Grandmother Stories from 2006

Sam, just under two years of age, kicked his mother. He was wearing his cousin Burton's shoes at the time, shoes that Burton's mother had handed down to little Sam. I learned of this by phone. I said, "Hi, sweet Sam." And he said, "They're taking my shoes off!" And I asked why. And Sam said, "Because I kicked Mommy when I was wearing Burton's shoes." And I said, "Oh Sam, that isn't a very nice thing to do!" And Sam said, speaking in full sentences as he did from the very beginning of speech, said, "No, Nana. It isn't." The shoes were put away to wait for a wiser Sam.

 

We were approaching the departure date for our trip to Nova Scotia, where we would be watching Olivia, 6, and Burton, 9, for two weeks. Before we left I got a letter from Olivia, written and spelled by her, asking if, while I'm there, I would make her Halloween costume. So I phoned.

 

"What do you want to be for Halloween?"

 

"An M & M," says Livvy. Then later, "or a Jedi" (and what does a Jedi look like? Don't ask ME!). Then later "Princess Leia." And then Burton chimes in with "Or you could be a swizzle (or some such name)" and he described a tiny pink ball-like creature that's part of one of his computer games.

 

It was going to be an interesting sewing session.

 

During that same phone conversation I also talked with Burton.

 

"Nana," he says, "will you teach me to make pinwheels [that's the pastry kind, not the ones that blow in the wind] while you're here? That way I can have some whenever I want."

 

"Sure," I say.

 

"Actually, I think it's not really too hard to make them," says Burton, full of untried confidence.

 

"But the good thing," says the Nana, "is that you'll learn to make pie crust at the same time. So you can make a pie whenever you like."

 

"Actually," says Burton, "I don't much like pie. I just like pinwheels." So pinwheels it was, not a pie in sight. And at Halloween Livvy was a royal blue M&M, with a costume made from a hula hoop.

 

Later was another exchange. Burton says, "Nana, I just love the "Yuck" book you made for us. But I think you need to make a "Yum" book, too. I've already started listing things we like. But it's hard to find foods that start with "q".

 

For the "Yuck" book I used quinoa and quark. Burton says he thinks he likes quinoa now, so maybe we could re-use it with an opposite connotation. I suggest using "quiche." He says he's never heard of a quiche.

 

I need to talk to his mother about this failure to introduce him to one of the major food groups—the ubiquitous quiche.

 

 

Copyright 2011 Ann Tudor

www.anntudor.ca
http://www.scenesfromthejourney.blogspot.com