Saturday, December 19, 2015

A Highlight Of My Life Day


August's first official photo by the old train station door at the Lloyd post office. He was sleeping. You put that boy in his seat and set it in the car or the stroller and he nods right off. What an agreeable child! When we got to the post office, two ladies were outside chatting and when they saw that there was a baby they immediately straightened up and said, "Now what do we have here?" And so we had to show him off and they determined that this cold air might not be good for him (it was probably about sixty degrees) but they admired him as Jessie and I beamed.
Oh. The Grandmother Club. It's a fine club to belong to.

So. I had one of the most sublime experiences of my life today. I am not even kidding you. My darling daughter Jessie watched the Keith Richards documentary Under the Influence with me. The whole thing. She has no idea how much I appreciated that. And for a great deal of it, I held August in my lap and he watched it too and seemed to be pretty happy about that. And then, if that wasn't enough nirvana, she gave me a back massage as we watched, August happy on the floor on a quilt that his great-great-Aunt Elizabeth had made for Mr. Moon out of pieces of flannel that she'd used in making shirts for his daddy.


Greta, who was visiting too, laid down beside August and tolerated being kicked and batted with great patience. 


So yeah- today was quite simply amazing and not one that I ever could have possibly imagined when I was a young woman. 

And the men. Those men. 
They worked on that roof all day long. From as soon as the roof thawed out enough for them to stand on it until dark. The only real break they took was when they came in and ate that breakfast. 

After we watched the documentary we strolled August down the sidewalk of Lloyd. We got barked at by various dogs and greeted the No Man Is Lord guy and Greta came with us on her leash, tail up and behaving herself perfectly, even when the little yip dogs came out of a fence to let us know that we were not allowed on their property. 

And so. And so. It was such a good day. 

At the end of the documentary, Keith talks about family. He says something like, "Having children is one thing but when your children have children, it's something else. It's a feeling of accomplishment maybe? Or continuation? Ah, it's all about love."

Like that. 

Here's a picture from last summer that I took of Boppy and Gibson and Owen by that old station door. 


And the beat goes on. 

One of the conversations I had with August today was about how hearts grow and grow and grow with each new child and with each new grandchild. 

"I never could have imagined," I told him. 
He smiled as if he already knew that. 

I think he probably does. 

Love...Ms. Moon

13 comments:

  1. Yup, he doesn't look like he's forgotten yet :)

    I love the Grandmother Club, but maybe not so much their mission to Keep All Small Children Overheated :)

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  2. I love every word and pic in this post. My fave is the cold air at 60 As a Brit that cracks me up. Here the Grannies say. "Ooh don't take the baby out in the night air" This applies to any temp.

    Reading Ian Mac from the Smallfaces and the Faces bio. Keith Richards features a lot and usually makes me laugh out loud at each mention.

    We have a Call the Midwife here on Christmas Day and the very last Downton Abbey. No Bake off thankfully! Did you ever get The Great British Sewing Bee?

    Love from Blighty
    Maggi xxx Oh no here we go with the dratted Blogstapo!

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  3. Your wonderful Station Door series! And what a happy, handsome baby!

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  4. the photos of your beautiful family, and your writing....... it brings me smiles to see you are swimming in love every single day- well, especially today!
    Susan M

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  5. Love this - the post, the pictures, the babie pictures, that quilt, the old red door, the Keith documentary, the love, love, love. xxoo

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  6. I think it would be nice for the whole family to have a picture in front of the red door. Or is that too trendy like the family pictures when everyone wears white?

    Greta and her baby! Awww!

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  7. Jo- Haha! Too true!

    Maggi- "The night air" is thought to be a killer here too. I remember when I was married to my first husband if any of our kids got sick from anything, his mother would say, "Perhaps the night air got in." We never did get the sewing bee show. I would probably love it.
    I should read that book!

    A- He's a corker, that boy!

    Susan M- It was such a good day with so much love.

    Mel- So many of my favorite things. Which are NOT brown paper packages tied up in string. Ha!

    Birdie- Actually, that's a good idea. If I ever get everyone out here again. Seems like all of the gatherings have shifted to Lily's house. I need to plan a party.

    Rebecca- I kept saying, "I'm so happy." August just sat right there on my lap, sucking on his pacifier and watching Keith. It WAS sublime.

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  8. first babies always seem to be wonderful and well behaved. it's how they trick us into having another.

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  9. I remember when I found out I was pregnant with child number 2 I felt sad, because I couldn't imagine how I would ever love another child as much as I loved my son. Oh my, imagine the joy of discovering that the heart is an elastic thing, and that it would expand to hold and entire universe more of love. That must be how it feels with grandchildren, too. I have goosebumps considering it, really.

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  10. Ellen Abbott- Mother Nature is a sly bitch, isn't she?

    Angella- Oh my god! The entire time I was pregnant with May I felt horrible guilt because I just knew I could never love another baby the way I loved my first. What a joy it was to discover that each baby busted out a new part of my heart, previously unused and unknown. Hank was my teacher about how much I could love. May was my teacher on how infinitely I could love. And with each grandchild- that lesson is repeated over and over again.
    Just you wait.
    And honey- your grandkids are going to be the most beautiful and special babies on this earth. Except for mine, of course.

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  11. Oh, I love this post so much. THIS IS WHY YOU MUST BLOG FOREVER.

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