JBP Chronicles, September

Dear Family and Friends,

The weather has cooled down for two or three days, and it's wonderful! Se, the 14-year-old Black Lab, has been prancing around like a puppy. She and I both love cool weather. Maybe I'm really a Labrador Retriever at heart.

I've been almost keeping up with school tasks while working on my writing and enjoying JBP. He keeps passing milestone after milestone of growth, and each one is fascinating.

Here are the latest. I hope you enjoy them.

Hugs,
Grammy

Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005
JBP has begun offering Grammy everything he has. First, he told me one morning, "I will give you $5 of my money, $7, so you can buy anything you need. I'll give you ALL my money."

Today he came downstairs, carrying his leftover chocolate cake from P.F. Chang's and an extra fork. "Dwammy, I'm going to share my take (cake) with you." When I said that I had had quite enough cake this week and couldn't eat any more, he lost interest in eating it, too.

But I WILL NOT eat that cake! I have gained three pounds this week alone.

Last week he told me, "Dwammy, you're not ugly. You're beautiful." I think his mamma has been talking to him.

When I worked on the phone banks for hurricane relief, I didn't want to appear on TV, but they cut to us several times while I was there. At home I complained about it, and JBP said, "You're beautiful." Beauty is, indeed, in the eye of the beholder. Especially if he's five years old.

Monday, Sept. 4, 2005
Yes, here I am in my office on a holiday -- again. JBP protested when I left this morning. "I thought we were all going to stay home."

"Mamma and Daddy are," explained Nimitz' Lady.

"Grammy works every day," I said.

"Not Sabbath." JBP scores again.

Yesterday morning he started to watch "Flubber." When the movie cat batted at the bits of flubber coming through the grate, JBP started to laugh. Then he called, "Mamma! Daddy! Come watch this with me. It's funny!" His parents duly came down to the family room, and we all watched for awhile. Then Der Deutscher (my Son-in-law) decided to go out and wash and detail Nimitz' Lady's car. JBP jumped up, flubber forgotten.

"I'm going with Daddy!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining. "I'm going to help!" Nimitz' Lady and I were left watching the movie until we decided, "We don't have to watch this," and Nimitz' Lady turned it off. JBP never did get back to it; working with Daddy was more fun.

Wed., Sept. 7, 2005
JBP loves Reflections Kids' Club, a casual organization for young kids, which meets after the church potluck sometimes. During the summer, it met twice a month. For the rest of the year, it will meet once a month. The kids play games, hear stories, sing (JBP loves music) and eat snacks (he loves those, too).

The theme has been nature -- specifically, frogs and insects. Each kid was given a T-shirt with a colorful picture of a tree frog on the front and the logo, "Friends in High Places." JBP got mixed up and called it, "Frogs in High Places." Very logical.

Fri., Sept. 9, 2005
A couple of weeks ago, I went down to the family room and couldn't find the remote. "Where is it?" I fretted.

JBP said, "Hello, it's right here," and he stepped up onto the hearth and retrieved the remote from the mantel. I thanked him profusely -- maybe too profusely. "You're lucky to have me," he said.

"Yes, I am," I said, willing to encourage a good self-image. "Otherwise, you would never find the remote," he said." "Hmmm." "Because you're old." And yet he lives.

Wednesday evening, he, his daddy and I were going to the store. Der Deutscher tries
not to use the ai/c in the car. He says it's hard on the engine. So the windows were open. Trying to get as much air as I could, I had my arm against the oustide of the car door.

"Dwammy, you're in danger!" yelled the little backset driver. "You could get hurt!" I dutifully pulled my arm inside and suffered the heat.

Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005
JBP and I went to the Cookie Bakeoff at the church last night. I did not want to go. I was especially tired and had slept all afternoon. I just wanted to stay home. Der
Deutscher didn't want to go, and Nimitz' Lady was exhausted from loading semis for the hurricane victimes for 3 1/2 hours each of the last two days.

Nimitz' Lady had made Lemon Tea Cookies. "Why don't we just stay home and eat cookies?" I suggested. "We're GOING to the Tookie Bakeoff." JBP asserted authoritatively. "MY friends are going, and I want to go, so we're going."

So we went. JBP was so happy playing with his friends that he could hardly eat. He took only one cookie the first time thorugh the line, though later I saw one of his mamma's half-eaten cookies on his plate, so he had gone through line again. He also eventually ate a small serving of homemade ice cream with fresh strawberries.

Then he went outside (with adult supervision) and played until it was time to leave.

I ate only a single spoonful of strawberries, and I nursed a diet Papsi throughout the evening. No cookies or ice cream. I played Phase 10, a card game, for the first time, with three guys. I think I lost. Anyway, I had to leave after the third phase.

JBP and I got home about 10:15. JBP threw himself into his mamma's arms, and she carried him upstairs to bed. He went to sleep instantly.

Oh, yes, Nimitz' Lady's cookies won third prize -- a $10 gift certificate at a nut
store.

Tues., Sept. 13, 2005
This morning I had an appt. for a mammogram. To begin with, I went to the wrong hospital -- St. Francis campus instead of St. Joseph campus. It's a good thing I started very early, way ahead of my appt.

So I had to walk back out the long hall, up the ramp and down the aisle to where I had parked Nimitz' Lady's car. Then I had to drive all the way across town from north to south. Fortunately, the interstate makes it easy.

At the correct hospital, they were repaving the parking lot, so I had to park in the overflow lot -- and walk a long way. Fortunately, my leg wasn't bothering me too much this morning.

I got all the paperwork done and changed my blouse and bra for a hospital gown. I sat in the waiting room with four other women. Three eventually were processed, and a fifth entered and changed her clothes. The two of us sat there for a long time. And then the technician came in and told us that the machine had broken down. We had to make new appts.

So by the time I got back home, the whole morning was shot. JBP wanted to watch "Kipper," which the calls, "Tipper." Kipper and his friend Tiger are Brtitish dogs, and they get into the same kind of trouble that little kids get into. JBP loves the stories and when he has a video of Kipper, he watches it over and over. Well, he does that with all his videos.

Lately, he has watched Rescue Heroes, too. He has a Rescue Hero firefighter figure, which he loves.

While I waited for Nimitz' Lady to shower and dress, I lay down on the couch. I think I actually got about 5 minutes of sleep. Nimitz' Lady and JBP dropped me at work on their way out for lunch. (Which never happened. JBP wanted to go to Applebee's, his favorite restuarant. When I said no, that was too expensive. He refused to pick another place and we ended up eating at home. He keeps trying but I've got too much experience at stubborn for him to out-stubborn me! --Nimitz' Lady)

Yesterday evening I made granola from a new recipe that came with my subscription to Vegetarian Times (or something like that). As the first batch was baking, I wondered aloud what I would put it in. I suggested the big, colorful ceramic bowl JBP painted for me for Mother's Day. He objected.

"Now, Dwamma," he chided, "I dave (gave) you that only for tookies (cookies)."

"Well, we're going to put "tooked" granola in it," I told him. "All right," he said, with the same words and exactly the same intonation we use on him, "if you want to ruin it. You'll see. The paint will water." (I think he meant "run.") The granola went into the bowl.

Actually, I htink my own "make" of granola is healthier. This one has added salt (why?), honey, syrup, oil and flour. Mine has none of those things. I just toast the oatmeal, dates, raisins, nuts and coconut. We all love it. Of course, this new recipe is very good. It also includes cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, so when it's baking, the house smells like Christmas.

Early this morning, right after Der Deutscher left for work, JBP and I were watching the weather report on Hurricane Ophelia. JBP, who labored mightily to help load a semi of food and diapers for Katrina survivors, said with a grin, "Oh-oh! We're gonna have to give more food."

Fri., Sept. 16, 2005
JBP had a great day yesterday. It was Kid Zone's "Mom's Day OUt." JBP got to spend the whole morning at Kids' Zone, from 9:30 to 1:30. When I saw him in the evening, he chattered about all the fun he had, with games, crafts and other activities. He ate lunch there, too.

Nimitz' Lady said that after she checked him in, he suggested, "Aren't you supposed to leave now?" He's growing up.

After supper, he played basketball "wich Kwamain" and Ryan, from next door. "With," means that he was shooting hoops in Kwamain's basket while Kwamain and Ryan played a game. Every once in awhile, one of them would toss the ball -- a regulation-sized ball -- to JBP, bat it out of his hand, or lift him up to slam dunk. He was in heaven!

JBP made numerous baskets with that big ball, and he even did it one-handed once o twice. The hoop was lowered, but the ball was bigger than JBP has played with before. Soon, he'll be making baskets with the goal at full height.

He and I went to the Dollar Store to pick up some school supplies for Operation Iraqi Children. A Presbyterian church in town is coillecting the supplies. A member will take them to the Big City, where they'll be shipped to Iraq for distribution by U.S. miitary personnel.

JBP took his piggy bank along,a nd while I picked up school supplies, JBP decided on the toy of the day. He chose a foam plastic football. He can't wait to play with it. By the time we got home, it was bedtime, so he had to wait for today. (Although none of us have spent any time watching football or playing it, he sure has a knack for the game. He can throw that ball with a perfect spiral and straight as an arrow. This basketball household is sure in trouble. We know little to nothing about football and care even less! Oy vay! --Nimitz' Lady)