forward March...

 Today was 'spring forward' day when we set our clocks ahead one hour, supposedly at 2:00am, but really, who waits til 2:00am.  We're already losing sleep. even though we try going to bed an hour early so we still get enough sleep.  That's a nice idea but if you're accustomed to falling asleep at 11:00pm, even if your wonder spouse has set all the clocks ahead, your body knows that it's not really bedtime.

As a result of this 'spring forward' business, It was dark when I got up this morning and I've been sleepy all day.  

Attendance at Sunday school and church seemed a little sparse but that could have been because it has been a lovely sunny day and I'm not the only one suffering from EOSF.  It's a highly contageous condition.  

I did see one lady walking into church while we were singing the last hymn.  She doesn't have a wonder spouse to take care of things like setting clocks ahead for her.  

My west coast brother has an interesting theory about the twice a year time changes.  He says that the time changes induce something similar to jet lag and keep us from focusing on election day in the fall and taxes due in the spring.  He doesn't think that the timing is a coincidence and he may be right.

But enough speculation about why it happens.  Tomorow morning I will face my biggest challenge - setting my car clock ahead.  I know I can do it, and I know it's a simple process.  It's just remembering the process that's the challenge.

Brunch anyone??

My wonder spouse, who, everyone knows, is the cook in our family, surprised me this morning by asking if I wanted pecan pancakes for breakfast.  Usually our breakfasts are a do-it-yourself event.  I like cinnamon toast while he favors graham crackers.  

Since this was a no rush Saturday morning, I said YES, and quickly started the coffee and put the butter and syrup on the table.  I like to do my part.  We each had two plate size pancakes - light fluffy and delicious (one at a time while they were hot) - with butter and real maple syrup.  We are admittedly syrup snobs, nothing but pure maple syrup will do.  

It was a delicious breakfast, turned into brunch, finished while it was still morning, but only by a little bit. 

Then I received my west coast brother's daily text informing me that today is "National Flapjack Day."  Well, everyone knows that flapjack is just another name for pancake so we were pleased to learn that this time we had correctly celebrated the day.  

I should mention that today is also "Descendants Day" so, not too surprisingly my mind has been on my youngest little descendent (two days old today).  See yesterday's blog for details.  

While working at my desk I spotted this four generation picture, taken 25 years ago.  The baby in this picture is the proud and shaggy daddy in yesterday's picture.  I hope to get a brand new 4-generation picture when we all get together sometime soon.

New Life!!!

 Today was the day we have all been waiting for.  Today I became a great grandma and my spouse became a wonder great grandpa.

Here's the proud papa with his 6 lb 15 oz 19.5" long bundle of joy.

Here's little M. J. His first solo shot.

And here's the proud and understandably exhausted mommy.

They have requested some alone time as they adjust to their new life style so there will be no picture of me holding the baby for a couple of weeks.  It's ok, I can wait.  Not patiently, but I can wait. And I do understand.

When each of my two children was born I had what the hospital called "rooming in" meaning that the baby was with me the whole time, not in the nusery, and only my husband could visit. Back then the hospital stay was five days.  It was so good to have that private bonding time first.

Old School....

 I've been hearing a lot in the news lately about AI and the fact that it will potentially replace many jobs that humans do now.  Since I am happily retired this does not concern me over much although I do wonder about the jobs of my children and grandchildren. 

Thinking back over jobs I have had, I realize that some could easily have been done by AI controlled robots.  For example, I saw a piece in the news last night about robot arms mixing and pouring drinks in a bar.  Lucky for me that technology wasn't around the summer I tended bar.  I had just moved to a new town and needed that job.

Then there was my first career as an elementary and middle school  art teacher.  I can imagine a robot rolling up and down the aisles, critiquing students' work, but I'm not sure how much work would actually get done, although the visual aids might be pretty spectacular.  Students in our area have already adapted to e-learning days when the weather is terrible, but according to a teacher I know, there isn't always a lot of work getting done because there aren't any parents home to supervise.  Maybe, in addition to the laptops that are provided to most students in our local school systems, homes could be provided with AI "teachers" to keep the children working??? 

Finally, let's consider real estate sales where I spent 25 years of my working life.  When I started that career, we were thrilled to have one little postage stamp size picture of a house for sale on our computers.  By the time I retired we could show clients virtual tours of many houses, saving endless hours of driving people from house to house.  Not really AI but a nice improvement in technology.        AI closings would be great. 

And yet, as I look back on those jobs I realize that what I enjoyed most in each of them was the interaction with people, real live people.  I think I may have retired just in time.

March Forth...

 I'm sorry to keep depending on my west coast brother for blog ideas but some are just too good to resist.  Today, for example, is "Marching Music Day."  Having spent many hours cheering on my children and then two of my grandchildren as they marched in parades and competitions, I feel qualified to write on the subject.  

Today is also "National Pound Cake Day" which surprisingly reminded me of a marching band incident I will never forget.  Actually the bands weren't involved, just some parents along the parade route. 

While my first husband and I stood watching the parade go by in a small town north of Fort Wayne I overheard this conversation on my right - 

Fat slob sitting in a strained folding chair to his harassed looking wife who had just walked up behind him "Did ja bring me a beer?"  Wife responds with a quiet "No."  Slob says "Well, go fetch!" and she turned away and walked submissively off.  

I saw red!  Who says 'fetch' to a person? I wanted to pound this throwback to the cave dwellers into a pulp.  Fortunately, my long suffering first wonder spouse, who had often accused me of being a closet 'women's libber' saw me seeing red and quiclky walked me away so I could cool off.  Thereby preventing a scene which would definitely have detracted from the parade and posssibly, gasp, embarassed our marching children.  Everyone knows how easily teenagers are embarassed by their parents.

"hand, hand, finger, thumb...."

 My west coast brother informed me earlier today that it is "What if Cats and Dogs had Opposable Thumbs Day/"  While my wonder spouse and I have had pets in the past, we don't now, but we do get plenty of entertainment value from the squirrels who frequent our bird feeders.

After witnessing one remarkable (and fairly chubby) squirrel perched on a feeder that we thought was completely out of reach, because it had a large squirrel guard protecting it, and was far away from every tree and bush, we began to wonder if squirrels have opposable thumbs.  It could explain some of their amazing gymnastics. So of course I did a little research. 

It turns out they do, kind of.  Squirrels have four long fingers and claws on each paw plus a small stiff digit - a vestigal or pseudo-opposable 'thumb.'  It's actually called a pollex. 

I wonder??? Could it be that our squirrels are a little more evolved than most?  If we could trap one (just catch and release for observation purposes of course, not for stew) I bet we would see that they have nice long pollexes.  It would explain so much.

good old stuff...

 My west coast brother informed me that today is "Old Stuff Day." Since I am now in my 81st year, it will come as no surprise that I have accumulated an abundance of old stuff.  Even after downsizing twice and having an estate sale I still have old stuff.

But sometimes old stuff isn't all that bad.  Last year one of my granddaughters saw a sweater I had pulled out of the closet, thinking I might donate it.  She declared it "vintage" and asked if she could have it.  Of course I said yes, and gave her two more besides.

Just this week the same granddaughter told me that she is still using a handmade blanket that my west coast sister-in-law made for me over 40 years ago.  I had let her take it to college.  She and her boyfriend spread it out on the floor to relax on while eating popcorn and watching TV.  Just what it was made for.  

And even better, thinking about old things, yesterday my wonder spouse and I delivered an old but still beautiful maple rocking chair to my grandson and his very expectant wife.  The baby is due any time now and it gives me a happy glow to think about him being rocked to sleep in the same rocker in which my mother rocked me and my younger brothers to sleep.  I also put a lot of rocking miles on that chair when my babies came along.

Isn't it good that some old stuff just gets better with age?