Grandma's Optimism

I was thinking of my Grandma the other day. It could be that many would not give my Grandma a second glance in a crowd. She was quiet and unassuming, and even though she wasn't any type of "powerhouse" person in the business and corporate world, she raised nine children through tough times---and she raised them well and in such a way that they are all still very close as siblings, and many of her 33 grandchildren are still in touch with each other and supportive in good times and bad. When we need to "circle the wagons" when bad things happen (I'm thinking now of the tragic death of my teenage nephew a few years ago), the cousins and spouses are right there with us (I remember being so grateful to have them close and chatting at Ben's viewing.)

Anyway . . . got off course there . . . .remembering Grandma's optimism . . . I was outside the other day, and since some of my bushes have grown these past few years, I decided that pruning shears were just not an efficient or a sufficient tool to use, so I discovered Scott's hedge trimmers (or what do you call them--I don't know--they're not electric; just two sizeable blades controlled by two handles) in the garage, and I thought, "Perfect!" So I started hacking away at those bushes. While I don't think anyone would hire me as a landscaper, the bushes looked much better than if I had snipped away with the pruning shears. (I won't include a photo, because they're not that pretty, but they'll grow out beautifully next spring.)

That's what caused me to remember Grandma and her cheerful and optimistic attitude. I remember one Saturday (she always had Saturday dinner for anyone who showed up, and there were usually more than 30 of us . . . we had to eat in shifts in her small ranch-style home each week) she was having the uncles trim her bushes out front of our house. She had one pine tree (or maybe it was a holly bush---I don't remember) in front of her bedroom window. When my uncles trimmed that bush, they REALLY hacked away at it! I remember a group of us looking at it once they had finished, and even though I was probably 12 or younger, I looked at that bush and thought, "Oh, that looks AWFUL!" (That part I DEFINITELY remember!) It was mostly branches, and hardly any greenery left. I was rather worried about how it looked, and one of my aunts (or maybe it was me?) said something to my Grandma about how much they had trimmed and how we weren't sure it looked all that great. But my Grandma just shrugged and smiled and said, "Oh! It'll grow out!" It did, too!

Things . . . Like a Walk in the Park

Moments in my life can sometimes be appropriately described by song lyrics! "Things . . . like a walk in the park" was stuck in my head this morning, because after I walked Anna down to a neighbor's house (car-pooling to summer musical instrument lessons), I decided that if I was going to take a walk today (which I want to do more regularly), then early this morning would be the best time to do so, with the heat wave on the East Coast. So I went for a walk in the park. Early morning is a great time to take a walk. The park was quiet, with only a few runners and walkers, no signs of life at the town pool, and just a few dump trucks traveling quietly (as quietly as dump trucks can travel) and slowly towards the football field, where they are preparing the surface for artificial turf.

I should get up earlier more often. I was able to chat with some neighbors this morning (one of the aspects of small-town life I greatly enjoy). But even between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m., the weather was hot and muggy, and I was dripping by the time I returned to the house! My body just has not yet adjusted to the heat and humidity.

We're looking forward to Abby's senior portraits tonight. I'm just praying about the weather, since we were hoping to get some outdoor shots, and thunderstorms (possibly severe) are expected to pass through any time between 4:00 and 9:00 p.m. We'll see.

Joel's project for this summer is to build a roller coaster in our back yard (the K'nex kind). It's pretty exciting, and the neighbor kids love to watch over the fence and ask questions. They said they can hardly wait until it's done!