Logan had a Ball

Neighbor Logan (8) was bouncing a ball with a steady rhythm. He dribbled up and down the street, playing by himself. I thought that was a good time to fetch the mail, and I made sure the camera was in my pocket. His handling of the ball was impressive. He could dribble, throw it a distance, and recover it as it tried to escape. I was amazed when he proudly showed me that he could dribble through his legs. Wow! He agreed to trying a video, and he waited for me to say go before he moved. He’s a team player!

Logan’s Pronouncement on Valentine’s Day

We were just going out for our walk at dawn when neighbor Bob pulled the car to the front of the house. Logan (8) came tearing out, wearing a bright red jacket. He was bouncing so much, he appeared to have pogo sticks for legs. John called out to Logan as Shawn walked sedately to the car. Logan thought he asked where they were going, and he shouted mid-bounce, “We’ve got a conference at school!” Jump! Bound! Twist! Jump!

The boy ran over to our yard as John repeated his statement, “We were going to ask if we could catch a ride to the bus stop.”

Logan stood still for two seconds and said, “No! That would be cheating!”

Off he bounded to fling himself into the car before his mother could buckle her seat belt.

We are still chuckling.

After school I texted Shawn to see if Logan could come over for his Valentine. He and John graciously posed with the balloon.

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John took David and me out for an early lunch in Waynesville. because David was to start work mid-afternoon. That worked out beautifully. We were the third group to be seated in the Sweet Onion. When we left, people were waiting in the lobby, glad to see us go.

On the way out, we paused to wish an older couple Happy Valentine’s Day. The man wore a red blazer and red bow tie. His wife had a lovely red and black top and wore heels. They giggled and admitted they felt a bit overdressed. They had gone to a funeral in the morning, and he changed into the red jacket which he’d left in the car. What a delightful couple! I wish we could have gotten to know them.

There was just enough time for us to pose with our family balloon before David went to work. We had spoken or exchanged greetings with all our children, as well. What a lovely day it was!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Life Lessons I didn’t Learn

I learned two things this week. One was how to pick up a lady beetle, and the other was what I did wrong with car seat belts.

Lady beetles, the little red bugs that look a bit like lady bugs, were hard to pick up from the floor. Sometimes I used my nails to capture them, but I dropped a lot. I thought about grandsons David and Nathaniel picking up jigsaw puzzle pieces by pressing an index finger on them. It doesn’t work for me, but I could use that technique. To make a bug stick, I lick my finger, gently press on the bug, carry it to the toilet, and flick it in. I’m very pleased with my new method, and I haven’t heard the bugs scream yet.

We began shopping for a new car this week, since the Honda just had its fourth alternator installed. The salesman sat in the back with me, as John drove and David explored the dashboard. The seat belt locked, as it often does for me. The back seats in all the cars we’ve had always trapped me with demented belts. Other people sat in those seats without a problem. It never entered my mind that it could be my fault.

I asked the salesman, “Do you know why a seat belt locks like this? I can’t move it.”

I was shocked when he said, “Yes. Unbuckle it, put it back to the start position, and do it again.”

I followed his directions and pulled the belt out again.

“Don’t pull it further out than you need to. Just buckle it, and it should be fine. It’s a safety feature for baby seats. By pulling it far out, it locks to hold the baby seat firmly.”

Golly Pete! Not knowing any better, I’ve always extended the belt too far. Where are secrets like this hidden? How do you learn life lessons that are so common they aren’t explained? What else do I need to know? Help!!!

Waiting for the Bus

We walk before the sun rises, so we are getting up a tad bit earlier than we did in December. Today the timing was perfect for seeing neighbor Logan (8) as he waited for the school bus. He was so full of energy that a car could not contain him for long. He wriggled up through the window to perch there and chat with John. Having failed to put my camera in my pocket, I borrowed John’s phone to take a shot. We had a win/win situation. Logan posed nicely for me and then made funny faces to satisfy himself. Many children would not have been that cooperative.

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All the photos had a blur on the right side, making John appear to be standing in a personal fog. We found the cover for the camera opening was cracked. This may be the death knell for that phone. Do you suppose there is a ring tone for that?

Video Request

When neighbor Logan (8) returned a sled to our house, he asked, “Did you see the poem?” He was referring to Rooster’s poetic comment on my blog (https://amehrling.com/2019/01/29/it-snowballed/) about Logan and his dad having a snowball fight. I sent the poem to Shawn, and she shared it with Bob and Logan. The adults got a kick out of it, and Logan loved it. His reaction? “I’m famous!”

Today Logan was allowed to come over after he did his chores at home. After playing inside for a while, he asked David to throw a football with him outside. He said to me, “Can you take a video and post it on your blog?” I didn’t have to be asked twice.

When the fellows got hot tossing the football, guess where they hung their jackets. On a mailbox! I’m not the only one who uses a mailbox for short-term storage!

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We were active inside, also. Logan suggested we play Monkey in the Middle with a balloon. Two batted a balloon back and forth, and the other was in the center trying to catch it. Logan evened the playing field a bit by asking David to sit or kneel on the floor. I loved the way David avoided catching it immediately when he was the monkey. The fellows also played an intense game of checkers.

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We went to Haywood Cafe for lunch. The two left-handers sat on the same side of the table and were soon engrossed in watching TV. There were football players in a contest to see who was the most accurate in throwing balls at moving targets. That was very appropriate for our activities of the day.

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Stay-at-Home Mom

I retired four and a half years ago, but I discovered today that I am a stay-at-home mom. The light dawned while I was texting with both daughter Kate and her son David at the same time. She was home from work and commenting on how cold it was in New Jersey. David had a break at work and chatted with me while he ate. Daughter Lise in Denmark called via Messenger to tell me some good news. We talked well past her bed time. I looked at a message from son John $ that came in during that call. He was letting us know there is another special train show on TV tonight. This was highly unusual to communicate with all three children and one grandchild in the space of an hour. I’m thrilled I was at home and could do it.

My Ice-breaker

There is proof I’m in my second childhood. I take delight in things left behind many years ago. I love to walk in snow, stroke cats and dogs, play Solitaire, look for cloud pictures in the sky, and crack ice on puddles. Cracking ice was not common when I was growing up in West Tennessee. Prolonged periods of below freezing temperatures did not happen often. I adore the sound of breaking ice on a puddle, especially if there is air between the ice and water. There is a hollow sound as the ice shatters. You look for white ice, because if water is frozen solid and clear, it would take a jackhammer to break it.

John humors me, and today he stepped on a puddle, causing a satisfying crackle. It wouldn’t have mattered if a bit of water had spurted up, because he was wearing boots. A breathless heroine in an old novel might have swooned and said, “My hero!” Being a little more modern and less dramatic, I said, “My ice-breaker! Thank you.”

It Snowballed

Happy shouts rang out in the neighborhood as Logan (8) and Bob lobbed snowballs at each other. My camera and I had a ringside view on our porch. One shot shows both father and son with their arms drawn back, ready to hurl packed balls. At different times, both hit their targets.

When I started the video, I didn’t know the camera would record the end of the cold war. Bob stamped the snow off his shoes and walked to the car door. Logan followed suit, and that was the end of that.

I was happy to see the snow used. Most of the time we don’t get enough for sledding. The temperature finally dropped below freezing when the snow stopped. Conditions might have been ideal for building a snowman – wet snow that would have frozen solid overnight.

Icy Jaws and an Amusing Sign

Because temperatures were in the teens at night, ice formed near the little stream close to our house. I thought the ice looked like jaws. We walk over the stream most days, and I always look at it. In a dry summer, the stream is reduced to a trickle. Thanks to plenty of rain this season, it is flowing well.

David expressed interest in walking around Biltmore Village. George Vanderbilt built a church and homes for his workers outside the gates of his vast estate. Most of the houses have been turned into shops, offices, and restaurants. Our favorite was the Christmas shop, where a lively young lady welcomed us as we entered. She said Merry Christmas as if it were Christmas Eve.

We ate lunch at the Corner Kitchen. The house was built about 1895 and has an interesting layout now. The open kitchen is in the original part of the house. We walked by it going to the addition, which houses the main dining room and bar. David and I went upstairs together to the restrooms. The first one was off the landing, and it had a sign that said a second restroom was up a few more stairs and around the corner. I laughed at the sign and had to have a photo as a souvenir. It says, “The Other Restroom.”

David’s Days Off

Although David’s first day off this week was cold and wet, we wanted to go to Sunburst Falls. We suspected the water flow would be greater than usual, because of rain a few hours before. We were correct. In addition, there was a lot of ice covering the fast-moving water. We took photos in the snowy rain and ran back to the car, where John was waiting for us with the heater on.

David’s choice was to wander around Biltmore Village that afternoon. We were driving down the mountain from the waterfall when Burger King called. They were busy and needed help. We were happy to postpone our outing so that he could work extra hours.

The next day David was researching a place for us to have lunch. Among the restaurant listings was his Burger King. Have you ever wondered how recent an on-line restaurant photo is? He was surprised that the picture showed his last general manager and a customer that he recognized. The photo must have been between six months and two years old.

We decided to go to Bogart’s, a favorite we hadn’t been to in a while. On the way home, we stopped by Jonathan Creek to see how high the water was. I took a photo of David and the creek to show John, who had gone to Tennessee to work on train tracks. The rocks that we use for judging the height of the water were all submerged.

David looking at high water at Jonathan Creek

This morning I walked to the creek by myself. I saw nothing unusual until I looked at the mountains near the ski area. There was a band of rime ice that did not cover the peaks. Rime ice is formed when there are fog, wind, and freezing temperatures. The frozen fog has a lot of air in it, so the ice appears white rather than transparent. Today the peaks were not covered, something I had not seen before. Evidently, the conditions were perfect for rime ice in that lower band but not higher up. David was interested in seeing the picture before he went to work. We are still fascinated by this white ice that we never saw in New York.