To my granddaughters: Happy New Year!

     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             December 30, 2012

The year 2012 is nearly over. There were some people who thought that the world would end on December 21, 2012, due to some old Mayan civilization’s calendar which apparently didn’t go beyond that date. I certainly did not think that the world would was going to end. That is a very self-centered thought process in my opinion. People don’t matter that much in this universe. We do not have the ability to predict nor control the end of the world. We can’t even feed ourselves. In any event, as you can see, those predictions were wrong. We are still here.

At the end of each year, our culture has a tradition of looking back over the past year to review what happened during the past twelve months. It is usually not a pretty report. This past year was filled with more than the “normal” number of mass shootings, killer weather, and political craziness. President Obama was re-elected (whew!) but no one seems to be able to get things done politically. There is a “fiscal cliff” that is currently a big issue. Hopefully, by the time you read this it will be a quaint story in American history books. There was a shooting at an elementary school just before Christmas where 20 children, ages 5-6 years old, and 6 adults were killed. Granddaughter 1, you were 5 years old at this time, and it hit all of us in our family especially hard. Now there is a lot of arguing about guns, assault rifles in particular, and mental heath treatment. I wish I knew what might happen as a result of this, but I anticipate that nothing will really change in our society. I am very glad that you attending a Friends school which is based on promoting peace and justice. We need more of that in this world.

Today is Sunday. It is a quiet, relaxing day. The sun is out. We have about 6 inches of snow on the ground. This week Bop and I are taking care of E & C’s dog Scout. So right now I am sitting in the big white chair in our bedroom, with two dogs lying by me. Rilo is on the ottoman, and Scout is on the floor. The sun is shining on us through the windows. The laundry is going down the hall-I can hear the water draining from the washer and the spin cycle beginning.

I just got done throwing a tennis ball for Scout in the backyard. She loves to fetch the ball and churns up the snow as she runs for it an brings it back to me. We lost two tennis balls out there in the yard when I threw the ball and she didn’t see where it landed in the snow. She tried very hard to find them. She is a very sweet dog, a black lab and border collie mix. She has a lot of energy for an old lady to keep up with, but I think I wore her out a little bit. Rilo, who is about 1/5 her size, tries to boss her around.  She is not interested in that and totally ignores him for the most part. That makes Rilo even more frustrated.

Right now I am also waiting for a new hair remover product to work…..a little beauty routine for a Sunday afternoon.  I knew that I had to  get on this when you pointed out my mustache, Granddaughter #1.  You couldn’t understand your momma’s mortification when she heard you mention it to me in all innocence. Some day you will realize that it is simply a very unpleasant side effect of getting old. I appreciate your honesty!

This week begins 2013 It will hopefully be a good year. Granddaughter #1, you will probably begin to lose your baby teeth and start  to have grown up teeth. This is something you are worried about, but it is a big step in growing up. Granddaughter #2, you are doing well with your speech therapy, and it is getting easier to understand you every day. You seem so happy about that. I think we are going to be having some long conversations this next year. Granddaughter #3, you are going to be 2 years old this spring-a very busy, independent little girl, I’m sure. C & E will be getting married this year in Glacier Park., so I am hoping that you will have your first visit to Glacier. Hopefully, it will be the first of many trips there.

We had a good year in 2012, with both Bop and I starting new jobs, and my surgery making me feel many years younger. A new knee makes a lot of difference!

So we are looking forward, not backward-no bad things to foresee-and wish all good things for everyone we love. To the three of you, lots of love, fun, growth and happiness!

Love, Ga

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