Dog Day Afternoon

What a QUIET house we have this afternoon! The grandkids left with Mom about noon. Mom and Dad are probably hearing a lot of “Are We There YET?” from the back seats of the car — family was headed to the coast for a long weekend. We were left in charge of taking care of their pet , REX, a bearded dragon lizard.

Taking care of Rex means that we:

turn on two special lights each morning about 9:00 and off each night about 9:00
feed him crickets each morning being sure that they aren’t too large or else he might choke and die (at least we don’t have to hunt for them — they come in a special cricket container from the pet store — but he shouldn’t get more than 10 a day, so we must count them as we drop them into his aquarium)
chop up some lettuce and/or carrots each morning also so that he gets some veggies with his protein
change his two water bowls and clean out the itty, bitty “poop” in his cage
and . . . “most importantly” (says Brielle) “take Rex out and hold and rub him at least twice a day — he really likes that.”

I wonder if Terry got all that down!

Our grandchildren’s parents tell us that it takes them a few days to get “their children” back to normal after visiting with us. Seems we do things to/for/with the grandkids that makes every day living with them a little bit tough. We just chuckle and keep doing things that grandparents do — does it REALLY matter that they get a chocolate malt every night before bed, even if it’s late; or that they can eat on trays in front of the tv; or that they don’t have to take a bath here EVERY night; or that the Tooth Fairy at our house gives $5 for a tooth (the first lost tooth); or that we laugh when we shouldn’t at some comments or behaviors; or that we do just about anything to please our grandchildren?

The question has several answers:

it doesn’t matter at all when you consider what effect it might have 100 years from now
it doesn’t matter at all when you consider how special these blessings from God are to us grandparents
it doesn’t matter at all when you consider some of the special moments and memories these children will have for the rest of their lives
it doesn’t matter at all, unless you are the parent trying to teach your children the proper ways to eat, to act, and to become responsible adults
it doesn’t matter at all, if you remember being a grandchild and experiencing some wonderful times with Mamo, Papo, Grandmother, Nanie, Mam, or GranDad (sorry, can’t list them all) — you know it didn’t do any real harm to be spoiled by them.

So, now that THAT is settled . . . back to the quietness at our house.

Hear that noise in the hall? . . . just the a/c unit cycling . . .
Is that someone coming down the hall? . . . no, it’s just our old deaf and blind poodle dog, Beau, bumping into things . . .
Where is that sound of running water coming from . . . oh, the ice maker . . .
The tv has a news program on, what happened to the cartoons . . .
The only things coming in and out the front or back door are sunshine and Beau . . .

While I comtemplate the quietness, Terry and “partners” take advantage of it: