted okay, but it had a bit of an Asian flavor.

Tip of the Day: When cooking, one should always wear one’s glasses and not be in a rush, unless one happens to like pot roast with an Asian flair.

Feeling My Age

I don’t normally sit around thinking about being old. Of course, they are the constant reminders of mysterious aches and pains that come and go. There is also the truth staring at me every time I look in the mirror. I do have my “magic” bathroom mirror that knocks off about 20 years. Even not being able to tell the new crop of young entertainers like Lady Gaga and all the other blonds and the other skimpily attired young women from one another doesn’t bother me much. But the other night, I looked up and the television and suddenly felt old.

The television was tuned into a rerun of “Castle.” I wasn’t really watching as usual. I listen more than anything. I was either embroidering or playing a computer game; I don’t remember which. I didn’t have my full attention on the show. Then I heard a familiar voice. I looked up and it took me a minute to recognize the face. It was Chad Everett, an actor who appeared in the show, “Medical Center” in the late 60’s or perhaps the early 70’s. The face I saw on “Castle” was an older man who was still quite handsome, but he wasn’t 30 years old anymore. He was very handsome when he were younger.

I looked him up on line and discovered that he was about the same age as Mr. Fixit. Apparently, he died shorty after he made the “Castle” appearance. The funny thing is that even though Mr. Fixit’s hair is white, and he has wattles just like me, he doesn’t seem that much older to me than he did when he was 30 years younger.

This and That

Horror of Horrors! My Kindle malfunctioned this morning about 3:30 am. It wouldn’t connect with our wireless network. All the other other computers and the my Nook Color connected just fine. Also it showed that I had no books in the archives—130 books gone! I was awake until about 6:00 am trying to think what to do.

After  having breakfast, I remembered that a few weeks ago, my laptop also malfunctioned and Ben told me to remove the battery and then reinstall it. I had tried everything else I could think of so I asked Mr. Fixit to remove the Kindle battery. That was no mean feat. It took over an hour and the  back on the unit is a little worse for wear. He finally opened it and disconnected the battery and then re-connected it. It worked like a charm. It probably will happen again, but at least it’s working for now. I love my Kindle!

I have been sick. About a month ago I developed a sore throat and a bad head cold. It took me about two weeks to feel better.  It really knocked me on my butt. The problem now is that fluid has built up behind the eardrum in the left ear. My hearing in that ear has been greatly affected, and the high pitched tone I hear constantly is driving me nuts. While I can’t hear the sounds that should be coming into my ear, I have developed this hyper-sensitive hearing to things happening in and around my head. It seems I can hear every hair move when I comb my hair, and I can actually hear the saliva flow down my throat when I swallow. Crunchy food is so loud. No more celery until this is over. It’s as creepy  and unsettling.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and he gave me a prescription for a steroid. He said it could take about 2 or 3 weeks to fix it. I want it gone now! But then, little devils in Hades want ice water, too, don’t they?

Baseball season is just about the corner. Cole had try-outs for his last year to play high school baseball. He made the team, of course. Noah is trying out for his middle school team, and he made the first cut. The try-outs for him last until this coming Saturday. Noah and Owen are playing rec league basketball now.

Today, the outdoor temperature hit 71 degrees and there was not a cloud in the sky. The car was so hot after sitting in the sun, we turned on the AC. This may be the earliest we’ve had to use the AC I think. Spring is knocking on the door although out local groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter. What does Ole Phil know?