Three weeks later ... Mon, 8/13/18

'Tis another palindrome week, always fun to catch these forward/backward sequences.  Jimmy and I live in a palindrome zone:  Our zip code is 95959, which pleases me more than the average person, I'm sure.  In the three weeks since my last post, we've been Out and About little, really not enough to keep us happy, but what can you do with high 90's temps and smoky air?  I liken it to being in severe winter blizzards, where you're stuck indoors for days on end ... only this is the flip side of that coin.  There are many of us who won't be sad to see summer's swan song.

No doubt anyone who reads this post will know that California is on fire ... a raging, deadly inferno, with many hundreds of homes burned to the ground, property destroyed, lives lost.  Yes, they're still burning, though I believe the monstrous blazes are nearing containment.  Yesterday and today we saw blue -- not hazy gray -- skies, a welcome sight!  And no discernible smoke, also noteworthy, and for which we are grateful. 

Two Sundays ago, the morning air was clear enough for us to go for a long walk, and that's about it for clean air and any outdoor exercise.  I was surprised to see a few wildflowers still in bloom, assuming that'd been fried to a crisp weeks ago.  The true-blue Chicory, above, was one I was happy to see.

We had the house painted, a light sage green, with slate blue trim and windows outlined in white.  How those two workers could stand working in the heat amazed us, but they did a fine job.  Our back deck re-do is finished and the deck looks fresh and wonderful.

It's been decided that bike-riding at our age isn't the best exercise, so we've sold our bikes on Craig's List ... got good prices for each, too.  While I'll personally miss pedaling, having ridden all my life, this is the right decision.

Well, then, if it's too mean outdoors to play, then indoors it'll be.  We enjoyed several visits with the younger folk, either in Sacramento (talk about hot temps, hoy!), or up here where it's minimally cooler.  Seeing the sprout is, and always will be, a highlight!  And she is sprouting!  I took the above pic two weeks ago, after she'd had her breakfast, and was feeling silly.

Yesterday (Sunday) Matt and Everly Rose popped up to see us.  A week ago, Jimmy and I bought a kiddie wading pool at the local hardware store for six bucks, I think, and it was worth every penny!  As soon as she saw the pool/water on our back deck, she was ready to shuck her duds!  Maybe we have a budding Esther Williams among us, hah!  I remembered that li'l ones like to play with Tupperware measuring cups, and she upheld that for me.  Into the water went other tiny toys, and a few plastic balls.  Also my feet.

Wait a minute, Sophie, you can just about see her thinking,

why are you drinking out of my pool?  

The small red metal pail was also a hit.

In and out went the toys, over and over.

No, don't drink the water!

OK, Gramma!  Jimmy and Matt kept a watchful (and amused) eye at the goings-on.

I think I used to sit like this, but not for many years!

She spent a long time playing in the pool, which was out of the direct and very bright sunlight.  Then, she stood up (a no-no), ready to get out.  I don't know what she was looking at in the above photo.  Cute suit for this bathing beauty! 

Time to dry off.  She likes this gourd that Jimmy and I got in Lancaster PA years ago.  It rattles when you shake it, which always brings a smile.  She's almost 17 months now and weighs 20 lbs, or in my view at the end of her visit, like lugging two 10-pound sacks of potatoes in one arm.  Toting her is, of course, much sweeter!

Sans bathing suit, Matt put on her, well, what would you call it?  A muu-muu?  What goes on over a bathing suit?  Whatever.  It was too big, but she didn't care.  I'd made strawberry-apple juice Popsicles and asked her if she wanted one.  She nodded and signed "please."  (Don't worry, she hears/speaks fine, but her parents are teaching her basic signing.)  She'd never had one before.  I told her to hold onto the stick and showed her to lick the Popsicle.  Her face!  I guess she didn't expect it to be cold and frozen, and she shuddered!

Everly and Grandpa Jim are comparing Popsicles.

Children can mystify grownups at times, and today she surprised the heck out of us.  When she came into the house and was walking around, playing with her little toys, she looked up to the top of our living room shelving unit, pointed at a female, gowned Asian figurine and said, "girl."  OK, that wasn't what floored us.  Beside that figurine is a glass bowl holding a couple hundred marbles.  She pointed, and said, "ball." (above) How did she recognize those tiny glass things high on the shelf as balls?  I guess we just didn't expect her to notice the marbles (we don't even see them anymore!).  She repeated "ball" till Matt finally took down the bowl and let her select three of the large ones, which she carried around the balance of the afternoon, setting them down here, there, and anywhere!  Yup, she's talking.

Matt and Jimmy grilled burgers and chicken breasts and yellow squash, to go along with homemade black beans and rice, and we feasted.  The child ate a saucer full of cherry tomatoes cut in half, and after dinner, when I asked if she wanted blueberries, her eyes lit up.  Yup.  She eats well, too!