The Kneeometer

We are just back from visiting children and grandchildren, and I have to tell you a some cute stories. This one is the story of Sydney and the Kneeometer.

A kindergarten classmate of Sydney's fell and broke her leg and came to class next day in a cast and wheelchair, garnering in the process a great deal of attention. That afternoon, Sydney took a minor fall at home, and groaning and wailing, told her mother, "You need to take me to Urgent Care right away, because I'm sure I have broken my knee. It hurts! OWWW!" And she went around limping for as long as she knew her mother was watching her, but walking normally when she didn't know Erin was looking.

Finally Erin said, "We'll wait until Daddy gets home because he has a kneeometer and he will be able to assess your injury."

When Daddy came home, he brought out his kneeometer from the garage, a device that looks remarkably like a giant wrench. This he placed either side of Sydney's knee and squeezed - only a little, of course.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"YES! OUCH!"

"That's good!" said Jeffrey. "That means it isn't broken, because if it were broken, you wouldn't be able to feel anything."

Sydney almost wept from disappointment.

Two of my Sweeties

Last night my Number One Sweetie came home from New Orleans. Overall, he enjoyed his trip and his conference. And though he didn't care for Bourbon Street or gumbo, he did enjoy having Bananas Foster in the restaurant where they were invented; said they were the best Bs.F. he ever ate.

This morning I went up to my mother's place to meet Daniel, who had brought me my niece Elizabeth for the weekend. She's going to turn 10 on June 2. Daniel is going to take his older daughter, Madison, to a volleyball tournament at Penn State. Lizzie didn't want to go; she becomes bored with so many volleyball games.

We had lunch with Mom and then departed.

On our way home, I told Elizabeth all about the Battle of Fredericksburg and then asked whether she might share my interest in stopping by the Fredericksburg Battlefield, and she said yes.   So we did.

I think I may have recounted that story before in this blog, but here's the gist of it. Fredericksburg is halfway between Washington and Richmond, the two warring capitals during the Civil War. It was a major transportation hub, sitting on the Rappahannock River and having a major railroad junction nearby. So here came the Army of the Potomac, in December, camping out on the east side of the River.  On the west side was the town. Past the town, a small, open field affording no cover. In the middle of the open field, a deep ditch. On the far (west) side of the field, a sunken road bordered by a stone wall facing the field. Above the sunken road, a ridgeline called Marye's Heights.  (You can enlarge this map by clicking on it if you have that much interest in the American Civil War.)

General Lee rushed his army to the defense, situating heavy artillery along the ridge line and infantry behind the stone wall. As one confederate put it, "Not even a chicken could have lived on that field" once the Rebels opened fire, The Rebs had 10 days in which to reinforce their position and dig in, because due to someone's horrendous mistake, that's how long it took for the Union pontoons to arrive, allowing the Northerners to construct from them a bridge over the river. This they did under heavy fire and with high casualties.

Then Gen. Burnside ordered the first attack. Predictably enough, the Union soldiers were mowed down. Burnside ordered a second attack, with the same result, and a third, and a fourth and a fifth. Men were dying at the rate of 1,000 per hour. My reference book I'm pretty sure said there were 14 such doomed assaults in all, but the film we watched said 18. Burnside's junior officers had to talk him out of ordering more the next day.

President Lincoln, when he heard of this insantiy, fired Gen. Burnside.

I thought the battlefield itself was disappointing.  The open field has largely disappeared from new construction; we never located the ditch; and Marye's Heights were not nearly as high as I had imagined.  Elizabeth showed more interest than I did.  She wanted to stop and read the plaques and to walk through the cemetery, and in general, to see the whole thing, whereas I would've been happy to walk half as far.

This is supposed to be a hill? Well, it is a bit higher, in places, than it looks.

Afterward, back in the car, I said, "Well, that hill wasn't even high enough to make me out of breath when I got to the top of it.  Well, maybe just a little bit.  Were you even out of breath at all?"

And dear, sweet, wonderful Lizzie replied:  "I was maybe a little out of breath, but not enough to get the tears out."

Kid Quips

Here are some of the latest cute things my grandchildren have come up with, from the facebook pages of their mothers.

From Katherine:

The boys came home with a "Guess Whose Mom I am " book, filled with answers written by all of the kids in their class. They had to say their mom's age favorite food, etc.. According to Ryan I am 15! Go Ryan! According to Connor, I am 81! On the upside he said that he wouldn't trade me for anything, not even mac-n-cheese!

From Erin:

My 4-year old [Sydney] told me she wanted to be homeless. When asked why, she told me she wanted me to teach her at home. "Oh", I said, "You mean home-schooled!" Yep, that was it!

* * *

We ordered Chinese takeout the other night and of course we got fortune cookies with our order. I explained to Sydney that the little piece of paper inside the cookie is supposed to tell you what is going to happen to you and that it was just for fun. She asked me if she ate the cookie, would it come true? I told her I didn't know, we'd have to see... She opened her cookie and her fortune said something like "You will lead a happy life." Sydney took a bite of the cookie, paused for a moment, and exclaimed, "It worked! It worked!!"

* * *

Sydney was visiting our neighbors Donna and Charlie and another little neighbor girl was there too. The two girls started pretending to sell cookies and asked Donna if she wanted to buy some. Donna said she didn't have any money. Sydney told her, "That's OK. Here you go. It's a credit card application!"

This Nation's Highest Civilian Honor

The Congressional Gold Medal awarded last July is going to be physically bestowed upon my Great Aunt Dorothy Jean and all her fellow WASPS tomorrow, by the President, as far as I know (but I'm not sure). I'm going up to Washington this evening. Do not know whether I can get into the ceremony. Mom is on the guest list, but doesn't want to attend, and it is unlikely I'll be allowed to take her place, but I may try.

In any event, after the ceremony, we will all have lunch together, including Aunt Dorothy's five adult children I haven't seen since I was in grade school, I think.

It may be a day or two before I write anything more on this blog, but when I do, it will hopefully be with pictures.

Aunt Dorothy says she is going to wear her WASP uniform. (That's Women's Airforce Service Pilots.)  It still fits her perfectly, too.

This morning's NPR story on this is here.

Anniversary

Yesterday was the second anniversary of the death of Barbara, my youngest sister.

Mom called, a bit teary, saying she just wanted to talk "with my remaining children."

I did alright during the day, but fared less well in my dreams last night. I was at some large family gathering and there, in the middle of everybody, towering over them, was my sister. (In real life, there are several members of our family she wouldn't "tower over"; she'd just be a couple of inches taller than they.) I exclaimed out loud, joyously, "There's Barbara!"

But I knew, before the words were out of my mouth, that she wasn't real, that it had to be some sort of illusion or delusion. I wasn't interested in investigating further; I didn't even go up to talk with "her".

May God keep you in His eternal memory, Barbara, and all of us with you, because that's the living Mind keeping us alive within Himself.

My Smart and Stunning Kelly-doll

My oldest grandchild, Kelly, called us with some exciting news last week. Next year, in the 3rd grade, she is going to be in the AG class, Academically Gifted. She wasn't allowed to tell anyone outside the family, but I am certainly allowed.

She is indeed gifted, and her mom is a schoolteacher, so...

Here are some pictures of her at the Father-Daughter Dance she and her friends attended Saturday night. This is her second year, I believe...

That's Kelly on the Right.

Looks like her friend Morgan has the same dress.

All My (Grand)children

Kelly, top; Connor, left; Ryan, right; Kelly, bottom

Okay, no, that's Sydney at the bottom.  It's just that she so admires her older cousin (You can see why.) that half the time she will tell you she is Kelly.  Oh, and she only simpers like this around boys, especially her handsome boy cousins.

Aren't they all just ADORABLE?!!!

Miss Compassion

For the third year in a row, my eldest granddaughter, Kelly, is the recipient of a Good Citizenship Award at her school. Last year, she was Miss Generosity. This year, she received the Compassion award. Kelly, dear, I'm SO happy you are such a wonderful girl!

That's Kelly on the Right; I Don't Know Who the Other Girl Is

Adults, Left to Right:  Auntie Erin, Dad (Mark), Mom (Katherine) Gigi (Gail, Kelly's Other Grandmother)

Children:  Kelly, Center; Connor, Cousin Sydney, and Ryan

Santa Claus ... and Santa Claus

Suddenly, Santa Appeared at the Party

Look Who's Here!  Sydney, Neighbor Anna, and Kelly are Amazed.  Anna looks especially amazed, perhaps because underneath those whiskers, Santa somehow looks awfully familiar...

Mark , Connor (L) and Ryan (R) Can't Believe it:  Santa's Here!

Connor and Sydney Sit in Santa's Lap

Santa with Sydney and Ryan

And then there was the Polar Express, where Santa showed up again.

Sydney Tells Santa All About Everything

Wonderful News

Check out what Erin and Jeff, my daughter and son-in-law, are up to, here.

Heartbreak :-)

Yesterday, I came across this photo, taken at my sister Barbara's wedding in 1980, when she tossed her bouquet. It looked certain that little Tisho (my sister Wendy's daughter) had it, but then it landed straight in Erin's face (my daughter). Tisho let out a howl of agony.

That's Laurel behind them, a daughter of my very colorful Great Aunt Dorothy, and behind her, her older sister, Debbie.

Our family, including Tisho, have chuckled over this ever since.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

E-mail received this morning from my daughter, Erin:

This morning Sydney woke me up and said, "My nose has stopped breathing." I said, "Really?" She said, "Yes, my nose is stuck and it won't smell ANYthing!"

Breaking News...

Katherine, my daughter-in-law, is recovering nicely from an emergency appendectomy late this afternoon. As it was a laparoscopic procedure, she may even go home tomorrow, if she continues doing as well as she is now.

Her mother, who lives a bare mile or so away, has been caring for the three children (Kelly, age 8, Ryan and Connor, age 5). Mark, my son, nevertheless reports being "tired." Yup, hospitals will do that to you.

Looks like Erin (my daughter) and Jeff and little Sydney will be hosting Kelly and the twins tomorrow. There's going to a Christmas parade in their town, followed by a neighborhood pizza party, which Santa always visits, complete with a little gift for each child.

Kelly Goes to a Miley Cyrus Concert

...dressed in her Hannah Montana costume, as were her friends and some of their mothers.

That's Kelly and Katherine, Right

Kelly (Shocking Pink) & Friends, Pre-concert Party

At the Concert

Kelly to Katherine:  "Mom, what can I ever do to thank you?"

"Auntie Mame" Recieves Nation's Highest Civilian Honor

She's really my great-aunt Dorothy Jean, youngest sister of my maternal grandmother, and she's 91 years young. Some years ago, she was standing next to a furnace when it exploded and burned off her face. When her brand new skin grew in, it was soft as a baby's and wrinkle-free, so she looked REALLY YOUNG!

She's a "character"; she's what one person on the Internet called "a Renaissance woman," if that's not an oxymoron.  I suppose her own family, back in the days, would have regarded her as a black sheep; she's an atheist and, it used to be whispered, a "Pinko," which meant a Communist sympathizer. She also married Uncle Sam, a Jew.  Others in her contemporary family might consider her a herione, for doing all sorts of things ladies were not supposed to do, such as fly airplanes and earn several postgraduate degrees in college and get divorced. She worked a long time as a chemist and then went into counselling and wrote a book called, Is Living Killing You? about self-defeating behaviors and how to overcome them.  She protested the Vietnam war; I remember her riding to the Pentagon to do this, with Dad, in his car.  He went in to work there and she, to protest.  Afterward, they both rode home together.  She once rafted down the Colorado River with Dad, too. 

She and her husband, Sam Eppstein, built their Frank Lloyd Wright house with their own four hands and I remember staying in it, and how different it seemed from any house I'd ever been in...

In World War II, she was a WASP (Women's Airforce Service Pilot).

I've just learned that on July 4, the President awarded all the WASPs the Congressional Gold Medal.

Here's part the NPR story:

July 4, 2009
President Obama signed a bill Wednesday granting the Congressional Gold Medal to a group of women most Americans have never heard of: the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP.

These were the first women to fly military aircraft. During World War II, they volunteered for noncombat duty, as test pilots and trainers. They freed up their male counterparts to go to Europe and fight in the war.

But even though they wore uniforms and worked on bases, they were never considered members of the military. Their contribution to the war effort was so controversial, in fact, that all records pertaining to their service were sealed and deemed classified in 1944. That pretty much consigned the WASP to the dustbin of history for decades...

Somebody apparently has made a 45-minute video of my great-aunt's life; here is a trailer lasting a minute and a half.


The Life of Dorothy Jean Dodd Eppstein from mel halbach on Vimeo.

CONGRATULATIONS, AUNT DOROTHY JEAN! 

All My Beauties

Here are all my grandchildren, four of the most wonderful children in the whole world world! Do please click each photo to enlarge. (Sorry, it's Grandmotheritis.)

Here's Sydney, all ready for her first day of pre-school.

Sydney (4), Kelly (7), Ryan (4), and Connor (4). The boys are going to turn five on October 1st.


Kelly makes a horse's acquaintance as Sydney looks on.


Ryan, Connor, Kelly, Sydney

My Sister Was a Horse Lover

She started when she was a small child, with a collection of plastic horses. She vaccinated and wormed and bred them, keeping meticulous medical records and pedigrees. Dad made her a barn to keep them in.

When she was in high school, Barbara finally acquired a real horse of her own. It was hard to find one that would fit her, she was so tall, but finally she found a very tall horse. She taught him to jump and entered an equestrian contest or two.

She always hoped to have several horses and, although her veterinary career never did become specialized, she dreamed of being mostly a horse doctor.

Well, as today is her birthday, here are some cute horse pictures for you, in her memory.

They're another something someone forwarded to forty-zillion people and now to me... I'm told this is a newborn offspring of Taskin, Gypsy Stallion owned by Villa Vanners of Oregon. These pictures were taken immediately after his birth on April 6. The mare lay down, and then the colt trotted around and crawled right up into her "lap".






Happy Birthday, Barbara, "until the day dawns" when we find shall our way - until God shows us the way - back to each other.

"Sisters" Dream

I was walking through the house where we all lived (my entire extended family) and when I passed Barbara's bedroom, she came dancing out in a long, swirly skirt, a costume of some sort, and someone said, "Barbara's going to perform in Afghanistan!"

And then, suddenly, it didn't make any sense. Until then, apparently, it had made sense that Barbara still lived with us, could be seen and heard and touched and spoken with. But going on a trip, performing in some play? "How can you be going to Afghanistan," I demanded, "when you're --"

She glared at me, inclining her head toward her daughter. It was Tisho, still a teenager, and Tisho, in real life, is Wendy's daughter (and she's in her mid-thirties), so this dream was a bit confused, but one clear thing was that Barbara didn't want me to say, "You're dead!" in front of the young girl.

"Come with me," I said, taking Barbara's arm, "and let's go someplace where we can talk, because I need to understand what's happening."

"You can't understand it," said Barbara, as we walked down the hall. Then, to tease me for presumption, she added, "And heaven will be alarmed, you know, if you try."

"Oh, no, I don't mean I'm going to try to understand the how or the why. Just the WHAT. For example, can you appear and disappear?"

She nodded.

"And sometimes are you visible to some but not others?"

"Yes."

We found a room and sat on a bench there, I still holding onto her arm with one hand and clasping her hand in my other hand.

"And is all this under your own control?"

"Yes."

That seemed very, very cool. "Oh!" I said, "So you're a bit like Samantha, then."

"Samantha?"

"You remember. That woman in the television series who was a witch and was married to the guy named Darren. She twitched her nose to make things happen..."

Barbara began chomping her teeth, and somehow I knew that was her equivalent of Samantha's nose twitch.

"No, don't do that!" I cried. The sight of her was already fading. "No, I don't want you to go away!" But by the time I had said it, she had already disappeared, and the solid feel of her was draining out of my hands like sand, until they were empty.

She didn't actually say, "Until next time," but she managed to convey that message. But there was no way to tell when the next time would be, how long it would be from now. Too, too long, in any case.

"Oh, Wendy, oh, Wendy! I miss you so much!" I cried, and I have no idea why it came out "Wendy!" instead of "Barbara!" but in the dream it seemed to make sense.

I felt so bereft, I sobbed until I woke up, calm, though sad. I do miss her so very much! (Wendy, too, as she lives so far away.)

I suppose I dreamed that because Barbara's birthday is going to be this week.

These Past Two Weeks (or so)

It's been a very busy and very enjoyable time, first with my niece Madison (13) and then with her sister, Elizabeth (9). Demetrios and I love having them spend these days with us every summer. They are both very dear, very sweet, very well-behaved, especially when apart.

Maddy and I worked on my marble run, fascinating to anybody from about her age on up. We did a jigsaw puzzle, played our favorite board game, wrote a children's story, and bottle-fed the orphaned kitten. We went swimming and went down a very scary waterslide. It was one of those tube kinds with twists and turns. You become completely disoriented during the ride, as everything you can see is the same color. You cannot even predict when you will be dumped into the water. We went shopping for a few school clothes. We went to the Imax theater and saw two shows. We went to church, out to dinner a couple of times, and to a backyard cookout. Best of all, we had some good talks.

Elizabeth I took with me to visit all my grandchildren in North Carolina. Well, we also did a jigsaw puzzle and played some games and read some stories and worked on writing one which never got finished, and we went to the zoo and the Imax theater, too, but the main thing we did was our trip to see her cousins.

Here are some pictures. Obviously, I love posting pictures of the beautiful children in our family. Click if you want to enlarge.

This first batch was taken at a restaurant where we all met my friend Sylvia for dinner, before gathering at a conference room at her workplace, where she showed us slides of our time together in Greece. (I will also post those soon.)

From Left to Right: Connor, Kelly, Sydney, Ryan

Kelly (7) and Sydney (4)

Ryan and Connor (4) Horse Around with Uncle Jeff, Who is Sitting across the table from them.

Elizabeth, top, with Sydney and Kelly

The Original Cast of the Play. Sydney was in paradise, allowed to participate with the older girls.

Kelly had the opening lines: "Your Majesty, I bring you a rare and precious gift from a faraway land. It is a fairy. She can grant you a million wishes. There is only one thing about her, and that is that she is totally untrained..."

The Boys Horn in on the Act

Lizzie and Sydney at the YMCA Waterpark

Sydney being a Fish. Elizabeth, learning that she could move all over the shallow end of the pool with the help of a lifebelt and noodle, pronounced this "The greatest day of my life."

First Cousins Once Removed

Lizzie's Luscious Dessert

Elizabeth, 9, has made us this scumptious dessert twice already. Here's the recipe she invented.

PER SERVING:

1/2 container of orange cremesavers yogurt
1 fresh strawberry, cut into very small pieces
1/2 teaspoon strawberry JAM (not preserves)
tiny sprinkle of sugar

Mix them all together and serve in teacups. (Lizzie creates and stirs each serving IN the teacups. If you do this, you may need to wipe around the inside edges of the cup with a paper towel or napkin before serving.)

* * *

Lizzie and I are also working together on a story she wants to write about a girl who discovers a secret room.