What are you doing?

[Andy M.]

Leaving in about an hour to pick up my grandson from school. The school year is winding down and he's getting antsy. When he gets here he has a snack then does his homework. With whatever time is left we play or watch TV/movie.

Beginning with July, I'll have him for two full days every other week and I'll have to find stuff to keep him amused and active. It's getting to be more work as he gets older.

 

[Addie]

Leaving in about an hour to pick up my grandson from school. The school year is winding down and he's getting antsy. When he gets here he has a snack then does his homework. With whatever time is left we play or watch TV/movie.

Beginning with July, I'll have him for two full days every other week and I'll have to find stuff to keep him amused and active. It's getting to be more work as he gets older.

Andy is there a field nearby where you can play catch with him, or take him swimming, other physical activities? Teach him running for exercise? Places where there are other children and you can sit on a bench? I know he is rather young, but what about taking up bike riding together? When I lived in Tacoma, I was one block down from the main highway and there were lots of families that used Ainsworth Street for bicycle riding. Dad in Front, Mom taking up the rear. All single file. Then on rainy days there is always reading together. Let him read one or two paragraphs, then your turn to read. Any woods nearby where you take him for nature walks? Turn over a log and see all the things that live under there. Get a book on trees and identify the different leaves and bark. Have him help you in the kitchen. Measure out the ingredients and let him add them. Teach him the different measurements.

These were some of the activities I did with Poo when he was small. One time I took him to the Children's Theatre so he could see kids doing a live play. On Thursday the Globe used to print, "Things To Do This Weekend." It would tell you if it was free or the cost. Don't forget the July 4th week of activities. There are always things planned for kids then. And it is a chance to teach him some of the local history. I always planned my vacation for that week. Every day Poo and I headed out early in the morning and off we went. Came home every night exhausted. But we sure did have fun.

 

[cave76]

Leaving in about an hour to pick up my grandson from school. The school year is winding down and he's getting antsy. When he gets here he has a snack then does his homework. With whatever time is left we play or watch TV/movie.

Beginning with July, I'll have him for two full days every other week and I'll have to find stuff to keep him amused and active. It's getting to be more work as he gets older.

By all means have fun with your grandson, Andy! But since you live in Massachusetts be careful about ticks.


"UC Berkeley researcher Denise Steinlein demonstrates the three actions found to be riskiest for acquiring the western black-legged tick: leaning against a tree, carrying wood and sitting on a log. (Photos by Robert Lane)

"We sat on logs for only five minutes at a time, and in 30 percent of the cases, it resulted in exposure to ticks," said Robert Lane, professor in the Division of Insect Biology at UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources and lead investigator of the study. "It didn't matter if we sat on moss or the bare surface; the ticks were all over the log surface. The next riskiest behavior was gathering wood, followed by sitting against trees, which resulted in tick exposure 23 and 17% of the time, respectively."

Where Ticks Come From on eMedicineHealth.com

(The tick named in that article is the western version of what is out on the east coast. The only good news is that not all ticks will carry Lyme disease but in Massachusetts a fairly high percentage of them do.)

Many easterners carry doxycycline with them when hiking/camping or just enjoying being outside so they can start the antibiotics that same day.

This may seem like a buzz-kill of a post but I've seen/read about all the children who lost their childhood to Lyme disease. So I'm taking the chance of you or other people thinking I'm interfering.

I'm not suggesting that kids should be kept inside and never allowed to play as they should. Children should have all the fun they want and not have to worry but the adults should know how best to reduce the problem.

If you, Andy, have any questions, please P.M. me.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Leaving in about an hour to pick up my grandson from school. The school year is winding down and he's getting antsy. When he gets here he has a snack then does his homework. With whatever time is left we play or watch TV/movie.

Beginning with July, I'll have him for two full days every other week and I'll have to find stuff to keep him amused and active. It's getting to be more work as he gets older.

Time to pick up a couple of bikes and hit the road, he will have you in tip top shape by the time summer is over!

~~~Like a true nature's child, We were born, born to be wild!

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks for the suggestions and concerns. GS and I have access to a swimming pool about 30 seconds away if I walk across a grassy area that's perfect for baseball. He will also be learning some cooking skills and reading every day. If he has summer work from school, he'll be doing that too.

We have to go to our favorite pizza joint regularly and for ice cream.

Then there's Grampy's nap time...

 

[taxlady]

I'm waiting for the vet to call. She is supposed to be coming here soon.

 

[cave76]

Thanks for the suggestions and concerns.

I'm glad you didn't take offense. Just keep in mind---- if you have any questions, please ask me. Have fun!

 

[creative]

Been doing some unusual gardening. I say unusual since I was deadheading the spent wild roses emanating from masses of welcome branches coming over into my garden from next door! I love it! My garden is blessed with white rose blossoms mingling into my arch of red roses.

 

[taxlady]

Been doing some unusual gardening. I say unusual since I was deadheading the spent wild roses emanating from masses of welcome branches coming over into my garden from next door! I love it! My garden is blessed with white rose blossoms mingling into my arch of red roses.

Do you save the rosehips?

 

[creative]

Do you save the rosehips?

Ah I was just thinking of that. Normally I find rosehips a bit of a pallaver to make things with e.g. the syrup. I know people say it has a lot of Vitamin C but this vitamin is very volatile, i.e. loses its potency in cooking and storage.

I have decided to leave some dead roses there just to look pretty when they become small rosehips (they are wild roses, so they are quite small).

I guess you save yours? What do you make with them?

I like to make elderberry cordial and have a good recipe for that.

 

[taxlady]

Ah I was just thinking of that. Normally I find rosehips a bit of a pallaver to make things with e.g. the syrup. I know people say it has a lot of Vitamin C but this vitamin is very volatile, i.e. loses its potency in cooking and storage.

I have decided to leave some dead roses there just to look pretty when they become small rosehips (they are wild roses, so they are quite small).

I guess you save yours? What do you make with them?

I like to make elderberry cordial and have a good recipe for that.

I don't have a source of rosehips, other than dried ones from the health food store. I make tea. Rosehip and hibiscus makes the best, prettiest iced-tea.

 

[Addie]

Thanks for the suggestions and concerns. GS and I have access to a swimming pool about 30 seconds away if I walk across a grassy area that's perfect for baseball. He will also be learning some cooking skills and reading every day. If he has summer work from school, he'll be doing that too.

We have to go to our favorite pizza joint regularly and for ice cream.

Then there's Grampy's nap time...

The most important item on that list!

 

[Cheryl J]

Almost 10PM here, just had a small bowl of raspberry sorbet and searching through Netflix for a movie.

 

[Dawgluver]

I'm frantically downloading all the updates for all my devices. Verizon is a pain in the rear, but sadly, it's all we can get out here. My Verizon plan will reset at midnight tomorrow, and since they canceled my unlimited bandwidth, I'm gonna use up every smidge of what I pay outrageous prices for!

 

[JoAnn L.]

Got to see the pictures and videos last night of my grandson's wedding in Copenhagen, Denmark. Beautiful. I sure wish we could have been there. They said that everyone they met there was super nice and very friendly. All of the shops and restaurants where they went, everyone spoke English. They loved all of the food and all of the different kinds of beers. I am sittting here eating some kind of white divinity candy with walnuts they brought for me. Very good.

 

[Cheryl J]

Oh, that sounds so nice, JoAnn. Congrats on your grandson's wedding! Sounds like such a beautiful place to get married.

 

[Cheryl J]

A little after 10PM here, and just came in from sitting out on the patio on this beautiful evening having a glass of wine, and playing on my laptop. Porch light on and candles burning. So quiet, nothing but crickets chirping and Kitty laying on the table purring. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, about the time I realized it was a 3 inch scorpion, I got up and the creepy sonofagun chased me! Kitty jumped down and nailed him. Yikes. Time to call the bug guy.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Scorpions...nope, don't wanna see them. I'll stick with the cougars and bears!

 

[MrsLMB]

Right now I am sitting here trying to catch up on DC. I've been gone for a short while but a dear friend suggested I come back and give it another chance.

It can't hurt as right now I am trying to put the pieces back together that fell apart on Tuesday when my perfect little doxie Zipper died.

I - and my husband - have huge holes in our hearts and lives right now. We did not know he was sick. I'm not sure if it would have made it any better.

I brought his ashes home yesterday. He is now on top of the fireplace which seems very appropriate as it was his favorite place to be .. well other than in front of his food bowl.

So perhaps a return to DC will help.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

RIP Zipper and my condolences Mr & Mrs LMB. Losing our furbabies is hard.