The 'eyes' have it

One of the joys of being a grandparent is getting to see the world again through the eyes of a child.

- David Suzuki

I is for....

I've gotten a little behind this month, missing blogging at Mother's Day and on my birthday, and I'm almost about to miss this week, so I'm remedying that.  Thanks for bearing with me!

Today is Memorial Day, a day when we honor the men and women who have sacrificed their lives in the service of our country.  We Americans remain the land of the free and the brave because of them, and I for one am grateful for all who serve.  My thoughts are with the families of those who were killed in battle or while on active duty.  I was moved by many of the tributes I saw on television today, and I hope I never take for granted the liberties we enjoy because of those willing to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives.

Even though it's still three weeks before the calendar says it's summer, this weekend also marks the 'unofficial' start of summer here in the States.  At least in the South, anyway!  Here on Tiki, most every house was full this weekend (about half of the houses on our little island are owned by 'part-timers') and the smell of charcoal fires filled the air.  Boats of all sizes came and went all day, every day, and even into the night.  Our house is right at the end of the 'Tiki Cut' - the channel that goes from the intercoastal waterway to Tiki Island, so we see all of the comings and goings if we are outside.  We spent a good deal of the weekend out by the pool and we ate most of our meals outside on the deck.  We were lucky to have Kim, Blake, and Morgan here for the weekend, and it was Morgan's first visit during pool season.

The water baby gene was apparent, as Morgan didn't even whimper when we first dipped her toes into the water (which was not all that warm!!).  Kim had brought a little ring float with a shade on it, and Morgan was happy to sit and splash.  She looked so cute in her little water hats, and I am so impressed with the care that today's parents take with regard to sun exposure.  Morgan, like Elliot and Gray, seemed to love napping outside with a little breeze blowing, which was good, because that allowed Crockett time to get into the water, too.  Our pool is not big enough to share with Crockett!  We are still hoping he will learn how to return the water toys to the tosser this summer....

Morgan has just turned six months old, and she's entering the 'real people' phase of life.  She can't quite sit up on her own yet, but she's getting there.  Her clear blue eyes are huge and round, and she looks like she is questioning everything.  She is enamoured with her fingers and toes, and she's learned how to get her wub-a-nub back into her mouth.  She had her first taste of solid food, and she's gobbling it down.  Here's hoping she will be a good eater!

It was such fun to have the Kim and her family here - I love watching our kids become parents and see them raising their kids.  It does my heart good to see the love and patience and care they show to their babies.  Everyone always told me that being a grandparent was the best - I'm inclined to believe them!

It's been a busy month - Dave's birthday, Mother's Day, our 38th anniversary, the royal wedding, my birthday, and this holiday weekend - plus houseguests, Derby Day, and a yard sale - but that's just how May is at our house.  Dave always called it "All About Mom Month" so I'm hoping that now that he's grown he gets a little more attention.  If he'd been born on his due date instead of two weeks late....  In the middle of all that busy-ness, I managed to finish my Danube Cruise photo book (from our 2016 Viking River Cruise), just in time for our next Viking Cruise.  We'll be heading to Iceland and then an ocean cruise of the Baltics next month, so excitement is high!  Here's hoping you have had a fabulous month and are looking forward to more fun in the months to come.

Walking down Memory Lane in TV Land

Riddle me this: I am first in earth, second in heaven, I appear two times in a week.  You can only see me once in a year, although I'm in the middle of the sea.  What am I?  
                                                                     The Riddler

Week 11: E is for...

Here's hoping you had a wonderful Easter and Holy Week or are celebrating Passover this week.  We spent a lovely afternoon with friends on Tiki on Easter Sunday and met lots of people we didn't know (we were not in our little canal section of the island!).  I'm grateful for holidays and celebrations that bring people together and for friends that include others.  Last year, Kim and Blake were home for Easter and shared the news of their impending parenthood (!), but this year, Kim, Blake, Morgan, and I will be headed to North Carolina in a couple of weeks, so we opted not to get together for the holiday.

It does make me realize how much life can change in a year, though!  Last year, just knowing Kim would be having a baby was an exciting prospect, but it was still such a nebulous concept.  This year, it's very real!  Morgan celebrated her first Easter and she is adjusting to day care and to sleeping all night in her own room.  Before we know it, she'll be taking her first steps!  I can't wait to see her and her cousins and their parents.  Color me Happy!!

Given that this week's Day2Day theme was "E is for...", I'm sure you had no trouble answering my riddle.  It made me laugh, and it reminded me of watching the old Batman show when I was a kid.  That got me thinking about TV shows of my childhood, and it also made me think about how TV was going to make us all go blind and stupid.  "Don't sit so close to the TV!" was something I suspect all of us heard back then, as we crowded around the (ONLY) TV in the house to see its fuzzy black and white picture.  Daddy would adjust the rabbit ear antennas, trying to get better reception.  When Wonderful World of Disney came on on Sunday evening, Kim and I would swear we could see colors in the fireworks falling down around the castle.  Doubtful....

Of course, Kim and I didn't have much say into what programs we watched, as Mom and Dad were in control of that.  And when you only have one TV and it only had three channels, there really weren't too many choices.  Daddy's favorite shows were Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and Combat!, while Mom was partial to the Loretta Lynn Show and the show they both loved was Perry Mason.  Daddy also loved watching the Porter Wagoner Show (with Dolly Parton), which Kim and I HATED!  I have to laugh now, as my whole family loves country music these days.  But those outfits Porter used to wear!  And Miss Dolly's hair and 'bosoms'!  That makes me laugh, too - you never hear that word any more.

Kim and I watched Captain Kangaroo (when we were young) and Mighty Mouse, and our all-time favorite show was Leave It to Beaver.  We both still watch it every chance we get!  In the evenings, before Daddy got to watch the news, we watched Cactus Pete and his cartoons - Deputy Dawg, Clutch Cargo, and Beanie and Cecil.  Our local TV channel had Romper Room (we loved it when Miss Emily said she 'saw' us by calling our name out (Romper, bomper, stomper, boo...) and The Popeye Show (you could be on the show and sit on little bleachers and watch the cartoons on a little monitor) and then when we were in junior high and high school, you could be on Dance Party on Friday afternoons.

Many of mom's friends watched their afternoon 'stories' (soap operas) and I remember watching All My Children (with a very young Erica Kane!) on the days that I came home for lunch.  Now there's something you never hear about any more!  We lived only a couple of blocks from our elementary school, so we could either eat in the cafeteria (for 25 cents), or bring our lunch (2 cents for milk), or if you lived close by, you could go home and eat lunch with your mom.  And watch the soaps...

As we got older, we loved Batman, the Monkees, and Rowan and Martin's Laugh In.  We still watched what was now Disney's Wonderful World of Color (and we finally had more than one TV and we did get to watch in LIVING COLOR!  Mom and Dad would watch the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights (after Bonanza) and we laughed at the way Ed Sullivan always had a 'really good shew' for us.  They also really liked Jack Benny, who drove me crazy.  Daddy thought Red Skelton was hysterical, but I didn't like him because he got tickled at himself.  We all laughed at I Love Lucy and then later at Carol Burnett.

I'm not sure what took me down this path - it wasn't what I set out to write about, but I've had fun thinking about television, back in the day.  I'm sure I've left out some of my favorite shows (Huckleberry Hound, Top Cat, Woody Woodpecker, and the Flintstones!! And The Andy Griffith Show!) so help me out by commenting with some of your faves.

Have a fabulous week - I'm looking forward to spending some time in my hometown and showing it off to friends who've never been there.  Crossing my fingers for better weather than what is forecast...

Jan

And The Jetsons!  And my grandfather thought Gomer Pyle, USMC was the funniest show ever!