CONFLICTED THOUGHTS

"Where is she?  Am I safe here"?

One of the more popular phrases associated with Grand Parenting is "you get to spoil the heck out of  your Grand kids, then send them home to the parents".   Certainly, there's some truth to that, even though Patty and I are careful not to throw discipline, and the word "NO" completely out the window.  Fortunately, Marc and Chandra have raised Laila to have manners, and to understand that she can't do, or have everything that she wants.   Sometimes, the right balance between love, and discipline can be a tricky line to walk, but absent one or the other, a child is left with a less than stable foundation. 

At age 8, our Grand Daughter Laila is an absolute joy when we have her, and we're always looking forward to the next opportunity when she'll stay with us.  Watching her play with the cat during this last visit, was worth the price of admission all by itself.  When she would drag a string in a circle around the couch and coffee table, Snoopy would chase it until it seemed like the cat and the girl would both drop from exhaustion.  When the kitty figured out it was easier to double back, and sneak attack the string from the other direction, squeals of laughter filled the house. 

Patty and Laila finished decorating the tree, and putting the rest of our Christmas decorations out, and after breakfast, we headed into town to do a little shopping.    Surprisingly, only one stop was required, and we were back at Marc & Chandra's a little after noon.   Returning Laila to her parents is always bittersweet, and our feelings are probably the same as millions of other grand parents.  Our normal routine is much different without her, and there is a slight sigh of relief when we drop her off, but we're already missing her before we even pull out of the driveway.

When we retired from our Harley-Davidson Dealership in CA, we didn't take a lot of Harley stuff with us, but this H-D snow village was one memorabilia piece that we kept.

The countdown toward an elusive building permit for the RV shade cover continues.  This is the second business day for the county to process our application.  They have 5 business days to either deny the application, or allow the applicant to give them a bunch of money, and obtain a building permit.   Stay tuned................