Moody Monday

Today's high temperature was: 54 degrees

Sprinkly--Sunny--Sprinkly

========================================

The start of a very busy week.  I have something going on every single day.

My Tiger's lost the pennant to the Boston Red Sox.  My Tiger's played awful!  We found out this morning, that our manager Jim Leyland decided in September that he would retire at season's end.  We are all rather sad--well most of us are.  He has been a great manager.  He said he is too old to do it anymore--it is a very physically taxing job.  He will stay within the Tiger's organization, which is a good thing.  As with all sports, if the team does well, it is to the player's credit.  If a team does badly, it's all the manager's fault.  It shouldn't be that way in this case.  We have player's that are getting paid millions to do their job, and they didn't.  We have a first baseman who is paid $200M, and he hasn't gotten a hit in weeks.  We have two very good pitcher's--that's about it.  Our bullpen failed us.  So--onward and upward--there's always next year!

Now, I will root for the Red Sox to win the World Series.  I wish they'd shave off those ugly beards!  It makes the guys all look old and scruffy, but, they probably think they are good luck for them.  We shall see.
================================

I have been extremely depressed the last couple of weeks.  Oh--I can put on a good face, when I have too--when I am around people, but, when I am alone, there is no smiling, no real energy, no real purpose to even get up in the morning.  All I want to do is sleep.

I forced myself to go pick up a prescription and fill the car with gas yesterday afternoon.  Then, I got a Subway for supper (thank you Melissa!).  I slept ten hours and by noon, I was yawning.  Perhaps my Circadian clock is getting ready to hibernate?  The changing seasons sometimes affect me this way--especially in fall.  I don't know.  I just have no desire to do anything, but I am forcing myself to get out.
=============================
Things got a lot better this late afternoon.

Pammie stopped by after picking the kids up from school.  I got to see and talk to each of them and then Alex got out and we got ready to go birthday shopping.  We came in the house and we did the whole financial thing.  About how much we had to spend and if his "present" didn't cost that much, he would get the money left over.  He knew exactly what he wanted so off to Target we went.  It took him 15 minutes, to find a remote controlled quad--he loves motorcycles, dirt bikes, quads--anything that goes fast over dirt trails.

He did look at a motorcycle and was impressed because, "it even has a real kick stand!"  Okay--apparently most of the toy ones don't?

This kid didn't say barely a word until he was three years old.

Last year, I had to drag every word out of him.

This year--he was chattering away a mile a minute.

He told me all about what he did this summer.  How school is so boring because, "I am suppose to be in second grade, but I'm in first because I was born too late.  They are going to let me skip a grade, like Andrew did, in a couple of years.  I hope I can stand to wait that long.  The only thing good about school is when someone has a birthday and we get treats and a small party!"  

"I love Soccer.  It is the best sport.  Mimi, do you know who Pele is?  I have a Brazilian soccer ball with his name on it.  He was a really great Soccer player--before I was born, so I never got to see him play."

"Oh look--over there on that wall,  There is a picture of the Mona Lisa--not the real one.  The real one is in a museum in Paris."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Hm-mm." he scratched his head.  "I can't remember.  I don't know--it is just in my head, that I know."

"I think cigarettes should be illegal.  Do you know that every time someone smokes a cigarette it takes eleven minutes off their life?  The people keep making them, so the people keep buying them and smoke more and more.  It's really weird.  Why would people do something that is going to make them die?  I don't understand."

When he took a breath, I said, "There are a lot of weird things in life.  Sometimes we wonder why people do certain things.  It seems weird and confusing."

"Yeah, I know," he says.  "It gets weirder and weirder the more I live.  I see such weird things people do."

Here we are at Red Robin, his favorite place to eat.

Can you tell he is seven by the missing tooth?

I cannot figure out who this kid looks like.  He and his older sister Elise are blue eyed blondes.  His parents are both dark haired with brown eyes.  I think he may look like his Dad's side of the family because I don't see any of me or my family in him.  

When I got him home, he thanked me profusely.  Then Elise came out to give me a hug and baby boy Evan came running out yelling, "Hi Mimi.  Hi."  It was a really nice time and in a couple of weeks I will take Andrew, who is about to turn twelve, if he wants to go....and from what he said today....I think he does.
===========================
When Karen's five kids were younger, I used to take them, one at a time, for a weekend in the summer months.  I figure it is good for them to be alone with me and have undivided attention from me where they can do whatever they want, say whatever they want and chatter away.  It is hard for children to get one-on-one when they are many other children in the family.  My oldest grand daughter, Helene, is 28 years old, now living in LA and going for her Master's at UCLA and---she remembers every time we were together, what we did, even the fact that the first thing we always did was stop at the grocery where she could pick out any food she wanted to eat for the weekend.  

So--I figure, this is building memories time!  ...and that, in my opinion, is what grandma's are all about.  A staunch advocate for your grand child--unconditionally.  Let their parents set rules and discipline them.  The few times they are with grandma, they can just be.  

Now--if I had them a lot, if probably wouldn't be that way.  This way--no body is going to scold if they don't eat all their supper.  No body is going to tell them how to think or what to say.  I am very thankful I have well behaved grandchildren though--it makes it a whole lot easier then if they were brats and acting up all the time, LOL.

==============================
Because of his love for motorcycles, I know exactly what I am going to give Alex for Christmas.  It was Fred's and when Alex was little and use to come over more. he'd sit and look at this. He never touched it, but he'd look at it from all angles.  I think he will like it.

It has a real leather seat AND a real kick stand.