Ending the Year with a Darling

The above is my granddaughter a few hours old.



This is Shaylin, at home, 4 days old.

I've been told the experience of GrandMother is like no other. So far, it's wonderful. I have the good fortune of watching two loving parents working together to nuture and care for their darling first daughter.

Blessings to you at Christmas

With the help of Charlie Brown, with whom I grew up --

May you always find,

All the warmest feelings of love and kindness both given and received,
Satisfaction of wealth in many ways ~ love and even money or whatever else it is you need,
That you will be kept free from harm, and if something unforeseen should cause you to fall or stumble, may you feel the love from around the world reach out to catch you and steady your step.

May you always find,

Blessings of Peace and Love for your Doorsteps
A Drop of your Favorite Yuletide Speciality in Your Cup
And a Warmth in Your Heart that never ever leaves,
I wish for you, this day and always ~

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Merry Christmas!

You are Only Twelve Hours Old Once.....

I have been promoted. I accept this new responsibility with great pleasure. I am so happy right now. It is just a place to be that is so overwhelmed with love and joy. I am a reigning Grand Mother.

Just some updates -

Correction on my granddaughter's size -- Shaylin is 20 inches long, not 22, as first reported.
Her eyes are blue, but she was just 12 hours old when I commented on this.
She is so, so cute, not just cute!
She is already on Facebook! In a Video!! I will have to speak with these parents to find out _just what_ this might lead to.

I will say, I don't get, totally this younger generation and the techno connection, but look at me here blogging, bragging and all ...

Today, I had to make a decision. You see, I have a cold. What to do about seeing Shaylin? I asked my sister in laws, and we asked a nurse at the desk at the hospital, and they all concurred with my thoughts -- err on the side of caution. (Grrrr, I detest it when I am right,)

So, I didn't hold my grand-baby or get to really see her.

I had driven down to The Center, with Madam B who (happily) went in and was crinkling with excitement and had no plans of leaving, even though I was respecting my decision not to go in, her mama would have to just suffer the grandma-blues, as she, OTOH, had an Auntie-jones going on, and was meshed into it like how pizza melds together in a hot oven. Looks like pieces that don't match in the beginning, and after it melts, you just love it all together like that!

I waited there in the lovely lobby for a while, then became overcome with a need to communicate my feelings, so I sent a text message to my son, "I just gotta look at her" ...

A little bit later, I could see through the cracks of these large doors that have to be buzzed open, some movement that looked like my son's shirt going back and forth. After a little bit later again, my son came out and said, 'come with me, mama.'

He lead me around this corner to an area where glass windows are. The blinds are inside. They don't use the room there to much any more because all the babies are with their mothers in the rooms for the whole time after they are born. (How cool is that!).

The blind was pulled up, and there was The New Mama, Auntie Scarlett, and Shaylin Nicole! It was just a beautiful moment. The tears did fill and over flow, and I did the happy dance.

But, we weren't alone out there in the hall! It seems, to our right, a hall opened up for a ward for elderly people, and somehow, there being a baby there in that window, drew at least 15 or so, people over there! They came over in little packs like a signal was drawing them! It was freaky - funny, but freaky. All smiles and amazed at the child in the window.

They were all uuoohhhh-ing and awwwwww-ing, and Scarlett said --when Shaylin would make these really cute little faces,-- they would all make *the sound* in sync, and so from their side, it sounded like a choir!

I told my son, "well, I guess this is like her debut?" It was cute. Twelve Hours old, and there she was, capturing a crowd.

It put me in the mind of that expression about God's meanings and what He thought babies represented to us, His good opinion that the world should go on...

And seeing these strangers there in the hall, Ooohing and Awwwing over this sweet, little baby with us, no questions asked, that's exactly what I felt. God's Good Opinion has been passed on to us.

This baby is here now, and the world must go on, so we may as well be happy about it, or be pegged for fools! Even strangers in a hallway know to be overjoyed in unison at the site of a newborn baby. Sounds like a plan to me. A really good plan.

She's here!!

All is well. We got the call.
7 pounds, 4 ounces. 20 inches.
Shaylin Nicole.

Photos soon.

We are so happy.

We heard her crying, and every time Mama or Daddy would talk to her, she would quiet. Oh, this is going to be great!

Texting!!

Texting during labor!! I love my cell phone! My son keeps doing a Mass Text -- updating us as things progress! All the phones go off, and we freak!

He sent us a jumble of the name. I think I got it ~

But the last text he wouldn't confirm, but the midwife is there, and we are at 8 CM ~

We are so excited over here! We wish we were there, but it's better that we are here, even though we wish we were there!!

I
am
going
to
be
a
GRANDMA!!!

She's on her Way....

I am so excited! Tonight, right now, my son and daughter in law are having a baby!! They are at the hospital. I should have some news by tomorrow morning. I know that it's a girl.

I don't know her name, but I can hardly wait to meet her!

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.

Vincent van Gogh

There's a moon out tonight...

whoa, whoa, oohooooo ~

Tonight, a "perigee" is happening ... Go outside and look ~ QUICK!

At this link, you can really see the huge moon, and read the story

A full moon has occurred closer to the Earth than it has done at any time for the past 15 years.

The Moon's elliptical orbit means its distance from the Earth is not constant.

It was a little over 350,000km away as it passed over the northern hemisphere, about 30,000km closer than usual.

That, loosely translated means, the moon looks very, very big.

My photo is not professional. But there you have it. My evidence that I did see the perigee event. Yay, team.

(I don't know how the moon got squeeshed in this photo below. It looks like a huge jelly bean.)

What others have said....

1. I do not much believe in education. Each man ought to be his own model, however frightful that may be. ~~ Albert Einstein

2. The magic of children is their ability to cloud our memories so that when we look back we recall only the golden moments, the sweet laughter and the sentimental tears, and none of the awful trials. ~~ Russell Baker

3. The greatest thing a human being ever does is to see something and tell what he see in a plain way. ~~ John Ruskin

The Power of Positive Stress

This morning my Stress didn't even say good morning,

it said, "I am so tired. Why didn't you walk yesterday? Why didn't you marinate the chicken? There is no lettuce. There are no refried beans. What's up with no fruit in the house? Your cat is eating tinsel, for pity sakes - buy some cat food! Did you lose the stamps again?! Your plants need watering, and why is that frog-poo still on the porch! Good grief, woman! Finish that coffee and get the lead out!

I said, "Run, Forest, Run!!"

Okay, so Who Knew?

In The Palm Beach Post on Monday was an article titled Online Sites Nurture Kids' social skills, by Verne Kopytoff from the San Francisco Chronicle. Its information came from am study sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation.

Some more information is here under Web Socializing.

Part of the article reads:

"Good news for worried parents: All those hours their teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing, according to a new study by the MacArthur Foundation. 'It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it's on MySpace or sending instant messages,' said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study, 'Living and Learning With New Media.' 'But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They’re learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page.' The study, conducted from 2005 to last summer, describes new-media usage but does not measure its effects."


the in between part of the articles does reflect some of the concerns, but seems to say they are given more life than what they really have.

Here is the last paragraph of the article:

Although Internet socializing may not be a "bad thing," the full consequences of things like instant messaging have yet to be determined. For years college professors and business leaders have lamented that writing skills of students and employees have been deteriorating. I'm sure that learning to write things like, "OMG iono lol/well I left you a comment ... u sud feel SPECIAL," is going to improve those writing skills in the future. My advice to parents: see what skills your children are learning on the computer and encourage them to use them -- then identify what skills they are not learning and establish a program to help them gain those skills. I don't worry too much about the future and the affect that information age technologies will have on societies, but I do believe we need to understand what is happening so that training and education in the future makes the right adjustments to ensure that future generations grow up cultured and productive.

So, it sounds like - this is a real situation, the whole internet making friends thing, so then parents, now, it's up to you to find a way to deal with it that wll bring success to those in your family who are currently affected!

And then, before you know it, It's All Good!

And a positive day to you, too! So, there!

This was the message in my in box from Thought for Today -

Dear roxie

Positive thinking and optimistic outlook will never produce bad results. Negative thinking and pessimistic approach will never produce good results. Positive thinkers will never fail. Negative thinkers will never succeed.

I get it. I do get it. And I am a Positive Thinker.

What I have observed in the world of Positive Thinking is that it is quite possible to annoy people, who are not quite there yet, with your over positive assertion and drivel. (I am a studier of human behavior, as it is one of the most perplexing things ever.)

Looking at it closely, it may be that (some) Positive Thinkers don't give people a chance to process the happenings in their lives without just wanting them to move on with a wave of their hand, into the land of It's All Good.

I consider myself a kinder, gentler version of Positive Thinking (oh, aren't I just so special?). But honestly, I do allow people some moments of lapsing about in the land of negativity before I turn on my Enlightening Lamp to shine on their downtrodden thoughts.

I guess what I try to do, is keep the person steady on their feet instead of just turning on the flood lights and having them not really realize where they are. It seems, that sometimes, if you give people a minute to feel through whatever it is, they can find their way out of the dark, even if it is only to say, 'it could be worse' - which might not be deemed as positive thinking, but it's a start.

So let's see, how to sum up ...

Think Positive. Think Clearly.
Put the Gun Down.
Don't shoot the messenger.
Today will be a better day (yikes, or is that tomorrow?).
Check your caffeine quota.
Run, Forest, Run!

Respect your Stress

To deal with stress successfully, one really has to know themselves and accept that their self does know. And then, one must listen and respond, to what one tells oneself (one's self? themself?. feel like you're in a Kung Fu movie, grasshopper?...)

I kind of know myself, but not well enough yet, to totally acknowledge, and act on, my inner most thoughts; that is, I ignore the 'signals' that come from deep within, and don't seem to have learned to Respect my Stress or it's signals.

I still, foolishly, push those limits, and I have not figured out why it is I do that. Do I think I am a super hero? No. Maybe I think I am not worth it? I'm working on that.

One would think, by the time one is reaching the other side of their trip around sun, yet another time, that one would just readily acknowledge those signals out of respect for oneself.

After quiet examination, what I felt like doing was walking like Forest Grump did. Just start walking. And keep walking ...not sure when I wanted to stop - so, I figured I needed to move it, move it --

So, I did at least start walking around my block. And then increased to a mile and a bit a few days a week. And, every day I try to race my little nephew. He always wins, although it's funny, he thinks he has to compete with me, and he keeps looking back at me to see if I am gaining on him! It really makes me laugh.

So, that is one of my new goals in life. Respect my inner signals.

Respect my stress. (Truth is, I feel more like slapping it around a little.)

(I need to hone up on my Kung Fu speak.)

Back in the Yark Again

My hands feel dry, and I have dirt in my fingernails that will take a very long soaking to remove. I feel great! I've been working in my yard for two days. I love it.

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. ~ John Muir

I have no extra cash to buy plants or shrubs, so I've been working with cuttings and marigold seeds, and cleaning out my beds, which are a mess. (I think I might be rounding a corner on coming out of my depression.)

I really find a joy in watching things grow.

"Though I have looked everywhere, I can find nothing lowly in the universe." ~
~A R Ammons (from "Still")

I had saved a bunch of marigold plants that died after being pummelled by one of the tropical storms. I don't know why exactly I saved them. Sentimental, maybe? But, they were in a huge pile behind this park bench we have in our front yard. I think it was knowing there was the potential for life that I kept them. I knew they had the power to scatter and plant themselves, but I wanted them with me.

I broad casted the seeds in a few different areas. I've never done this before, so this will be interesting to me to see if they sprout and how hardy they will be. In areas I had cleared, I scattered the seeds and then covered them with some kind of 'good soil' that costs more than regular dirt at Home Depot. (I'm not exactly a Master Gardener, I just sort of wing it, figuring dirt and plants together, oh well, it's all good, you know? God does best with the rest.)

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art." ~
Leonardo da Vinci

While I was cleaning out one of the beds, I found a Cilantro sprig from a plant that had died, so I replanted that. I also found a little sprig of basil, so I got that in, too. I'm curious to see if they hold and grow. They both smell so good.

I have a bunch of small pots, so I'm going to put cuttings in them and some more of the marigold seeds. I figure it's better that than looking at empty pots.

I have some oregano growing, some spearmint that might come back, one tomato, and some onions. I'm doing peppers again this year, and I am determined to learn how to make salsa.

Also! I found a new caterpillar! I'll have to post a photo when #2 son comes back from the FSU/Gator game in Tallahassee, as he borrowed my camera. But I know what it is. It will be a yellow butterfuly. Actually, I have four different butterfuly species in my yard. I am such a sap. I love this nature stuff.

It rained hard after I planted those seeds, so who knows what happnened to them. In two days, I spent 7 hours in my yard. And I have a really small yard. I wonder, what in the world was I doing out there all this time!

After the beautiful weekend, we got that rain and now a cold front has moved in. I know, it's South Florida, so many people say, 'what cold?' and it's true really, but still - no snow maybe, but you could use a jacket.

~~Insert -

I must have taken a commercial break because this post and another post got mixed up together. One of those laspes where the neurons misfire, explode, and doing something totally weird and unexplainable. Never mind, me.

Christmas Shopping and Random Movement

Yes, I say Christmas shopping, not holiday shopping. It's Christmas to me.

This year, this year, I must respect the fact that we have - oh how should I phrase this - limited funds? I am so tempted, quite tempted, because it is Christmas to use that charge card, but I can't, I can't, I can't. I must exercise self control, but that won't stop me from searching around for some ideas!

My sister in law said my father in law needed some kind of slippers that were not so bare to walk around the house in (tile floors) and I found these --

Tired Foot Care Socks

They look really cool! I looked around the site, and there are a lot of other neat things, too. Clever little items for comfort.

When I turned that 'aging' corner - I began to look at all these lovely little items of comfort as my bone and joints began to speak to me. They say things like, "You silly fool! Do you really think you can run across the park with your nephew who is five without training for 6 weeks, and I'm not going to just have to rest for three days! We don't do random running any more!"

But that aside, I'm having to consider myself, in training (old people talk for "out of shape.)

More later, must leave -

Rendition

I have no business being up this late, watching a movie, but I got into this one. Rendition is a film in the category of Lions for Lambs. It gives you information, but now, what are you going to do with that information?

I view a lot of movies this way. Some people watch a film and say, 'what happened there?' And, I view the film and know, it's for me to decide what I think, and now, what am I going to do?

I can't pass any remarks regarding any real and actual truths regarding the details of this story although it is alluded to be based on the true story of a man named Khalid El-Masri (you can read the Wiki entry here, but warning, it's rough reading).

I read in one of the reviews of this movie that some people had walked out on the film because of the subject matter. I have no details of what exactly they were offended by or who the people were who were offended, so, I'm not to helpful to you there.

The story is based around a terrorist bombing and a man who is suspected of taking a phone call from a terrorist group who is reportedly involved in that bombing. The man, Anwar, is detained and tortured.

The story then reflects upon the reactions of the people involved and gives us a brief look at their situations, showing different reactions for different reasons as the story unfolds for them.

The CIA Agent (Jake Gyllenhaal) is experiencing his first involvement with *getting information* from suspects held without benefits of any rights afforded to them.

What struck my heart most in the film was seeing how the younger generations are just lead into the ideas of the older generations because, well, those are the ways
we live, right? Whichever culture it is, dictates their beliefs as correct on the next culture, right?

I'm not saying that any one's belief systems are right or wrong. I'm saying there are young people who come up and want to go another way than those of their elders. In some cultures, that is not only discouraged, but told to the young they are wrong and there will be no changes without serving eternity in hell.

In watching the film, something resonated with me when a woman in the film, the mother of a troubled young teen, says, "They don't live in the old ways. They live in the new ways." But the father can't change. He's too deep in his life and *the ways* and rules of that life. He can't put it down for a second to even listen to what his daughter may have to say. These people love each other, but differences cannot be tolerated.

Sometimes, the new ways, are not necessarily wrong, but, sometimes, I wonder, can't people see their ways could use a make-over? But, certain people in the generations have such a problem with change. They view any difference in lifestyles they were living, as wrong. It's such an old story. Perhaps it will not turn out to badly when it doesn't involve violence, hate, shame, threat of alienation from love, or, as I mentioned before, fear of hell through all eternity, or any kind of fear.

Some people may watch this film and feel like there was no character development. I don't think there was supposed to be. It was not really about these people. It's about what happened to them, what they experienced, and then it's about You. It's about you -the collective *you*. What you think. What you want for this world. What are you willing to change to make things better in this world.

And yes, we are all responsible for what is happening in this world.

Every single last one of us.