I have apparently, without really meaning to, taken a time out from my blog so I have decided to make it an official time out and take a blog break. I reserve the right to return briefly or long term at will. After 5 1/2 years of blogging I love and appreciate my blog friends and I will continue reading what you have to say.
It was the 3rd of June, another sleepy, dusty, delta day......oops, wrong ode. My 4th of July started as a bright and sunny Colorado day and was not nearly as sad and mysterious as as the song that first line is from, "Ode To Billy Joe" most well known, I think, as recorded by Bobbie Gentry in 1967.
As I said, it started out as a beautiful day and I went to a July 4th celebration with my daughters and their families at their swim club. It was all fun and games for a while.....
Floating
Sun bathing
Teenagers being teenagers
Beck trying,
and trying some more to push his dad into the pool.
Then....a few clouds came over which was nice for cooling things off,
until the lifeguards cleared the pool due to lightening.
Within a few minutes everyone was running for shelter from rain, hail and wind.
Sad that it cut the day short and a little mysterious that less than a mile either way from the pool everything was dry, but all good because the weather was fine for fireworks shows later that night.
Definitely not as sad and mysterious as "Ode To Billy Joe."
(And I still don't know why Billy Joe McCallister jumped off the Tallahatchie bridge.)
I guess it is a good sign that I have ignored my blog for a while when a couple of other bloggers send e-mails asking if everything is okay. I am fine (thanks for your concern) but the days of June have really flown by. I worked for a week and then spent a few days after that catching up with chores and errands....not much fun to write about.
We did have a good Father's Day picnic (minus my son and his family who were out of town) with baseball and water balloons.
Beck was a water balloon maniac
Hope out for a catch
Jared played a little hard ball catch with his uncle Brandon
What EJ lacked in style she made up in determination
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Last week Doc and I got away for a few days to the beautiful Colorado River between
Arizona and Nevada.
We got to celebrate the first day of summer by going to a Beach Boys concert.
Even though only one or two are from the original Beach Boys the music was great
and it was a very fun and nostalgic way to greet the summer
Now I am hoping for things to slow down for a bit with some time to enjoy the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.
The following is a short post I wrote about two years ago that, to say the least, fell flat with those who read it, never a good feeling for a blogger. A new TV ad that I just heard this week (see below) has made me feel a little better.
This blast from the past showed up on my car radio this morning. Most all of us (at least those of a certain age) will remember the Chicken Fat song, also known as "The Youth Fitness Song".
The song was written for President Kennedy's Physical Fitness Program and was distributed to all the school districts in the country in the early 60s. It was composed by Meredith Wilson and recorded by Robert Preston, both of Music Man fame.
It became a hit song and was played in both schools and homes. I remember working out to it in gym class (wearing the one-piece gym suit that was the requirement of the day). For a time at my school it was even played each morning over the school speaker system so kids and teachers could work up a sweat before the day began.
Wherever and whenever it was played, when it came to the tag line Give that chicken fat back to the chicken and don't be chicken again!, everyone sang together at the top of their lungs.
Maybe a resurrectionof the Chicken Fat song is just what we need to help solve the problem of today's childhood obesity.
If this song is a blast from your past, do you have any Chicken Fat Memories?
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Nearly every person that commented on the post said in one way or another that they had never heard of the song, didn't know what I was talking about and certainly had no memories to share. Sigh....a blog bomb for sure.
Well, these nearly two years later Apple has made me feel a little better by featuring the Chicken Fat song in a new TV ad for the Iphone 5s. At least someone besides me remembers this song that I had such strong memories for me.
Grandparents sometimes wonder and talk about what their grandkids will remember about them. Will they remember that they were fun or funny or that they taught them wise things about the world or taught them how to bake cookies or told them wonderful stories? I'm pretty sure that the main thing my grandkids will remember about me is that it was a really bad idea to hide from Grandmom.
I know kids think it is fun to hide and hear you calling and calling for them while they crouch down and giggle in their hiding place. I don't think it is fun or funny. When I can't find a kid, I panic. Even at home when I know they are around somewhere I don't like it one bit if I can't find them.
One of my granddaughters found this out a few years ago when I was staying with her at her house and she thought it would be funny to hide from me in the basement. By the time she finally emerged I had called her mom and was considering calling the police. I know, I know, an over reaction but I can't help it.
This morning my 3 year old grandson was at my house and I called him several times and got no response. Yes, we did find him hiding behind the curtain in the bedroom. He came out with a big smile on his face. I did not have a big smile on my face and I think the poor kid will think twice before he hides from me again.
I think maybe this stems from an incident many years ago when my son was about 5 years old. He had a friend over playing and the little boy, as boys do, thought it would be fun to hide. I was completely panicked that I had lost some one else's child by the time we found him. He thought it was funny and when his mom picked him up she thought it was funny. I. did. not. think. it. was. funny!
Needless to say, I am not a big fan of playing hide and seek with the kids so they have made up a game called Dumb Hide and Seek. There are lots of rules but the basis of the game is that you just pretend you can't see the other players. I have to give them credit for what they are willing to do for their dumb, crazy grandmom.
By the end of this week all of my school age grandkids will be done with school for the summer. Before summer can begin there have been lots of end-of-school activities tailor-made for a proud grandmom.
Jared finished 7th grade with all A's, an award for being the 7th grade math student of the
year and several other awards.
Justin finished 5th grade as one of two 5th graders with all A's for the entire year.
Anna finished kindergarten with all the enthusiasm that she brings to everything she does.
Hope seemed a little pensive before the start of the 6th grade end of year orchestra concert,
but when it came time to play she did a great job.
I didn't get to attend an event for Wil who just finished 3rd grade but I hear he also has the math thing going on.
I also didn't get to attend EJ's end of kindergarten program but I did hear this good time girl told her teacher and her classmates that her plans for the summer are watching TV and drinking beer.
