He Went That Away

PDub and family stopped by for visit today and we were enjoying some front porch/sandbox time when Mama at Law stepped out to chat.  She sat down on the front steps, and PDub muttered something about going to find Suzie, the Lab, as he wandered around the corner of the house.  Well, literally, 20 seconds later, when he had not reappeared, I decided to check on him. 

Gone.

Vanished.

I stuck my head in the back door and asked Papallama and Daddy at Law if he had come inside, and they said he was running across the yard the last time they saw him.  (Really, guys, that didn't strike you as odd? Papallama said I had never lost a child before, so he wasn't worried.)

Be still my heart!  No sign of P anywhere in the yard.  Now, he loves to hide, but I could tell he wasn't on the property.  You just know these things.  So I started yelling for him.  I thought I heard a reply, but it was WAY too far off to make me feel any better.  I took off across the yard, through the woods, and onto the street behind our house.  (See why Grammy has to run?)

Sure enough, four houses away on the street behind us, there was my sweet P.  With Suzie.   Did he get a scolding? Oh, yeah,  Did he understand?  Mmm, a little.  But Suzie had disappeared and he was on a mission to find her. 

That's one more difference in girls (mine, anyway) and boys.  My girls would have never left the yard, much less run through any size, shape, or form, of woods to chase a dog.  But then, you know what boys are made of, right?

Snips, and snails, and puppy dog tails~

Tough Grammy

There is a children's book that I love (surprise, surprise) by Mem Fox.  It's Tough Boris, and it's a patterned story of a pirate, Boris von der Borch.  It goes something like this.  Boris is tough...all pirates are tough.  Boris is scruffy...all pirates are scruffy.  You get the idea.  Now here's the spoiler alert.  I'm going to tell you how the book ends...after all the adjectives telling how tough, scruffy, mean, greedy, fearless,and massive Boris is, his parrot dies.  And Boris cries.  All pirates cry.  And so do I.
I thought about it yesterday when unexpectedly I was hit by the grief  of losing my mother last spring.  I was doing a simple task.  I had to deposit a check from her estate into the bank.  Suddenly, a flood of memories came over me and the tears began to flow.  Gut wrenching, cry out loud sobbing that left me sitting in the car and just letting myself 'get it all out'.  The tears stayed with me most of the day and I just let them be.  I know that it's normal.  I know it's something I have to go through...well, I don't think I'll ever be over it, really.  I do know how to accept it though.  So I share that experience, just so Mama at Law and Mama Cat understand that I'm not as tough as I act.  Just like Boris. 

I think you could take the Tough Boris book pattern and create one like this.  Grammy is fun.  All Grammies are fun.  Grammy is silly.  All Grammies are silly.  Grammy is sweet.  All Grammies are sweet.  Grammy is happy.  All Grammies are happy.  But when Grammy's mommy died.  Grammy cried and cried. And so do I. 

It's okay to cry~

See Rock City

When I was a little girl headed to church camp in the mountains, I vividly remember seeing the barn roofs in the valleys painted black with big white letters...SEE ROCK CITY...or SEE SEVEN STATES.  I always wanted to visit this magical place, but its location remained a mystery to me until this past Saturday. 

Rock City, it turns out, is part of the charm of Chattanooga, TN, and close enough to Baby Bird's nest to check out!  Here are a few helpful tips in case you decide to go see it for yourself.

No strollers are allowed.  You'll understand why as you read on. 



Come on, Mama Cat.  You carried him for nine months.  How hard can it be?



Hydrate yourself.  Walking is involved. And a cap and suncreen are advised.

They don't call it Rock City for nothing.

Be prepared to squeeze through some tight places,



or cross over high and narrow walkways...



or swinging bridges.

Your reward will be to see fantastic fauna and mountain scenery,  or view seven states if the skies are clear.


Papallama takes a count.

 

But most of all, you will love spending time in the fresh, autumn air with the ones you love.

~SEE ROCK CITY