Miss G's parents are due to touch down just before 1800 today, and so I have to give her back. We are at her house in the city today as she has gone off to the first day of her swimming camp. She did not want to go. The granddaughter does not have a pick of fat on her anyplace and this means that in cold water she turns blue and purple in about five minutes. At her camp she has two half hour lessons a day in 72 degree water (why does Apple not use common symbols, she said plaintively - or at least the codes I know?) and I will probably have to thaw her out this afternoon in spite of the hot day outside. Plus, the games are boring, I am told.
Her aunt, when I repeated this to her, laughed a lot and remarked that after she has had hot and cold running grandparents for two weeks, almost, anything would be a comedown. Probably true.
Grandpa took her out in the punt on the beaver pond, for a day fishing and swimming (cold, Grama!) and zooming in the big boat on the Rideau Canal system, shopping (they found a minuscule snapping turtle on the way home and brought him back in the truck bed, installed him in a luxury condo for the day and then released him into the big beaver pond), dog walking and has provided an enthusiastic ear to her daily summer reading task. In French.
With Grama she has learned to use the sewing machine to make endless bags and, finally, a dress, painted, swum daily in our indoor pool (85 degrees) and played water games, done lots of other crafts, shopped for a new bathing suit, and generally hung out. Plus she has had our adopted cat to play with and helped me take her to the vet. She has eaten and drunk precisely what she wanted, gone to bed late and slept in (!), and read in English and played with her video game without time limits. We got front seats at the local Canada Day firework display and it was excellent. If this is not Nirvana for a nine year old, it must be pretty close.
Her besotted grandfather asked me to mention to her parents that if she really can't stand the camp, we could have her back to our place for a while longer. Her aunt, while laughing, did point out that I do not need to have her elegant little foot on my neck quite so much. Ah, well. Soon she will be grown past the point that she needs Grama for a playmate so I should gather ye rosebuds while I may.
In other news, the Vet estimated the cat's age at one to two years, so she is not a kitty, just a very small (and opinionated) cat. When the YD brings her large and gentle dog out to visit and spreads the dog's bed out, the cat sprawls out on it and Shammy goes and sleeps elsewhere, looking put upon. We will be looking after the dog for much of July and I am wondering just how these two will co-exist long term. At present it appears that 7 lb Callee Cat is the boss, but we will see. 60 lb Shammy could make one mouthful of her.
I must now go and stock up my poor jet-lagged daughter's refrigerator. Miss G is almost out of fruit.
Edited Wednesday to add:
Gave her back last night, but not before she passed her deep water qualifier at swimming camp. Grama is proud.
Grama is reading the newspaper without interruptions. But we miss her.
I like how "little stuff" has graduated to "Miss G". Isn't it great to have one on one with a grandchild.
ReplyDeleteKaye, it is! Once they have language and are toilet trained, it's all gravy. She is surely not a little one any more - very grown up, very dignified at least some of the time. I figure Miss G will work well until she becomes a teenaged madam.
ReplyDeleteYou are besotted grandparents. We would never be like that.
ReplyDeleteYes ... Macs are weird ... and much over-hyped.
It is lovely to over indulge the grandchildren, as only we grannies can do! I'm sure there will be really happy memories that will be stored in their little brains.
ReplyDeleteHoping the cat & dog will get used to each other.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
Sounds like your catten needs a bed of her own. That should take care of one Situation.
ReplyDeleteYour time with Miss G sounds lovely and delightful and will be the stuff of many fond memories forever (no pun intended, but there it is!).
I am besotted with the teeny weeny frogs. I want several. Please post at once. LOL.
I wish my kiddos had a grandma like you.
ReplyDeleteSorry Nance - Customs refused them entry! And they are too small to climb the fence.
ReplyDeleteCallee Cat HAS a bed of her very own. She just likes Shammy's better.
Sarah, I wish I could meet your boys - they are amazing. But they are probably too smart for me, alas.
Maggie M, I hope she will remember with pleasure, as I remember my grandmother playing with me. I also remember my grandfather rescuing me from my grandmother's nasty hens; I was terrified at the time, but now love the recollection.