so...Going. and it's Good. Moving along. Feeling easy. And all the while there are many separate parallel thought threads. About how if it were just my own kids, i would be doing next to nothing other than washing sheets and pillow cases, thinking about what to feed them. Otherwise, all my daily living Stuff could just be pushed aside a little, like just enough room to set a plate.
So what makes this different? ok...it's How It Is With An Old Nana. First, of course there is my son's Woman, Heather. I am her husband type person's Mother. So there's that, right away. She knows stories. He tells her the stories. She knows that i am more than a little "layed back". That i always was. Heather is orderly and has concerns. So. To make it comfortable for her. This is important. But the most important to me about this first burst of family is the Giana. Giana Lily who i wanted named Alluvial Fan but got vetoed. Soon she will be three years old. I only saw her when she was less than a year old. So we are new to each other although son stops at my photograph on the way down the stairs and tells Her stories. I see her on Facebook. So we know something of each other. Something.
They live in Colorado. They go camping in the mountains. But still, Giana is a girly girl i think? Maybe not. We'll find out.
The Shelf. Top two have been cleared for Visiting. Bottom one still has my stuff.
The turtle basket.
i looked at Walmart, the only store in town, hoping for a bag of little plastic animals. But not. i guess bags of little plastic animals are lost in space now. But there WAS a princess and her Friends. Ok.
She has a very nice dress. I looked and it can come off...velcro....but she would be naked then. If i were a Good Old Nana, i might drive self nuts making her a pair of shorts and a Ttop. But i'm not that kind of Old Nana so..........
When Giana and i go out...which to me is the Whole Point of the visit,....when Giana and i go Out to Build a World under the Old Apricot tree, build mountains and bridges and huts and lakes with the hose, when we BUILD A WORLD, the princess will need to wear her nice dress. OR go naked. it will be up to Giana. If she wears her dress, it will become all muddy. We can wash it and hang it to dry? or not. We can take the Princess with us when we feed the Goats. I have a little pouch Giana can wear for that. The princess can be in it as well as some peanuts.
As i write this stuff, i am so Smiling. I love kids. I love their minds. I love finding out what they think and what they SAY and the oh so excellent way they SAY stuff...their choice of words.....I SMILE....
it's the weekend of my son's birthday, her dad. I was going to make my crashed pound cake but then though not...Giana and i will banish him and her mother to somewhere else and we will create
Banana Splits. These, she can do as she will. They will be her Creations. So. OK and more OK.
After she's gone, both top two shelves will be for Julian (7) and Destiny (8). For THEIR stuff. They are Makers. Alyssia has caused this in them. They MAKE stuff. As i go here, i think of things we might Make. I got the Inktense Pencils for them. There is collage stuff. and of course, there's tons of Cloth. Julian i kind of know. He's been here off and on. Destiny i have yet to meet. We will LEARN eachother as it goes. But i will be ready. This is Important. They are very much into coming to where the Goats are. They know that their Nana there in California will bring these Goats there. But this does not dim at all the Thing of the Goats. Destiny has been with Alyssia for a year now and is hungry for Family. Hungry. I will see what she wants and do my best to FEED her soul.
the table is Clean. Here we will eat together, like at Dana's , but different. Here we will eat what we make to feed ourselves together. Everyone works.
since there is no guest room, this wall shelf/counter is emptied. Here the stuff in their back packs can go. To make it as easy as it can be. All the baskets of scraps have been moved for this. A ritual in its own way.
Last evening. Sheets on the clothesline. Tonight it is
Still.
