Cool, really cool cars,

 

                                                             

While my own experience with cars is limited to home to school/store to home, I had spent time with my grandson, the car thief. Thank you, dear Lord, for technology. We will watch him grow up.

 

While his vocabulary was that of a two-year old (which he was at the time), he had clear vision on the types of cars.  There are three:  little cars, big cars, and cool cars.  He was quite serious when he said "COOL cars."

It makes perfect sense, this division of cars.

Here are some “cool cars”.

I tried to remember what this is....

Now, given that these are “cool cars”, there are many cars that used to be the "Kings of Cool Fast Cars".  Sadly, they have broadened their line. Now the cool cars are really expensive, and not that cool.

 

Not your father's Maserati

The Dukes of Hazard and Magnum P.I. must weep at the devolution of the cool fast cars.

P.S.  The Mustang is still the Mustang.  You can see them at this site.

 

I need to get better cars, some cool cars. These are not.  

These are the cars I used to "play cars" with my grandson over Skype. 

  

Life in the Fast Line

 

Tools of the trade

Talking to my grandsons on the far side of the world is so precious. Suddenly the preschool boys are missing teeth, standing taller, and having stories to tell me. But with FaceTime or Skype, I can watch them grow up some.

My daughter is such a sweet mom. I was never that patient or inventive as she is.  Today we talked and the boys were doing their nighttime routine, which meant to brush teeth, bathe, go to the toilet, and talk to me from the bathroom.

So, talking to anyone who is sitting on the toilet is a bit awkward while Mommy holds the iPhone so they can see me, and I see them.  I love them so much that my heart swells.

After one particularly rowdy routine, I gazed at my sweet girl, and started singing Life in the Fast Lane, blew a kiss at the group, and hung up.

Oh, so nice to be sitting on my side of the screen.

Betrayed

It was bound to happen.  I knew it, they knew it.  But, it came too soon.

I have been kicked out of the loop

 Who knows how long this has been going on??

This sneaked up on me.  But, then Stanley has been acting peculiarly.

This feels like betrayal.

It is time to up my game.

So far away

I'm in the northern yellow, Mary is in the green

Living 12,000 miles away from my daughter sometimes hurts so bad that my shoulders droop and my heart breaks.  So far away, I am not there to teach her many things that my mother taught me: history of Mom’s adventures, stories from my childhood, how to make a pie—and, not there to rock her little boy and sing him songs my mother sang to me.

So we watch that little boy Benjamin play, talk, cry, and grow up over the computer and hear how our daughter Mary is doing in Switzerland.  

Recently she stepped in a pothole while crossing the street, fell and twisted her ankle.  Benjamin looked down at her right next to him, still holding his hand.  He moved so he could sit on her lap and pat her shoulder, and hug her.  It’s alright, Mummy.  It’s alright.

Facebook is good as a tool to see what they are doing.  Richard, Mary, and Benjamin went to a petting zoo recently, where the goats received more than they deserved, bags of goat feed to buy; those goats were well padded.  He patted their furry goat butts, and gave them all the love and smiles that weren’t mine.

To be so very far away and watch a two year old become a three year old is a year he grew up and I grew older. 

Dang it.

Our Toys

From my cell phone

Even though Benjamin, my grandson-the-car-thief, lives in Switzerland, he and I communicate on Skype.

Again, wheels.

He has his toys, I have my toys, and they converse.  Benjamin still tries to reach through the computer screen, but give him time.  He'll figure it out someday.  Then, maybe, just maybe he will talk with me without me using a stuffed animal or a car conversing with his own frog or truck.

He wondered today why the wheels did not turn on my new Disney Pixar car. He loves the wheels most of all.  I could not give him a clear answer, which amused his father.

My Grandson, the car thief

I need some more cars.

Today my grandson and I played “cars”.  His collection is huge, while I have only 6 cars, one of which is gone.

One by one we shared our cars. 

My little yellow and orange plastic cars (from the movie “Cars”) to his massive earth mover which he calls his "digger".  My bus to his blue car...  

Yet the little stinker tried to take them from me!

My bus, fire engine, light green VW —the little thief tried to take them all!

Fortunately his hand could not break through the computer screen.  My car, indeed.

Skype is a marvelous invention for a grandmother longing for her little guy in Switzerland.

At least he didn’t get my hot red convertible.  It is under the desk, hiding.

 

Eating hamburger and French Fries with his daddy

The List

Me on a lovely bright beach day

It is a dark room day.

In a dark room house.

Not a creature is stirring,

Not even a m…

Wait!  Wait…I didn’t mean to write that.  Just slipped out of a brain that is on automatic mode.

What does one write when it is a dark room day, when light hurts and sounds skewer the head?

I read Delores at thefeatherednest and Cro at Magnon's Meanderings who created lists of good things, events, memories that remind them of the goodness of living.  Their lists were excellent, as they themselves are excellent.

My list on this dark room day is as follows:

                        Finding the perfect pillow

            Smell of movie theater popcorn

                                    Scent of lavender oil

                        Thunderstorms

            A crescent moon in a clear sky

                                    Seeing a baby

                                    Holding a baby

            Memories of Christmas with our children

                                                My husband’s laughter

                        Freshly baked bread

            Real butter

Our granddaughters giggling in the backseat of our car

                                    Reading Little Women for the first time

                        Buying packets of seeds in the spring

                                    SKYPE

            Having a phone

                        Indescribable joy of God’s love and presence

                                    Knowing how to pray

            Picking strawberries with my mother and talking with her, alone

                        Making strawberry jam

                                    Songbirds in the spring

                        Singing and not caring who hears me

                                                Talking with strangers in a line at the market

Watching a returning Marine sweep up his child at the airport

            Knowing that I am loved

                                    An hour without pain

                                                Redwood trees

                        Crème’ Brulee

                                      Holding a quilt made by a great-grandmother

                        Moments of silence

                                    Being able to weep, cry, mourn, laugh, giggle, etc.

                        Possessing empathy

                                                Rhythmic beating of a heart

What would be on your list?