O.K you guys!

So Shellie swims an hour most days. So Rich rides his bike multi miles most days and takes even longer routes on purpose. I have decided to enter the challenge and - let's hear the trumpets blast - I rode my exercycle for five minutes this morning. After which I literally staggered across to my computer (four steps) to write about my accomplishment. So, my goal is to add another minute each day - the equivalent of another mile the way I figure these things. I must say that I am rather astonished at the pain in my legs - is there a hidden message there?

The Joy of Gavin

Today I spent two plus hours in the car backseat while Jen was driving. I sat back there to help Gavin pass the time of being strapped into his car seat. Of course, I was really enjoying watching him react and pick up on things and really join in in his not quite one year old fashion.
He happily played clapping our hands which went into my holding one of his hands and he would pull it away and I would dramatically express my losing his hand - he found this all quite funny. Probably the most fun was our singing - he very definitely has the idea that making some noises becomes singing.
He did drift off to sleep so all my special fun in the car ended. But, when we got to Jen and Gavin's home I passed on having dinner but did want to spend some time on the floor with Gavin before I headed home. He was so happy to be turned loose and kept pointing out things - expecially in pictures in a book - he would turn the page and then point and seemed to be saying "That" as he pointed - he did that routing numerous times. He also made it clear by actions that he wanted me to be impressed with other things.
Near as I can translate he has three words - light, tree and that. He seems to have quite a few notes of the scale on call for singing and he is so very happy exploring - just great fun to be around. Quite good for this Great Grandmother.

Gem

 

Gem

 

Hopefully the picture I talked about at the Memorial for Gem will show up, as well as the edited portion that does shoe how he was hamming it up a little bit. This picture was taken in December of 1988 - obviously on or near Christmas. There are other pictures someplace in my computer - one of just the seven grandkids present at that time (sorry, Greg - you were just a high hope!)

The Very Best Music Man

Since it a few years too late for Greg and Janet to see the "very best Music Man" ever on stage I will write about it. By the way, I have always preferred stage to movies - just one of my 110 idiosyscracies!
The summer of 1971 Rich read an article in the newspaper - there were tryouts to be one of boys in the band at a Foothill College production of Music Man. He thought that would really be neat and I agreed so off we went. Well, as it turned out, any boy would do so he was assured of being in it. Since this was a summer course at the college I had to register. Thus began on of the best eight weeks in my life. Anyhow, the way they did things, Rich went off with the vocal instructor and all the other boys and girls while other things went on in the auditorium. Later they all returned and much to my amazement who was standing up in the middle of the stage, all by himself singing - yes, Rich!
So, there were rehearsals five nights a week from seven to ten for six weeks - and I dutifully attended them all - and knit an Irish sweater for Shellie while at it. And, of course, Rich very quickly knew all the parts and the words to all the songs. The music director was really pleased as he didn't know how he could get Rich to burst into "Gary, Indiana" on the right key - that is til he discovered that Rich had perfect pitch. Rich sang night and day that whole time.
The musical was performed Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for two weeks. It was very successful! Rich gave up singing all the time once it was over and later would not even sing one of his songs for Karen who was not home from college that summer and had missed the show.
Actually, I had seen the New York roadshow company put it on in San Francisco and they did a good job - but none could ever compare with the one Rich was in and I sincerely mean - never!

Excitement!

My life has been too boring to take computer in hand and invent a blog - that is, until Monday! Wow!! Before going to bed Sunday night, I decided to turn my computer clear off - which I do rather rarely. In the morning, all set to peruse blogs, I found it just part way off and refusing to respond to all my efforts. I spent Monday wondering what I should do. Finally Tuesday PM I called my server and they said to bring it in. By then I had decided that the on/off buttong did not seem to feel "right" and that was exactly the problem. Anyhow, to make a long story short I rehooked all the doodads but it still would not work. Through the process of elimination I rechecked the wall plug - ah, success! A working computer is a marvelous thing!