Doctor Grandma

Yesterday Raven went to the pool w/ some older friends, Caspian was on my computer while I went & re-licensed the truck, with Al always here. Late in the day, Caspian & I swam for one hour.

We then attended “First Thursday” which is a blast for free in downtown Columbia, put on by the Arts community. Artists display their work in studios while providing munchies in the form of cheese & crackers, fruit and drinks, to people who come by. Musicians gather on the streets to play music, and some special performances occur. The highlight of the night for our grandsons were the guys who perform with Fire. Using oil, they light batons and oil buckets they twirl around and toss into the air and catch. One girl with a hula hoop did an exceptional performance & ended with a hoop that had oil pots that were lit all around the outside of it. One guy “swallows fire”. It was a great performance, with loud music with a beat, & Caspian was mesmerized, sitting close to them the whole time. When the one came out who cracks something like a whip that spits fire, the crack was so loud Caspian jumped about a foot into the air.

Thunder and lightning threatened us the whole night & when it hit, it hit fast. We ran down the street to another indoor huge Art Studio, where paintings were displayed. Caspian was uincomfortable with the nudes. I explained to him how they were “art” about the human body. If he were around us more, he would be able to sort out nude art from low-life nudity in porn or such things. He is 10. Raven analyzed a set of paintings that all used the U.S. dollar in the background to symbolize various problems in America.

Music was happening in this Art studio and Caspian then sat right next to 2 guitarists jamming. Then Dubber took the stage and quality and art on the guitar emerged. It was an awesome enjoyable night, all free. Tonight we go to Raleigh for N’s first birthday. Then bring Zakiah back w/ us for a few more days. I will truly need a week to recover, but the boys will enjoy being together as cousins. Hopefully, we will manage. Leah picks up her baby girl Thursday, then we go Friday to the ocean, and Saturday back to Indiana, where AL will also be able to visit w/ his dad who is recovering from having a pacemaker put in place last week.

My favorite thing. Grandsons visit for 2 weeks. Just want to write down a few things we’ve done so their mom can read this later.

Sat.: drove from IN to SC.

Let’s go backwards. Today (WED.), I had to go to my collg for a meeting this morning, left C. w AL working upstairs & went in. Raven has made a couple friends in the last 24 hrs. so he was w/ them partially, and he can go to the pool by himself since he is 14. Caspian keeps getting out large jigsaw puzzles & actually getting some of it done. Only problem is, he does them on the carpet in the middle of the living room floor.

He is in heaven spending time on my computer & hasn’t gone to any sites he shouldn’t. He says he “learned his lesson on that one”. The only thing he DID do, was change the password on my phone’s security settings and shut off all calls. I hadn’t gotten any calls in 3 days, then someone told me it was going directly to voice mail. I was on the phone to VERIZON about it when Caspian says, “Grandma, I know what’s wrong, I changed it.”  — trying to get to security settings — “No Grandma, that’s not the password, I changed it.”  DANG!! He lost privileges to use my phone & play games.

So when I ret’d, Caspian & I went to pool. He tired of it in an hour & 1/2 or so. Said he was ready to go. Bunch of boys were in the pool for awhile with a large raft. Caspian had fun climbing into it, then falling out backwards and saying, “Navy Seal dive!”

Kids play a REALLY REALLY annoying game in the water called “Marco Polo”. One kid is “it”, they supposedly shut their eyes and don’t peek. They say “Marco” and all the other kids say “Polo”. The kid who is it has to listen to the voices & try to grab someone by following their voice, then that kid is “it”. I’ve seen adults leave the pool they got so annoyed with it. Just up and left.

Tonight, went to a youth poetry night of Al’s, but night before last day of school, no youth showed. Some adults came though, & we actually had a nice sharing time, new guitar players played; Lisa read a love poem from her teenage yrs.; I said 1 short poem I have memorized; it was a good night. Caspian got to paint on the wall outside which has a huge mural painted on it. Lisa included him, very nice.

Day before today: Tuesday. We spent a couple hours at the pool. I don’t remember what else we did except Al watched 2-3 episodes of CSI LA or some such thing and Raven watched it w/ him, then he turned on a comedy show he thinks is hilarious & I watched 1/2 of it w/ him. Raven thought he lost his phone today. Said he had searched his room. His phone was laying on TOP OF his pillow.

Caspian has been taking all his medications w/ no complaints. I put them in applesauce. I take 3 vitamins and tell him I take 3 medications just like him. Sometimes we take them together. I show him my 3 size pills, just like he has 3 different-sized pills.

Sunday night went to a Music Fest outside at a friend’s house down the road. Lots of musicians, yard games, making tye-dye shirts. It was a good time. Cook out food. I think they had a good time. Caspian immediately made friends w/a group of 5 other kids. At one point Caspian threw a pine cone & it hit a truck driving by, & the guy got pissed & stopped. Someone calmed him down & Caspian was spoken to. Nothing else happened.

This weekend we go to Leah & Jean’s for Naylah’s 1st birthday party. Nice the cousins will be together. Leah asked Zakiah to make a list of things for the weekend to do, & he wrote, “Jump out and surprise Grandma!”  That’s the only thing he wrote.  🙂

Raven is nearly 6 ft. tall.

We await the coming of a new grandchild. Baby Ruto no. 2 is due June 8th. We don’t think Leah will go to that date, but you never know. Best thing is to think of it as coming on that date & not get into expectation mode of it coming early.

We don’t know if it is boy or girl, as parents decided not to know until birth. It’s a hard thing not to find out, as these days they tell you from an early ultrasound. But it’s really good, because by the time the child is born, you don’t care which sex it is, as long as it’s here, and healthy. We would like a little girl, as she would be the first granddaughter, besides step daughters I rarely see, but we don’t really care.

Our family is close. We are close to all our grandkids, so it seems strange that here comes this new little one and we do not even know who he or she is. But they are already part of our family. Seems odd that he or she doesn’t know us, or know who all is waiting for him or her on the other side. But we’re all here, just waiting, and praying for all to go well. Leah has gestational diabetes so is somewhat a risk for complications, but she has been extremely strict on the diet, so there is no sign that anything will be out of normal range. We are hoping for a good, normal, natural birth, as that is what she wants. Just like last time. Hopefully not quite as fast as last time, but not too long either. I am 4 hours away, and may very well not make it in time for this birth, but will arrive soon after & be prayin’ all the way there.

Possible names are: Kahlil (boy), or Naylah pronounced “Nie-luh” (girl).

I want to write a word about my grandkids. It still amazes me that I have them, but I was a young grandma at age 42. That was 13 years ago.

Raven is now a teenager. Totally amazing. He is wonderful. Last time I saw him, he had passed me in height. (I am 5’4″ – not the tallest woman)

Raven’s parents have been divorced for years, but when I think back to the time of his birth, they were so in love. Their wedding was full of happiness and warmth, and much love. Their dance together still brings tears to my eyes when I remember it. They were in love, and I want their kids to strongly know that. They were very young, and happy together, at least for a few years. I think the immaturity of one side unraveled that love thread, but they were a love couple. Their mom is remarried and that was a lovely outdoor wedding, a beautiful day, with loving family members all around. There was much love that day as well. I just wanted the boys to know their parents did have a love marriage in the beginning.

Raven is the most amazing spirit, lanky, blonde, and type B personality, like his mom. He is a soothing presence to be around, and extremely smart. Also somewhat ADD, loses track of things and time. Raven is a leader by quiet strength of spirit, and his sense of humor. Very sociable in his own way. Plays soccer, football, cross country, tries to please everyone, but eventually will need to break that habit in order to find his own place in the world and who he is.

And then came Caspian, 5 years later. Caspian is a whiz. Lots of energy, can’t stop moving, also blonde, but a very different personality from his brother. He would be on the opposite end of the spectrum as a strong type A. He is a leader and loud about it. I pray to God every day to channel this kid’s energy somehow, for him to find a place to use it well. Caspian is now 8, a 2nd grader, can be very difficult to control. Doesn’t want to color between the lines. Sees the world outside the box.

And then there’s Zakiah, my sweetie boy. He is now 3. Biracial, bicultural, Kenyan-American. Really, he is just American by nationality, but he carries the history of his Kenyan family and all their culture with him at all times, through his father. He hears Swahili and English at home, along with Spanish at school. He will find his own place and identity in the world. He is aware of the world at all times, unlike some Americans. He is adorable, talking constantly, very smart, very happy. Also a strong defiant spirit, which, when channeled, will be a big plus for him in making decisions for his own life.

And then I have 3 step-grandchildren whom I never see. I have met them all, but since then, circumstances have changed to where I never see them. Joseph, through Jean, is also 8 and lives in Pittsburgh. Daisy and Ashley, my 2 beautiful Mexican granddaughters, are not allowed to see me or receive gifts from me. I have no say in that, so that’s the way it is. I feel sorry that they are deprived of their grandma who would love them greatly.

Through Jean’s half-sister, I have 3 other African-American “nephews” of sorts, Julian, Jonah and Jerry. What a group! Each of them has their own personality as well. Julian, the sombre thinker, Jonah the clown, Jerry the soul singer. They get together with Raven and Caspian and have a BLAST. It must be good to have multi-cultural cousins. They will look at the world in a more open way.

I pray for them all every day. One morning prayer is for them. May they make this world a better place with their presence.

“The earth is one country, and mankind its citizens.” –Baha’i writings.