THANKFUL THURSDAY (on Friday)

Well, last week I missed my Thankful Thursday because I was helping with new grandson #2 and time just got away from me. This week I had a "routine" colonoscopy on Thursday and they gave me a "forgetfulness" anesthesia so that I would forget the experience. Well, seems like I forgot a few other things also. However, I am thankful that the experience is behind me now and even more thankful that the doctor said everything looked normal and I could wait another ten years before having the experience again.

OUR ELECTRIC TRAIN

Daddy first bought our American Flyer electric train for my brother the Christmas he was two. We spent that Christmas at our grandparents house in Amherst. On Christmas Eve I was supposed to be asleep in the bedroom next to Grandmother's living room, but I was not asleep. I climbed out of bed and peeped around the door to see Daddy and Granddaddy down on their hands and knees having a wonderful time putting the electric train together on Grandmother's floor. We had fun with my brother's present that Christmas.

When we got home, Daddy made a big plywood board for the train. He took the dining room table and chairs out of our small dining room and stored them in the garage. The dining room became our "train room." We started with a steam engine that put out real smoke (sometimes) and a few train cars. The train became a huge family project. My dad sold electric trains through his hardware company, so he took great joy in bringing home new cars, a new diesel engine with a real headlight, neat lighted passenger cars with people in them, a circus train complete with animals and crossing signals with lights.

Daddy loved all the action parts of the train set. He liked the switch that uncoupled the cars and he eventually made the track large enough that we could run two trains at one time with two control boxes at the edge of the train board. Mother was the electrician in the family and she often crawled under the train boards that Daddy held up to wire and rewire the accessories that Daddy brought home. We children scampered across the train boards to decorate with small buildings and bushes, toy people, and railroad signs that Daddy brought to us. Note my brother's western village in the picture on the left.

Looking back on the experience, I think it was wonderful the way our family took the toy and made it a family project that pulled us all together much better than the dining room table ever did.

Self-Publishing Your Writing

I have been pondering gathering all of my stories about growing up in the Texas Panhandle and self-publishing them. Mainly I would want to put them into book form for my family members to enjoy. Perhaps my grandchildren will one day pick up a book of my stories and be amazed (or amused?) at my stories of growing up in a small Texas town in the 1940s and 1950s.

Today I read Marlys Marshall Styne's blog entry on self-publishing and decided that I needed to get moving in that direction. She has self-published several books and I just recently received a copy of her latest collection of rictameter poetry. It is really an impressive book and gives me the incentive to go ahead with my own project. Now all I need to do is get myself in gear and take the first big step--getting organized and getting moving!

Another Graduation in Our Family

Last night Son #4 graduated from college. It has been a long road for him but he finally made it across that stage. His wife, 2 year old daughter, 1 week old son and I watched on a live webcast from the college as he marched into the auditorium and later walked across the stage. It was quite moving. Daughter-in-law sat in the recliner with their two children and a small laptop, while I watched on their larger computer. We hollered and screamed when he walked across the stage. I took a picture of the computer screen and it turned out

blurry at best, but we really felt connected by being able to see the actual graduation as it happened--thanks to modern technology!


A family friend wrote the following rictameter poem in honor of his graduation.

At last!
It's happening
The struggle is finished
Graduation is accomplished
It is a fait accompli; it's all done
No more burning midnight oil
No bibliographies
It is over
At last

--L. Seeger

Congratulations, Son #4!

I'd Forgotten

After having four children of my own, you would think I would remember what the first week after the birth of a child was like. Nope! I had erased those tapes from my memory until this past week.

Young Grandson #2 will be a week old tomorrow and I have spent the week with Son #4 and his family. Whew! What a refresher of memory. Daughter-in-law is hurting in all those places that I had forgotten. She has no energy, but the two-year-old had enough energy for all of us--if only we could tap into that energy source.

And Grandson #2 has his days and nights all mixed up. He sleeps blissfully all day and is awake and fussy all night. Last night was a breakthrough, though, when he slept 4 hours between feedings. Whee! We all got 4 hours of quality sleep and felt much better this a.m.

Progress is being made and I will leave in a few days confident that this family will continue to learn all the lessons that I learned through the process of building a family. It is tough to learn new lessons with each new child, but I would not trade those years for any treasure in the world.

Write about life lessons that you have learned during the tough times in your past.

More on New Arrival

Grandson #2 came home from the hospital yesterday and is doing very well. Mother and Dad are trying to catch up on their sleep. It will take a while, but Grandson #2 seems to be taking it all quite calmly--just eating and sleeping.

Here are a few updating pictures.

Granddaddy holds him for the first time.

Aunt Tammy came to visit.

Grandson #2 arrived at home and rested in Mom's lap. Then he checked out his new bed and fell asleep on Dad's chest. Today Miss Ella Bella returns home from her other grandmother's house and the family will be complete.

NEW ARRIVAL!

Son #4 now has a son, born at 12:01 p.m. today and weighing in at 7 lbs. 9 oz and 19 inches long. He is just adorable! He is so tiny and quiet and sweet. He just lay in my arms and went to sleep. Ahhhhh! His so cute! And now we have Miss Ella Bella who has entertained us all evening and is in her room now, singing herself to sleep--so far I have recognized several verses of "Old McDonald" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Now, IF I can figure out this computer, I will add some pictures fresh out of my nifty camera.


Son #4 (proud Papa!) with his new son:

Grandmommy (that's me!) with #2 Grandson:

#2 Grandson after his first bath:

Mother and child. I believe he looks a lot like his mother in this picture:

First visit from Big Sister. She loved him!!

Miss Ella Bella holding

her new baby brother.