Scooter Saga

We left for Maui right after New Years (1/3/2020) and returned to Portland 2/20/2020.  Almost seven weeks!  It wasn't seeming as long as it used to before we made friends there.  Kai Makani was truly starting to feel like a second home (only warmer) .  In addition to having visit from mainland friends, Earl and I were having a grandchild visit for the first time completely on her own*.  The airlines consider passengers 14 and over "independent travelers"—yay! Too close to whales In addition to the tropical flora there, Maui also has amazing wildlife.  We have white egrets in our complex.  They're less obtrusive than the Pooping Pigeons (that we can see anyway).   But we also saw a rare, endangered monk seal basking in the sun.  Local  conservationists  were quick to tape off a wide area to keep nosy tourists at bay.  Snorkelers, divers, and swimmers  usually see plenty of turtles and fish.  The humpback wh...

I always swore that I would graciously accept our grandchildren's preference for independence, adventure, and friends when the time came.  My children's grandmother never did. (Jeez Ada, it's adolescence, not personal! *)   They didn't need adults to play games, ride bikes, or go to the Sunriver mall anymore.  Although they still required some planning and transportation support, the annual family vacation went away and the 'friends' trip became very different.  The kids weren't the only ones to plan a 'friends' trip.  Earl and I were going to meet our long time friends this year in Sunriver and then join Heidi and Michael at the end, thinking that, although the grandkids and their friends were teens, they were still children.  We thought the Tenisons might need some help with four kids.  Spoiler alert: They didn't. Turned out, our friends couldn't make it. So Earl and I adjusted and joined Heidi and Michael for a laid back getaway...

Bad weather seems to be following Earl and me this year.  We couldn't even escape it in Maui.  Sure, it was nice at first, but then the blue skies and sun Lake Kai Makani gave way to clouds and the rains came.  It was different from the more persistent, but light rain in the Pacific Northwest. Rain in the South Pacific may be warm, but it can also come as a tropical deluge. Our sweeping lawn became Lake Kai Makani, the parking lot flooded, the beach views turned gray.  In fact, it was 64° and sunny in Lake Oswego and 64° and rainy in Kihei.  Go figure.  Bad weather in paradise?  It did get better.  It always does. No pool?  I'll bike instead Devices to the rescue?  Sue us. The highlight of this trip was hosting two of our grandchildren (the first two had come in January) . Of course, they were looking forward to all the Maui attractions, but especially our pool.  Except that it was closed for resurfacing.  ...

One of the challenging things about having four different grandchildren at different ages and interests is having four different grandchildren at different ages and interests.  It was easier when they were younger.  Although evenly spaced by two or three years, their interests seemed more similar and predictable.  Now—not so much. Grandparenting little ones I remember my mom being a terrific, engaged grandmother to our children when they were very young.  But as Heidi and Jason began to become individual people with their own ideas about what was fun, she didn't know what in the hell to do.  Being outlandish by nature, Ada redeemed herself as they got older, reclaiming her craziness and reconnected with her 'grown' grandchildren.  Their memories of her focus on the goofy Grandma.  My father, Lanny, was happy being Santa (the helper) to them.  Life lesson... It's hard enough as a grandparent to stay connected with children as they ...

Whenever we're in town, Earl and I have a standing play date on Thursdays with our granddaughters, Zoe and Lexi.  We had picked them up at school and Lexi struck up a conversation as we headed home. "Grandma," announced Lexi (7) proudly.  "I made a portrait of you." "Really?  I can't wait to see it!"  I replied, wondering if she had perfected the stick figure depictions typical of her age group.  How would she handle my limited mobility?  My aging?  Children are so unashamedly honest* and candid.  We had already had the discussion about why my hands looked so old.  But perhaps she had forgotten.  I was actually looking forward to seeing her visual impressions. Grandma?  Seriously? Earl and I took them back to their house, where Elizabeth and Jason were preparing dinner for all of us.  Lexi disappeared into her bedroom to fetch the aforementioned portrait.  When she presented it, I found myself looking at a ...

In July, Jason, Elizabeth, Zoe and Lexi vacationed in Great Britain and Earl and I became the designated dog sitters for three weeks.  We consider Porter to be our grand puppy. We looked forward to his visits.  It had been almost two years since our nephew and niece's dog, Prince, provided the first 'canine fix'.  We knew this wasn't going to be equitable, but we did want to be a functional threesome. When Earl and I had Prince for a week, we learned the limits of my dog parenting abilities*.  During our week with the girls in April**, we found Porter to be a typical laid back golden retriever and fairly low maintenance with regard to care.  He had adjusted quickly to my walker, but we wondered how he would cope with the new wheelchair.  Smart dog that he is, he moved out of my way when necessary and seemed to sense that, seated, I was less at risk for falling.  Porter was more inclined to come over for a scratch than before.  I could brus...

Could we spend a week with our two granddaughters while our son and daughter-in-law were in Europe? Sure!  Wait a minute...I knew we wanted to and had always been caring parents, but it had been over 23 years since being caregiving parents with (gulp) responsibility.  Sarah and Kyle had lived with us for eight months, but their parents were always present and in charge. The Tenison family was beginning the move to their new home, so it was a good time to be out of the house.  Now, with my ataxia, I couldn't be an equitable partner to Earl.  While he wouldn't have to take care of me, he would definitely be called on to do more than his share.  Still, we were adults, adored our grandchildren, and were up for this. Jason and Elizabeth set the caregiving bar low for us.  Instructions: Feed Zoe and Lexi, take them to school, keep them alive.  We were certainly up to basic 'goldfish' care rules, could even do a bit better than that, so we enthusia...

We were invited to our grandson's first theater performance*.  He had auditioned for a part (Kyle was a gremlin in the chorus) , been rehearsing all week, and was now excited to show off his thespian talents to family.  Being cast in a chorus has the advantage of having no lines to learn, fret about, and then forget on stage.  He had minimal peformance anxiety and was just required to be animated—a personal strength.   Objectively speaking, Kyle was the best gremlin. Kyle's Gremlin gang A traveling drama team comes into town with a pre-written play, the set, two adults, and lots of fundraising 'opportunities'.  In one week, they audition and cast the play, loan the costumes to the cast, rehearse, put on their performance, reclaim the costumes from the cast, and move onto the next venue.  It funds a regional program that promotes participation in the arts and is quite time efficient. The children learn commitment, discipline, and some drama a...

      It's fascinating what children and their literature can teach a person with disabilities.  Caregiving is a family affair and I wanted to make sure that I was paying attention to the concern s of the grandchildren, as well as my own.  Although Sarah & Kyle, Zoe & Lexi aren't involved in actual care, they still have to make accommodations for my lack of mobility.  I wanted to know how having a relative with ataxia impacted children, so I asked.  My experience with children had been that they were so refreshingly honest.*  Having access to four children of different ages, personalities, and interests seemed like a golden opportunity to get some varying views.  I realized that probing into feelings can be confusing to children, so I was ready for whatever they came out with. From Sarah, age 11: Well, I have a few more chores, but otherwise, it's OK. Seriously Grandma, it's OK. From Kyle, age 8: ...