Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Whoa! Tending Grandchildren: A Whole New Game




Steve and I have been watching and tending to four of our grand children a little more than usual lately. My son's a fire captain and has had to stay-on duty for more hours, more days. I'm not sure if it's overtime, trade-time, or even mandated. It's that time of year for fires. The timing on this is good for us because my Steve is tending me and the kids, AND it's stinkin' hot. I can't emphasize what a huge job it is to take care of all of us. Beach kids don't acclimate well here at Danger Ranch. The beach is 20 minutes away, less if we drive fast. Saticoy is 10 minutes away and always 10 or more degrees cooler. If we go east to Fillmore the opposite happens and it's 10 degrees hotter. I'm glad my daughter and family have air conditioning in their new home in Fillmore.

I'm so happy to be able, once again ... after baths are done, to comb and pin-up my grand daughter's hair in curlers for her picture day and help chose her most perfect outfit to wear. I've missed that since my five daughters have grown-up. I forgot how much I loved that joyful chore.

I'm still going to swimming regularly, but have had some minor health problems. I think, right now it's all easy to fix. I have a Sciatic Nerve problem. Yep, all the way from the top of my rear around the back of my knee and my calf. I thought it was a pulled ligament or tendon and decided it had to be the T-Band or TB Band. Anyway, a confirmation from the doctor was verified. I'm wounded. I know when it happened. The best part is that it's really healing with my Yoga/Swimming.(and stupid heating pad)  I had to adjust it all a bit. The benefits of swimming at Easter Seals  (That's a link) is that it's the warmest pool in the county and I have five friends that are physical therapists and very skilled in helping me. Just for the record, the high school "parents open house" trip with my grandson, that spanned all over the big campus at Ventura High School, was a huge obstacle for me. I limped through it and almost had him drive me home. He's 14.

I hurt my side because I messed-up wearing the wrong shoes outside and  moving the sprinkler on a muddy slope. My "basement shoes" (family joke for stinky-outside shoes) were not supportive. I don't know why I wasn't wearing my regular "basement shoes" that are an old pair Nike cross-trainer tennis shoes. The "bad shoes" were simply loafers with the mule-type back, closely resembling the 1980's clogs. My foot slipped-out the side in the mud and I felt my ankle move and the rest of me didn't. I knew I was in trouble. I turned-off the water, came in the house and started the heating pad on the back of my knee. I threw-away my shoes on the way inside.  Heating pad + Hot Wave minus air conditioning = car ride to the beach. Honest! A heating pad when it's so stinkin' hot in our house is "MISERY" in capitol letters.

It's so hot right now, and I don't mean my heating pad! Our area is experiencing record breaking temperatures and I find myself praying for fog and if we don't get it ... we go to the beach. That's probably the easiest part of watching our grand children. They live at the beach!



We've gone to parent's nights and have dinners together. We head-out over the sand and sit with all the same people every evening and watch the sunsets. The "beach people" are a mix of people from all walks of life, but you know them because they distinctly dress, walk, ride bicycles, and all have dogs of every kind and hold cell phones or water in the hand not holding the leaches. The businesses all welcome the canines, ratty-haired children and adults, even wearing bathing suits and bare feet. The people wear bathing suits in Vons! We see all the families, and it's mothers and fathers head-out in the morning riding bikes and dads on skateboards, including my son. Everyone is escorting the kids to the "Mean Marine Sargent" crossing guard and he tells them when to walk and when to go. Honestly, I think if he asked any of the families to salute him they would, he's such a character and receives awards at the school every year and kids take him presents, draw pictures of him. What a job and he takes his job so seriously! This beach community and coastal residents are different and also a very close group of people. All know and love their neighbors. It's fun to be there and we all wave to each other. They know we're the grandparents.


Homework
 I must look very strange with my shoes on, walking the sandy beach and hanging on my Steve's arm. How many pictures can a person have of sunsets? It would be fun to have 365 pictures of the sun setting on School House Bay.
The Lazenby Sundowners

Lazenby Boys

Grand Daughters Holding The Sun


  I'd love to be able to leave this terrible heat and I do feel sad for the heat affecting our livestock and pets. I can't help and think how incredible the ranch would be on the coast and have this truly Mediterranean climate.

My Crazy Son
 I'm not sure my son and his kids notice it because they live there, but the ocean smell is wonderful and it flows through our window at night and it's not long before we're sailing or flying with the seagulls. I could be a "beach people" It's our family's "happy place."

My Instagram Photo With My Husband's Arm Around Me


Our Grand Daughter Sneaky Picture Taker
Tatum Eye For Beauty In Reflection
 Thank you dear Grand Daughter for "The Candid," precious photograph of us together

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