"Driver, step to the rear of the vehicle"

The following entry from A-Ron's Face Book  tells you why the state trooper stopped Middle Daughter......

After questioning Middle Daughter, then A-Ron, they were sent on their way...

As A-Ron told her....it's not like you look exactly like me...I'm tanner!

A Peak at Last Week


Grandma J had a week or two packed to the gills with activities that left her without the time to do much blogging. When she had the time, she didn't have access to her laptop. It was all a matter of others having dibs first!


One event that she has to mention is another graduation ceremony....

 His! That's right...A-Ron graduated from middle school.    Then he had a birthday. His fourteenth!

 Where have the years gone since he was a four year old Davey Crocket?

Possession is Nine Tenths of the Law
But who really owns it?

Now isn't that the question of the day.  Or at least it was for Grandma J.

When A-Ron has a baseball game and it rains.....the game goes on!  That's the way it is here in Texas.  The umpire doesn't call the game unless there is lightning.  The players make a point of sliding in the wet red clay.  It's an Oxy Clean day!

Here's the real kicker....

Grandma J bought a really nice collapsable chair last year.  She bought it specifically for occasions like ball games so she wouldn't have to sit on alluminum bleachers.   More specifically, she bought one with a canopy to block the hot sun in the summer and the wind and rain when Mother Nature was on a rampage. 

So, she shows up for A-Ron's game last night.....

Boy do I recognize that chair!   Someone thought it was theirs because it was in the back of their Tahoe.   Queenie doesn't  No one budges!!

Luckily there was an umbrella handy.  And that's how it was....alluminum bleachers and all.

Do you have similar rules of possession in your family?

Busy Hands....gather no moss

Or something similar. What Grandma J is trying to say is she's been busy.

Now that September is here, October is on the horizon...and that's a busy month on so many fronts.

Here's a rundown, give or take any unknown minor adjustments:




*Sgt John is coming home on leave from Iraq with just enough time to take grandma J to all the dinners and casino trips he promised over the last several months....and she has the emails to prove it.


*While Sgt John is home, grandma J's granddaughter his daughter is having her tonsils out, and he wants to be with her because under the best of circumstances, she always cries for her daddy.


*Sgt John thinks he'll have time for a quick three day weekend getaway to Las Vegas with his bride...and Grandma J will entertain the grandchildren and JJ while they're gone.




*Once Grandma J has had her fill of Sgt John and his bride gets back from Las Vegas, Grandma J is hitting the road for So. CA. Yep, a 1,400 road trip, each way, with an itinerary that would knock your socks off. More about that in a post of it's own.

I know what you're thinking....who cares about October? September is just starting, and October is eons away, so how busy can you be?

Well, I'll tell you. A-Ron went with Grandma J to the fabric store after his three hour baseball practice. She wanted him to help her pick out fleece to make some more blankets for the children in the pediatric oncology ward for Christmas. He goes with Grandma J to distribute them and we need at least twenty. Right now? We only have six.

I figured I'd let A-Ron pick out the fabrics that he thinks an older kid would like. Here they are:

Yeah, good choice! SpongeBob SquarePants with Patrick. The one thing that really irritates me is the price of licensed fabric. Not only is it twice as much, but you have several wasted inches of fabric with their warning on it. In this case.....thank you Viacom.



Oh, and SpongeBob...was this really necessary?

This was A-Ron's second choice! Ummm, maybe Uncle Michael would like this one. Once again, Thank you, Twentieth Century Fox.

Now, I thought maybe A-Ron could find something a bit softer....something a girl would like. He claims he doesn't go there!

But, I finally got him to pick this out. It's some kind of Disney stuff that has nothing to do with princesses or pirates. Once again, we paid through the teeth for the Disney name.

And who notice that Grandma J took these pictures on her stripped down bed? Yeah, it's because she doesn't neglect her chores, even when she's having fun. Nope....she's airing out her mattress while her sheets are in the dryer.

It's What Champions Do

When your baseball team becomes State Champs, and summer is over, you start football practice at school.

But, come Saturday.....




You trek on out to the middle of nowhere. Down isolated country roads twenty miles from the nearest Starbucks civilization.






You travel past other kids, just waking up, and not quite ready to meet the day. You feel their pain when your grandma honks her horn your passing car causes them to stir.





But then you get to your destination.....your practice field....your field of dreams.

Early Saturday morning wake-up calls are worth it for once again, Starbucks your grandma to take you to practice....baseball practice.






Nothing is more rewarding than a three hour practice in the middle of a hidden, covert field in the middle of Texas. It's especially rewarding knowing your grandma can't get close enough take any tight shots.





Unless it's of the dragon fly that kept her company and amused all morning.




There's nothing fancy about this practice field....just plenty of room with makeshift batting cages and diamonds. No league to tell you your time's up, or coaches from other teams lurking.

Sadly, the property is for sale. The neighbors don't like all the riff raff.





These neighbors.

I can see how this practice field is bringing the neighborhood down.
click on the picture to see the ritzy estates.





Then it's lunch at Fuddrucker's in the mall. It's really hard to eat and smile with a mouth full of a 1/2 pounder!

IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL!





Things sure have changed since my kids were in school. For the last couple of weeks I've noticed Target and Walmart have tons of printed lists of supplies required by the different schools. They have them all arranged by class and teachers in a color coordinated file system.

Is this the norm everywhere? I can't imagine the financial dent this must put in a family budget if they have several children.

Since I don't have to worry about spiral notebooks and number two pencils.....I decided to do my part and took my Granddaughter for a back-to-school pedi.







Grandma J just doesn't always sit on the right side for picture taking, but as you can see, her granddaughter is busy reconnecting after a long vacation in So CA.

But all wasn't lost because ...........






Someone else reluctantly agreed because his mother insisted to getting his toes groomed.

Where Did The Week Go?

It seems like yesterday that Grandma J was heading 85 miles down the road to Austin to pick up two handsome young men from Colorado!




This is the final luncheon they shared with A-Ron, right before a final afternoon of X-Box. Of course nuggets would be the meal of choice.




The day of departure came way too soon.





It's so hard to say good-bye to afternoon and evening swimmers.....midnight ice cream treats, and hairbrushes......

.......now I need a tissue or two.

A to Z MONDAY

This week's letter is V as in Victory



I want to congratulate the Killeen Daily Herald for finally publishing an article about the hometown baseball team's Victory winning the State Championship. Congratulations to The Pirates, the team A-Ron played on, and you can click on the photo to read the article.






How about a Victory song for Zach-a-doodle! He conquered the oceans, seas, and the swimming pool at The Spa! He can now swim unattended, which means all by himself.....across and back! Yeah, Zachy!!







And how Victorious is it when you can swim, play ball and still find time to relax ala King Farouk? That would be Mr. Tyler, relaxing in the hot tub at The Spa!
Sa.weet. Vic.tor.ee



and just for a good laugh.......






I hope she edits this before she puts it on her facebook page.
this girl is not at the spa.....just a random photo grandma J found on the internet.


Now how about checking out some other A to Z Mondays entries! Maybe even consider joining in.

Vacation Days I-II

Officially known as:
Caves, Bats and Petrified Guana...with a splash of BBQ sauce and wetness.

Grandma J has been spending time with three handsome young men this week. By week, of course she means the last two days.

For the sake of being accused of trying to confuse her readers, please take note that Grandma J and Grandma Deluxe are one in the same person or persons. You know how some people call other people by different names? For example, when Grandma J/Grandma Deluxe was a young girl in Rhode Island, there was a neighbor lady named Marie Giovanni. But Grandma J used to refer to her as Mudpie Marie, because she yelled stuff in Italian when Grandma J walked in her flowerbed for some unknown reason. So, there you go, same person, different names.


Let's move on to present day visitors to the Spa in Central Texas, from Colorado!




A-Ron went with Grandma Deluxe to pick up these two guys, Ty & Zach at the Austin-Bergstrom Airport. Don't they look thrilled to see Grandma Deluxe?







We stopped at Chili's for lunch because no one had much of a breakfast, and it was already after 1 pm. Ty wanted the chicken slider-like sandwiches.......




A-Ron got his usual baby back ribs with honey BBQ sauce.....






And, Zach-a-roni decided to try the house extra spicy special sauce!


After lunch we stopped off to explore the Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown, Texas.






Here is one of the residence that might greet you when you are 75 feet under I35.





Here is another......




Here we have three explorers.....





We moved on to a water park the next day, and it was the perfect way to kill six hours without a single fight wear out three energy filled cousins who had loads of room to play marco polo.....because let's just say, the itsy bitsy pool at the Spa wasn't exactly the best venue.





Somehow cousins can go from almost strangers to best buds in no time flat.


We moved on up the road for A-Ron's batting, pitching practice. One of the boys loved it, one sat out and watched, and grandma J stayed in the car where it was less than 103 degrees.....







....and so did the other cousin who felt like a fifth wheel.