Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Simple Stuff


Ms. Jo sent me this picture and I have no information about it but isn't it nice?

Reminds me I need to buy grits. I have a tiny dorm-sized refrigerator in my kitchen that I keep beans and grains in because mice and weevils are rampant here but the refrigerator doesn't really work very well and it overflowed in the overflow tray and got some stuff wet, including the grits.
Yes. I have a grits-refrigerator.
Like Hank says, "Doesn't seem strange until you start to tell someone about it, does it?"
He was referring to me telling him how I get Owen to sleep and that comment popped out when I got to the part about how I stroke Owen's back with a feather while I tell him the Mr. Peep story.
There is NOTHING WRONG with lightly rubbing my grandson's back with a feather. Not like I don't have a lot of feathers around here, just hanging out and serving no purpose whatsoever.

Yes. I am an indulgent grandmother. We shall see how that works out in the end. Or, well, I won't. But someone will.

I wonder what John Rosemond, the syndicated child-expert would have to say about that. I actually met John Rosemond once, IN A BAR, Y'ALL and he was awesome nice. I read his column today in our paper and if you're the parents of teenagers, I would recommend that you read it. It is pure-T common sense and some of the best advice I've ever heard. Read it HERE.

Okay. I really don't have much to say today at this point since all I've done since last night was sleep, mostly. I read a short story about a woman killing a man who'd raped her when she was a girl and it was pretty good. One of the finer stories in the New Yorker I've read lately. Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood. I think I like my fiction like I like my art- something I can recognize rather than something I look at and go, "What the fuck does that mean?" I'm a simple woman and can totally relate to someone bashing someone's head in with an ancient fossil on a cruise to the Arctic although I would never actually go to the Arctic.

I'm going to town later and I guess I'll buy me some grits.

And see my grandson.

It should be a good day.

15 comments:

  1. You're funnier when you've been to Mexico.

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  2. We keep our grits in the freezer 'cause of moths. When we buy bulk grains from New Leaf, they come filled with moth larvae and then our house is moth ridden for months and they got in our grits. Dammit!

    So, 1. we don't buy bulk grains from New Leaf, and 2. we protect our grits.

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  3. I liked the JR article. I don't know why I love reading parenting advice since I have no children.

    I have a gift subsription to the New Yorker from my aunt and very rarely read it. I just give it to the library. But your last two recommendations made me look into getting it on my ipad (grasshopper Kathy gave me an ipad for watching her dogs!). I can get it for free on there and read the things you recommend since I have the subsription. Yay.

    I love your separate grit fridge and your feather for Owen.
    I think you are one of the coolest people in the universe. And don't argue me on that.

    Love you.

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  4. DTG- Which is why I should go regularly.

    Magnum- Damn. I was going to buy grits at the New Leaf! I really was. I'm going by there today to see Billy.

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  5. Not a fan of Margaret Atwood. Of course, her being the epitome of Canadian artsy literature, we have her shoved down our throats - and also there is so much forced artsy crap here - not real - so much posing and bullshit that even the real thing starts looking like McDonald's french fries.

    We don't get grits here. I've had them a couple times but they don't do much for me either. I think they are something you need to get a lot of over time to appreciate.

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  6. The teen article is really good, and as you say, common sense... I wish you a happy day in Lloyd. With or without grits. ( I don't know what grits are, never had them). At least not that I know off.

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  7. PS Please don't think I ever take your lovely, creative, ever fresh and wonderful header pics for granted. I always comment on them in my head when a new one comes up but often forget you can't read my mind. Love the moon and branch, so dreamy, mysterious...

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  8. Like Hank says, "Doesn't seem strange until you start to tell someone about it, does it?"

    Now that's a good word. Explains my life half the time. Ha!

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  9. Well a couple of things. I now know that I am a micromanaging mom. Damn it. Great column - thanks for sharing. Your discussion about explaining that you stroke Owen's back with a feather and how things don't seem strange until you start to tell someone about them - that is sooooo true. I really do always like how you are able to put things into words. :)

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  10. "Someone will see how that works out in the end". Heehee.
    I don't agree with Dr. Rosemond on this one. Perhaps this parent needs to calm down about the fact that her 17 y.o. will indeed do stuff with boyfriend and sneak out and text stuff. But that parents should do away with their rules just cuz kids will find a way to do stuff anyway? Ah hells no. I don't think having rules about no friends over when no parent is home is micromanaging. The parent is still responsible for anything that happens in that house to someone who is not own child. My teens may do stuff they are not supposed to and parents do need to have a clue about that. As a parent I must let go and trust their decisions. But as a homeowner and someone who can get sued, I am responsible for my house and what goes on inside of it or I am held liable. Sorry, Dr. I'm with ya on your potty-training sense but not this.

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  11. Bethany- There is always excellent reading in the New Yorker. Always. Thanks for noticing my new header. I 'preciate ya' as Mr. Moon says.

    Jeannie- Well, grits are sort of like cream of wheat but...grittier. We eat them here with butter and salt and pepper with our eggs. Yummy. Well, we think they are. We also eat cheese grits. Mostly with fish. Even yummier. I never thought I liked Margaret Atwood that much either but lately I have come to soften on that opinion.

    gradydoctor- Hank is wise.

    Jill- That's all Hank. He's the one.

    Michele R- I agree with him because in less than a year, that girl is going to be away from home and if she doesn't get to make some choices now there's a good chance she's gonna go CRAZY! We can't prevent our kids from making bad decisions or decisions that we might consider to be "bad" no matter what we do unless we lock 'em up. This is how we learn, unfortunately. I don't think Rosemond was advocating that the parents just throw up their hands and revoke all rules. I've always been of the opinion that most kids would be far more likely to do what they can to keep their parent's trust than to blindly obey rules. "You've disappointed us," is a very hard thing to hear. As to the liability thing- see? I would never think of that. What sort of thing would you think would happen that you could prevent if you were there? I'm curious. These are kids who are legal-aged to drive, not six year olds. Or even thirteen-year olds. I think the parents are basically afraid that their daughter will have THE SEX and if they think they can stop that, they don't remember what it's like to be seventeen.

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  12. I think it's much better to spoil Owen with a feather and a back rub than toys and STUFF! Love is good, and teaching kids how to show love is pretty freaking awesome.

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  13. I haven't even gotten past that GORGEOUS moon picture to read the post yet. Wow, Ms. Moon, that's a great photo!

    (OK, now onto the reading of this post.)

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  14. Huh. I have always adored Margaret Atwood, since the very first time I read her, probably The Hand Maids Tale in 1988 or Cats Eye a few tears later...

    I used to get The New Yorker until I started getting odd remarks from my postman at the time. lol

    I'm so glad that you had a grand time in Cozumel and that you are home. Sleeping. In the rain....

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  15. Grits are scarce around here because we are on the total health food kick. And the biggest reason is that my wife doesn't care for them. But when I am on the boat, I cook them and when I eat breakfast out, I have them. Shrimp and grits are the ultimate.

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