still memorial day

Kirsten snuggling those tiny brothers: 

Soft puppy faces

Alicia's mom and her brother's daughter:

Ahhh, that's the end, and what a great weekend it was.

May? 

You've been superb.

Love, Val, aka Grandma, aka MOM
 

more memorial day

 Love, Val

memorial day poor richard's

Our granddaughter had friends along and asked if we could all go to Poor Richard's.

Yeah, sure. We haven't been there since last year.
 

Place is always a hoot.  Look at this taxidermy.  Imagine the sheer dust.

This bizarre big baby doll:

Oh, and another grandchild bought a huge troll doll.  

Richard complimented her selection and told her it was from the 1970s and very valuable, worth about $200.   He told her she should name it Poor Richard.

Sigh.

After the kids went back outside I went to the counter to pay for the bizarre baby doll and also this picture.

I told him it was for my dad to use as an idea for his oil painting.

Dad could do a nice job and the colors are wonderful.  He'd have a great spin on this.

Anyway, Richard started at me with his mouth hanging open and said, "How old ARE you?"

(As if I'm way too old to have a dad.)

Good grief.   

I told him my age and Dad's and he pulled himself together into appropriateness again.

But then I told him those kids who bought the troll?  That was my granddaughter, my grandkids, and mentioned to him once again how special he is in his kindness to kids, make them feel like customers who matter, like they belong there.   

I told him, "They ASKED to come here today."

"Did they really? Awww."  He shook his head.

And then we got home and the child showed the troll to her mom and said what a deal she got. This troll is worth $200 and I only paid twenty!     Heidi asked where she got twenty dollars?

"From Dannell! She paid for it!"

Heidi closed her eyes for a moment, "Oh my god, your aunt."

Oh yes, thank goodness for sweet Dannell and for aunts everywhere.

Love always, MOM

memorial day 2026

Memorial Day, long anticipated first weekend of summer, and this one did not disappoint.

Love, Grandma


 

dance recitals

This is the first recital, and it was wonderful. They danced beautifully.

They said no pictures during the performance, but we got lots in the hall.

So far, so good.

And then they fell over!   Hahaha

 The second recital they didn't have a rule about photos during the performance, so Dannell got some good ones of our dancer.

They didn't say no photos in the hallway.  Heidi took this one, and it's a great pic.

What a lovely day, all that hard work coming to such a beautiful finale.  The stamina and endurance it takes to dance like this is impressive, and you girls did it!

Love, Grandma

the tiger room

These two:

He didn't want to go to the bathroom before they left, so I tried to entice him, "You should see my  Snoopy bathroom."

He didn't know we even had one.  Mostly they stay in the family room and use the monkey bathroom.

His eyes were huge and he liked the Snoopy soap dish and hair dryer, gifts from Laurie.

When I told him his mom was waiting and we should go he said, "I want to see the tiger room."

I was puzzled, "I don't have a tiger room."

"Yes, you do!" and he showed me in here, Tim's old room we use as my office.
 

Wow!  This whole week of work has felt strangely better knowing that through his eyes it is a tiger room.

Love you kids, Grandma