"I Need......"

Lee jokes about some who say "Dad, I need...." or "Lee, I need....", but today a different request came. Lee said, "Bette, I need.....Well, isn't that a change. What he needed was for me to help him, by putting tape on the front of his table saw so he could continue painting it.

This saw came from New Hampshire 32 years ago when Lee's parents moved to Greenfield. It had been purchased some 20-30 years before that. Does 60+ years make this saw approaching an antique. Don't know, but it certainly doesn't look new any more and Lee decided it needed a paint job.

I agreed to help. I put the tape on it for him and then I asked him if he wanted me to paint around the medal logo on the front that I had taped off. He said great and I painted it. When I finished Lee said thanks and I told him to call me if he needed me. Then I started out the door.

The picture below caught my eye. I have seen it hundreds of times over the years, since it came from NH with the table saw I had just helped partially restore. Today for some reason the picture made me stop and consider...... As many of you know...Lee has always been a perfectionist. He has very diminished eyesight - the government says he is legally blind - so at times I may be able to convince him something is perfect when there may be imperfections that he can't see. But the picture made me think I better not try to put anything over on him. Who knows, I could end up like the guy in the picture. Boy that wouldn't be good!

Horse Sitting!

Our next door neighbors have horses and from time to time through the years Lee has taken care of the horses when the Johnson's are away. After many years of this, Lee is the expected horse sitter and when the Johnsons were gone this weekend, duty called!

Whenever they are gone and I know Lee will be taking care of the horses, I still get a little nervous. Several years ago, actually probably 6-8 years ago, Lee was taking care of the animals and was changing a horse from the field to the barn. The weather had changed and he needed to bring her inside. I was sitting outside the barn in the truck and happened to notice the blur of a big brown horse running behind the truck and heading east as fast as she could go. Whoa! I knew something was wrong. Lee came out of the barn faster than I have seen him move in years, I jumped out of the truck and started running with my cane (this was before knee replacements) and Dell from across the street came running. Everyone was trying to get Molly running toward the barn. She went south and back around the house. Lee yelled at me to take the truck and block the north end of the field behind the barn. I made it back to the truck, backed up so she couldn't go past and fortunately she rounded the barn - realized she couldn't escape anymore and went into the barn. When Lee went in, she looked at him like "Where have yooooou been?

Well that episode ended well - I really don't think Lee ever told anyone, so the owners still think he is capable of taking care of their animals. But I digress from this weekend, which is really my story.

He didn't have to move any horses and Jewell is very well behaved and he makes Jewell's son Bandit think he is boss, so Bandit behaves, and it was a successful horse weekend.

Check out the pictures of Lee, Jewell, Bandit and Libby, the dog!

Horse Sitting Duty

Isabella's Baby Shower Gifts

My week just got a whole lot better about 1:30pm this afternoon. That was when I finished wrapping the gifts for our expected new granddaughter and it was before the shower. That was a plus. There were several times this week I thought I might not make it.

I decided the larger of the two gifts was one I could use some assistance with and I asked the Grandfather to help me. All went well for about 3 minutes - I was in control of my wrapping project while Lee stood by and helped at my direction.

Then......he sat down! I knew then that the self described 'master gift wrapper' from way back in New Hampshire days Lee Towle was now in charge and I had become the assistant.

All went well - Lee directing and me getting the tape and putting it where he indicated it was needed. Then I heard 'riiiiip' - not a good sound. I said why did you tear the paper. He looked at me like I was crazy and said 'Where?' When I showed him, he said 'We'll need some tape there.

Finally the job was completed and I felt good. I think it looks pretty and Lee agrees - of course that is coming from a blind Grandpa and a Grammy who doesn't see as well as she once did.

Pictures of the Baby Shower wrapping session!!!!!

Isabella's Baby Shower Gifts

What is a "Bad" week?

My oldest granddaughter and I were driving through town this morning and Grandma was teasing her a little bit....well Kirstin might say it was more than a little bit. At any rate her comment was "Grandma!!! I have had a bad week.

I informed her that I had had a bad week also, so I understand. Her answer was immediate, "No, you couldn't have had a worse week than I have had"

So I have been thinking about that today. I looked up 'bad'.....there are several definitions - some of them are

.....'unfavorable' as in a 'bad' impression
.....'unpleasant' as in 'bad' news
.....'incorrect' as in 'bad' grammar
.....'injurious' as in a 'bad' cough
.....'invalid' as in a 'bad' check

Well, none of the definitions defined a 'bad week'. I told Kert I am sorry she has had a 'bad week' and her response made me realize her week would get a whole lot better today or tomorrow. Her cell phone went into cardiac arrest and died. What teenager have you seen recently without a cell phone either in her hand or at her ear. None? I have that same feeling.

I haven't had cell phone problems this week (that was last week), so I guess my problems do not constitute a 'bad week'.

I have been stressing over a project I have been working on (one with a time constraint) and I am making progress. And to make Kirstin's week better, she is getting a new phone today or tomorrow. Then I know her week will be better.!

Thoughts......from a somewhat aging Bette!

I mentioned sometime ago how 50 years had changed how I react compared to my 14 year old grandson, Brendon. Since August 7th when that age of 65 hit me, I am trying to become more mobile and flexible. I know - that is a definitely tall order, but I'll never know if it is possible unless I try.

Lee is my very own personal woodcrafter. Whenever I think, "I need that", I tell Lee and in a somewhat reasonable length of time, he builds it for me. In my sewing/exercise/storage room I have an exercise bench that I told him I would need after having bilateral knee replacements done 18 months ago.

So now in the interest of keeping my 65 year old body flexible and moving, I realized I need a addition. ( Flexible is a term I am using quite loosely)....I decided I better check out the definition of the word. Webster's Dictionary online states that flexible is "Capable of being flexed; pliant - checking out pliant is the scary part - "supple enough to bend freely or repeatedly without breaking". Yeah that is what I want. Breaking would not be fun. Wonder how long it is going to take to reach that.

Well, back to the point. The addition! The family physician sent me to physical therapy to help with the movement of the aging shoulders. Tamara & Kelli, my therapists have me doing some muscle strengthening exercises using a pillow on the wall. A light went off in my head - Lee could attach the pillow to the wall permanently and it will be easier not holding it against the wall while doing the exercises.

The pictures show how clever my man is - I now have a pillow attached to the wall for those exercises to strengthen my upper arms and shoulders. It is sort of attractive also.

Lee building an Exercise pillow frame

I Made a Mistake.....Imagine that!

My previous blog described 4 sporting events I attended that my grandchildren were playing in. And I made a mistake regarding my basketball girl, Jayde. Well, as her mother pointed out, if I had made the same mistake regarding her, that would have been fine. But Jayde on the other hand was not very pleased with my mistake.

Okay, I'll confess.....the mistake....I said Jayde is my 10 year old granddaughter and she was quick to point out that she has had her 11th birthday on June 10, of this year.

I apologize Jayde!!! To make up for it click on the picture below to see Jayde during her first year 1996 and every year since to make 11 years!

(Disclaimer.....Jayde, please remember if I somehow have made a mistake in the ages of these pictures it is because the wrong age was written on the back or I put the picture in the wrong year on the computer) I love you Jayde!

Jayde is 11!!!

Grandkids Sporting Events!

In the past week or so, I have attended some games involving some of my Grands. I have attended football, basketball and soccer. What fun it all is.

Of course my grandchild is the most talented player on the field or court or wherever we are . I don't even have to know the rules and sometimes I can't even verify the player's number and I can tell my Grand is the best out there.....is that somewhat biased? Oh well, what are Grams for anyway.

Have attended football for Brendon, G-CMS, 8th grade, and Bryce G-CMS 7th grade. Guess that is kind of a boy type of game and I have two grands playing. Football I know a teeny, tiny bit about and what I do know has been gleaned from asking the boys Grandpa Gregory who has graciously provided information when I have asked over the past few years. At this last game I have pictures of, their Grandpa wasn't able to attend - so when my mind was saying.....

What are they doing?

Why did they call that?

What's happening? - I was lost.

I was sitting with Rob and Lisa Gleason, friends of Derek & Lana and Rob was kind and answered some of my questions and one time I heard him answer one that somebody else asked. I guess that was somebody who knows as little about football as I do. All in all, I have enjoyed the football games this year. I am understanding a little more than in years past. 8th grade won this game 20-6 and the 7th graders were also winners, 28-6.

My youngest son Nathan played basketball in middle school and high school, then had a basketball scholarship to U & I, (Go Hounds), so I learned a lot about basketball over the years.

And basketball was one of the games I attended this past week. Jayde, my 10 year old Granddaughter plays for the Little Cougar Girls Basketball and of course I want to be in attendance as often as I can. Jayde had 18 points in this game and her team won 28-5. Way to go Jayde, Good Game!!! It was a very fun game.

Finally I went to Paige's soccer game. Now -Soccer- I really know almost nothing about this, except that they kick the ball from goal to goal. No passing so many yards, and no dribbling down the court, - only kicking the ball. It is somewhat difficult to learn the rules of soccer watching 4 & 5 year olds play. The girls do somersaults now and then, the boys sit down and play in the dirt and they all, boys and girls have "cute" really figured out. They also don't keep score, but Paige's red team had 2 goals to the blue team's 1 goal.

Click on the picture below to see some of my pictures from my Grands sporting events!!!!

Grandkids Sporting Events!