Thursday, March 28, 2019 – A Grand Spring

When she arrived, nearly two weeks ago, it was still winter. The melt had just started in earnest, but the backyard—the north-facing yard—was still white. On that first day, I predicted that the snow would all be gone by the time she went home.

”Don’t talk about me going home,” she said.

No, I suppose not. There were endless days of grand fun ahead. Who wanted to think about them coming to an end?

Since then, we’ve been busy.

We baked a pie and a cake. We went shopping and out for lunch. We’ve played countless games of chess, MasterMind, Mexican Train Dominoes, Scrabble, Sorry, and still more chess. We’ve gone to the library. We’ve snuggled in our bed in the morning, and hers at night. She helped Grandpa with some repairs. We’ve walked in the park, and she’s played at the playground. The three of us have gone bowling, and run around outside looking for chalk renderings of food and water. We’ve played Barbies, and had scavenger hunts. She’s pulled out the skipping rope and drawn on the sidewalk with chalk. We prepared the garden for the first planting. We’ve watched movies, and chatted in the hot tub. We had a girl’s spa day. We’ve eaten ice cream—lots and lots of ice cream. We barbecued burgers and had s’mores and pretended it was summer.

And one afternoon when we were at the store, and she was looking longingly at the Barbies, and I was shaking my head, Gerry whispered in my ear “she’s only young once” and plucked the one she was looking at from the shelf and bought it to add to her already impressive collection.

She called me to the window yesterday and pointed out that the very last bit of snow had melted from the backyard. It’s certainly spring now; I suppose it’s time. Today will be our last full day here before we take her back home to her mama.

It will be a precious one.

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And, now a few words from my granddaughter that she wrote after reading my post yesterday. She has the heart of a reader and a writer.

I sit down in the white wing chair with my book wondering what’s going to happen next. As I’m thinking I look at grandma, she’s already laying down on the sofa with her Kindle.

I start to read the fourth chapter and it already feels like I’m trapped in the book. It’s amazing what books can do to you. I start imagining things like the house is the girls house in the story.

After a while I start blowing bubbles with my gum. The previous day we went to the candy shop in Salmon Arm. We got sour treats, licorice, and edible paper. I start to blow really big bubbles and I yell “grandma!” They pop and we go back to our books.

After a while I get up to do something, and then come sit back down.

“Can you get me blanket while you’re up?”

I’m already sitting down comfortable and cozy. “l’m already sitting down though!”

Grandma lets out a laugh and says: “the look on your face is priceless!”

She gets up and goes to get a blanket herself.

After the hour is up Maya comes to tell us that Grandpa is awake. I grab her and stroll into the grandparents room.Earlier we had been thinking about a treasure hunt where we hide clues and search for them.

“Hey Grandpa, I think we’re doing the treasure hunt now.”

He gets up, and I grab my blanket and head into the laundry room. I can hear them a little bit but not much. They come and grab me and the first clue stumps me. When we finish, my prize is a nice shiny loonie.