My frustration: 8 things I can't seem to master

I'm pretty good at a few things. I really stink at accomplishing other things, though, things many folks seem to have no problem at all achieving.

Here's my short-list of the latter:

8 things I can't seem to master

NOT one of mine, for mine don't even bud.1. Getting my irises to bloom. I have dozens upon dozens of (what I think are) irises in the back yard. The foliage sprouts from the ground every spring. The healthy green blades grow and grow and grow... then never become anything more than tall green sentinels guarding the rock garden. No blooms, no flowers, ever. They've been that way since we moved into this house. I can't seem to master making them bloom. They're not overcrowded, they're not in shade. They're not going to be allowed to stick around if they don't start doing something soon.

2. Finding the time to play with friends. I'm talking Words with Friends, Candy Crush and any other number of fun things folks play online with faraway friends and family. I've received many invitations, all have been ignored... or flat-out refused. I can't seem to manage my time to allow for play. Not even solo Bejeweled 3 play, and I love Bejeweled.

3. Photographing the moon. We had a fantastic full moon this past week. Despite having a great camera and using the correct settings plus a tri-pod, I still can't seem to master this. My latest effort:

4. Pretty summer feet. Soft and silky tootsies elude me. Despite pedicures, pampering creams, powerful pumicing and pretty polishes, my feet never reach soft and silky status. I'll spare you the photo; even at their prettiest, feet photos are funky.

5. Accepting my long-distance grandma status. Mac's birthday is June 1. Bubby's birthday is June 18. A joint party is scheduled for this Saturday. I can't be there, wasn't even invited to be there, as it's just accepted that I can't come. Accepted by everyone but me. I'm especially struggling with this one today.

Bubby and Mac, jumping on the trampoline in their jammies.

6. Commenting regularly. I try, bloggy friends. I really do try to get around to blogs and comment and let you know I enjoy what you're writing, doing, sharing. I read blogs via Feedly, marking those to comment on as soon as I have time. Then time evaporates. How do those of you who faithfully comment on blogs manage it? I really, really, really want to master this one. I welcome your tips.

7. Redesigning my blog so I have comment threading. Speaking of commenting, I also have good intentions of staying on top of replying to you wonderful folks who comment on my posts. My good intentions are thwarted primarily by no comment threading here on my blog. If I could pop in now and then and reply directly to each comment, I think we'd all be happier. I actually already have a sister site where I intend to move Grandma's Briefs. I have a few posts there, I have few photos there. Most importantly, I have comment threading there. But getting everything else there seems so incredibly daunting that I've not yet managed to wrap my head around it, much less master it.

8. Quitting. Despite my inability so far to master any of the above, I've not yet figured out how to quit trying. So I will keep trying. Chances are I'll eventually master at least a few. Except No. 5, of course, which is one I'm sure I will never master.

Today's question:

What have you not yet mastered but hope to eventually?

Boys in a Batman pool

Bubby and Mac kicked off summer with their first swim in the Batman pool Gramma gave them last year.

Megan texted a photo of their first dip:

 

Megan also texted a video snippet of the Memorial Day fun:

Thank heavens for iPhones and a daughter who's willing to use hers quite wisely now and then to help this long-distance grandma endure the space between.

Today's question:

Where do you swim in the summer?

What wine drinkers do on long weekends

Let me start by saying that Jim and I are not lushes. Fact is, 90 percent of the wine bottles you'll see in the photos below came from our youngest and oldest daughters — and their friends, too, to be fair.

My daughters aren't lushes, either, they're just always happy to lend Mom a hand whenever asked. Let's just say they were extraordinarily zealous in their assistance this time.

Here's the thing. About a year ago, I saw the following on Pinterest:

I thought it was a creative way to upcycle wine bottles and add a bit of whimsy to our unusual back yard. So I asked my daughters to start saving their wine bottles for me.

Boy, oh, boy, did they save wine bottles, unloading them at my place each time they'd visit.

This past weekend, Jim and I put all those wine bottles to use, creating a border similar to the one I'd pinned on Pinterest.

We did bury our bottles deeper than those in the pinned photo. Plus, we chose to stagger rather than line them up perfectly — perfection is something that just plain doesn't fit our wild and wacky back yard.

I planted wildflowers several weeks ago in the area the bottles border. Now we just have to wait for those flowers to grow. And for the bottle labels to weather away. (Note to self: Soak off the labels next time I do such a thing. And consider convincing Jim to dig up these bottles then rebury them after I remove the labels. My money's on labels weathering away sooner than exhumation.)

I'll share photos a few months down the road, once the flowers have grown. Stay tuned. And feel free to enjoy a glass of wine while you wait.

Just keep the bottle to yourself, when you're through. I've had more than my share, as you can see. Of bottles, that is.

Today's question:

What did you do over the long weekend? And was drinking wine involved?

Memorial Day tribute

In recognition of Memorial Day, there is no GRAND Social today.

Instead, I share with you this:

Spend the day with your friends, family, loved ones.

The GRAND Social will return next Monday.

Picture this: The graduate, part 2

I told you here that he was going to do it, and he did.

It's official: Bubby graduated from Pre-K and is now a kindergartner.

Congratulations to my oldest grandson!

Happy Sunday!

The Saturday Post: Music to kick off summer edition

Billboard Magazine released its Top 30 Summer Songs this week. Not a whole lot on the list resonated deeply with me, for a variety of reasons — mostly because I'm too old, they're too old, or they're just too not my style.

There were a few, though, that made me smile, tap my toes and cross my fingers this summer will be light, carefree, happy. Is that possible at our age? Or are such things bestowed only upon the young?

I share those here: the four light, carefree, happy and downright summery songs from the Billboard list that made me want to grab an ice-cold beer, kick back, and believe that such things are possible at any age. They're the ideal soundtrack for kicking off the holiday weekend, the unofficial start of summer.

Cheers to summer! Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Today's question:

What song screams summer for you?

What I learned this week: Sometimes the hassle is worth it

I take my dogs on a walk nearly every weekday morning. We walk as fast as my legs will take me, and the round trip is about a mile and a half. It's pretty much our go-to exercise — for the dogs as much as for myself.

I used to take my point-and-shoot camera with me each time, but ever since getting my DSLR, I've avoided taking it. The camera is fairly large and bulky, and even though it takes awesome photos and I love, love, love the camera (a Canon EOS Rebel T3i), it just seemed a hassle to wear it on my morning walks. Especially because I try to race-walk the majority of the way, and the idea of a camera bopping along on my chest from beginning to end of the walk didn't appeal to me.

This past week, though, I decided to try bringing it anyway. I keep seeing cool things on my walks, and I kick myself every time for not having my camera on me. I do carry my iPhone, but it just wasn't doing the job the way I wanted when I'd photograph this or that along the route.

Turned out that managing to keep two dogs in line while juggling my phone, my pepper spray (to avoid this happening again) and now my bigger, better camera is, yes, a bit of a hassle. But once I figured out to situate my camera along my side rather than hanging in front (to avoid it bopping on my chest), it really wasn't that big of a deal.

What was a big deal? The photos I managed to get, photos such as these:

Sure can't get such things on my iPhone. The hassle was definitely worth it.

And that is what I learned this week.

Today's question:

What did you learn this week?