The tortoise and the hare-like grandma

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Gah! With all the busy-ness of the past week or two, I completely forgot to get a gift in the mail to Bubby! How could I do that, especially for such an important event?

What? Huh?

No, I didn't miss Bubby's second birthday. We'll head to the desert to celebrate that in a few weeks. What I forgot to mark in a timely fashion is World Turtle Day!

World Turtle Day, sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue, was started to increase respect and knowledge for the world'’s oldest creatures. According to ATR, the critters been around for about 200 million years, yet they are rapidly disappearing as a result of the exotic food industry, habitat destruction and the cruel pet trade. The ATR website has some pretty dern informative turtle tidbits, such as, "If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the same direction it was going. If you try to make it go back, it will turn right around again."

This year the 10th World Turtle Day was celebrated on Sunday ... May 23 ... while I was in South Dakota ... where the buffalo roam and where I saw lots of deer and antelope playing but nary a turtle that I had to help make its way across a busy street.

When I realized my blunder of forgetting to mark the day for Bubby -- it fits perfectly with my mission to regularly celebrate wacky nationally recognized dates with my grandson -- I hopped online in hare-like fashion and ordered the most awesome tortoise to be delivered to him lickity split. That's it in the picture above. Yeah, it'll arrive a few days late -- not so hare-like at all, I guess -- but I'm pretty sure Bubby will enjoy it just the same.

And because it's made of plastic, Bubby won't have to worry at all that his turtle toy will attempt any daredevil street-crossings! Frankly, he'll likely need to worry more about forgetting the little guy out in the hot desert sun where it'll melt into a puddle of ticky-tacky tortoise goo, which would be so not in line with the ATR's mission "to save turtles and tortoises for the next generation."

Happy belated World Turtle Day to one and all!

Today's question:

Did you or anyone you know have a turtle when you were a kid?

My answer: I didn't, but my cousins did -- and it was less than four-inches long, which, according to the ATR website, is a seriously illegal critter to have in one's possession. Tsk, tsk on Aunt Ruby for allowing such things! But then again, that was about 40 years ago and maybe turtle possession is one of those things that once skirted regulation ... kind of like hitchiking and entering stores without shirts or shoes.

Green-eyed Grandma

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Contrary to the title of today's post, I have blue eyes. But today my eyes are tinged with green.

Well, they're more than tinged; I'd say they're pretty much glow-in-the-dark, iridescent, color-of-a-leprechaun's-hat green.

More specifically, my eyes are green with envy.

Why the drama? Because Bubby's paternal grandma and grandpa get to see him. Again. In less than a week. And they just saw him less than a month ago. And they get to spend seven days in the desert with Bubby and his mom and dad. And they will be back for more with Bubby in July.

And I want that to be me!

Wah, wah, wah! Yeah, grandmas can still be big ol' cry-baby green-eyed monsters. And today that's most certainly what I am.

I'm not so much worried that Bubby will love his other grandma more than he loves me; it's more that I worry he'll remember her more because he's had these huge chunks of time with her and all he's gotten with me lately are bits of Skyping here and there.

Bubby's "other" grandparents are long-distance grandparents, too, but they're educators, which means they have summers free to spend a week with their grandchild whenever they please. Jim and I, on the other hand, will get just three days in June ... and getting those three days was a bit of a challenge because Jim has a new job and no vacation days.

Yes, I should be happy with even those three days. Yes, I should rejoice that I get to see Bubby at all. Yes, I should be pleased as punch that I can Skype and that Megan and I talk on the phone every single day and I get to hear Bubby chattering in the background or I listen closely and respond accordingly as he shares a few select words with me when Mom hands him the phone.

I am thankful for all those things.

But today I just want to complain.

And see the world through green-colored glasses.

Now if you'll please excuse me, I need to go use the Visine. The red in my eyes from crying mixed with the green of jealousy makes for a very unattractive look.

Today's question:

Who are you jealous or envious of today?

Spring splash

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Jim and I went to our first barbecue of the season on Sunday. We were thankful the weather reached a balmy 58 degrees, allowing us some pre-summer fun in the sun. Being the mountains, though, it was still chilly enough that the host lit up the firepit on the deck.

Things were far different in the desert where Bubby lives, where the weather climbed above the 90-degree mark. Huddling around a warm fire was the last place you'd find Bubby in such heat. Instead, he headed to his favorite watering hole:

 

 

Even in the desert, it gets a little chilly when the water fun is done.

Today's question:

When did you last visit a water park?

My answer: The last time I donned a swimming suit for water park fun was when we went to Disneyworld eight (or was it nine?) years ago.

Roller Bubby

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The skater boy. (Phone photo sent to Grandma in real time!)Megan, a pre-K teacher, had her first roller skating night with her students Wednesday night.

It was also her first roller skating experience with Bubby!

Believe it or not, they make itsy-bitsy Fisher Price roller-skates for tots. And the PR woman for the local roller rink told Megan that two-year-olds actually learn to skate quicker than four- or five-year-olds. Reason being, according to the PR woman, that the little ones have shorter legs and less fear. I'm not sure why, but the 'shorter legs' part struck me as funny.

So Megan took her shorter-legged little Bubby along for the event. And he did great! It took him a bit to get used to the skates and to not be shy around the bigger kids, but Megan said he eventually got the hang of it. His lack of smiles and giggles stumped Megan a bit, though, so she asked her serious-faced little boy, "Are you having fun? Do you like it?" to which the concentrating kiddo said only, "I like it!"

All in all, Bubby fell just twice in his four times around the rink. That's four times around a big ol' rink for a little boy who's not yet two years old and not yet three feet tall. Oh, and who has shorter legs!

I find it interesting that of all the things that have changed in the past 30, 40, 50 years, that roller skating is still a hit with the kids. Consider the changes in nearly all aspects of childhood, everything from 3D ultrasounds and diaper genies to fancy-schmancy game systems and cell phones. But slapping on a pair of wheels and whizzing around a rink still appeals. Even in the disastrous economic climate of the last year or two, roller skating rinks prevail.

As a preteen, I loved roller skating night. It meant so much more than just skating. The outings weren't school-sponsored, as there was no rink in our small town, but my best friend's mom was happy to transport a group of giddy preteens "down the pass" from our mountain town to the city, to Skate City -- the old Skate City ... with all-wood floors.

Fifteen or so kids would hop in the back of Miss Leona's pickup in the late afternoon and huddle under the piles of blankets to stay warm. (Note: I would never in a million years allow my daughters to ride in the back of a pickup. But this was back in the days when people did that. Legally.) On the trip down the pass, the girls would be on one side of the truck, the boys on the other. (Yes, it was co-ed. But again, it was back in the day ... when hanky-panky between preteens wasn't even a consideration.)

Travel time was about 30 minutes, but it felt like hours as our excitement would reach fever pitch. Finally, we'd reach Skate City, spill out of the truck and into the rink, where we'd don our skates and scatter to the floor. Some of us were pros on the floor, crossing over feet at the turns, skating backwards, winning the limbo and speed contests, attracting the attention of the city kids with our prowess.

I wasn't one of those kids. I usually stayed within arm's length of the wall for the first hour or so, then eventually ventured out closer to the center. Near the end of the two-hour session I could even get up enough speed to get my long hair fluttering as I'd whiz (relatively speaking, that is) around the corners ... sometimes even managing to cross over my feet on the turns. And sometimes I'd even be asked to join hands with an equally awkward preteen boy for the slow skate.

Then the session would be over.

We'd all pile back into the truck and under the blankets for the trip back up the pass. It was far colder by that time and the huddling was a little more intimate than during the trip down. The girls' legs became entangled with the boys' and we'd all laugh and joke, keeping our heads under the blanket trying to stay warm and out of the wind.

It was joyous, innocent fun, those nights at the roller skating rink. And I'm thrilled to know the roller skating rituals continue, that Bubby will experience the wind in his own wheels. Starting at such a young age, I can only assume he'll be one of those preteens who can skate backward, win the limbo, dominate the speed contests. That's just a guess, of course.

But all guessing aside, I can pretty much guarantee that Bubby will never, ever, ever get to the rink by riding in the back of a pickup truck. That part of roller-skate nights has definitely changed.

Some changes of the last 30, 40, 50 years are for darn good reason!

Today's question:

When was the last time you roller skated?

My answer: Probably 20 years ago, when helping the girls around the rink during their first roller skating nights in elementary school. Gah! Get me to a rink quick, before I get too old!

Reason #37 why distance matters

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Bubby LOVED his 1st Birthday cake!Bubby will soon be turning two years old. Very cool, very exciting ... and very frustrating because he's so darn far away.

Although there are still weeks between now and the big day, mere weeks means time is ticking away for those of us wanting to book a ticket to fly in for the festivities. Meaning many of the conversations of late with Bubby's aunts revolve around "Are you going?" Meaning: "Can you afford to pay to fly in for cake and ice cream this year? And will this be the plan every year? Will you forever going forward be able to fork out funds -- and vacation days -- to sing Happy Birthday to our precious Bubby?"

Jim and I will go. Definitely. Each and every year. Probably. But Andrea and Brianna may not be able to fly to the desert to celebrate Bubby's birthday each and every year. Especially once they're entrenched in their own families -- or even long-term relationships -- because then there's the question of "Does the whole family go?"

Yes, I know that not all families gather 'round for each and every birthday. But my family likes to, as much as possible.

And it's not as if Megan's planning some huge shebang for Bubby, like the festivities for his first birthday. And she clearly understands that cost is a major hindrance to attending even the smallest of affairs. She's attached no obligation, no hard feelings for those who can't make it.

But the thing is, we all want to make it. We all want to celebrate the major milestones of Bubby's life. But all the cuss miles between us make that difficult. And frustrating. And reason to lament, once again, that Megan and Preston live in the desert while the rest of us live in the mountains.

Guess it's easier -- and more reasonable -- to lament that than to lament that we've not yet won Powerball or Publishers Clearing House (or a ridiculously lucrative book contract), which would make the miles between us irrelevant. For if we were rich, we wouldn't have to consider dollars. Or days off work.

Or distance.

Today's question:

If money were no consideration, to where would you most want to book a plane ticket?

Skype time

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Bubby left yesterday -- with Daddy alone, no Mommy! -- to visit his grandma and grandpa on the plains. That, of course, required a quick Skype session with this grandma and grandpa before he left.

Here's how it went:

Hey, Bub! Yay, It's Grandma and Grandpa! Time to show them how goofy I can be. And let them know I've got ALL my teeth now! Look how quickly I can shake my head ... back and forth over and over! That's right ... I'm a silly one! But I can smile sweet, too. And listen really well. And look: I have two feet now! I can meow back at Isabel when you hold her to the camera. Meows, of course, must be followed by fish sounds. Did I mention all my teeth? This is the bedtime song I sing with Mommy: Love, love, love, love. I like to sway back and forth when we sing it. It just makes me want to love, love Mommy! Time to go! Here's a kiss! Kissing the monitor is so silly!

Saying buh-bye is always a little sad.

Today's question (from my trivia calendar, but fitting):

In the world of high-tech messages, you no doubt know what spam is; but how about spim and spit?

The answer: I'll tell you after a few comments; just curious if anyone knows. I didn't.