Old Age Day by Day December 10, 2011

I entered the world of legos again with my husband yesterday.  We were searching for a gift for our granddaughter, and she is only 3 but fascinated by small legos.  First we considered a fire station, as she wants to be a firefighter when she grows up.  Then, the boat looked good, and with 300 pieces rather than double that.  There was the 3 in 1 bulldozer set.  There were Star Wars sets (she has no idea what that is), and lots of warfare type contraptions.  There was one sort of girl set, but it was a zoo, and she's been there, done that.  After careful consideration, we settled on the boat.  Then we spent another half hour looking at all the craft kits for our foster granddaughter.  Should we get one that said 8 an up when she is only 6?  Would her mother resent us forever?  The answer was leaning towards yes, so we finally picked to sets that were for 7 and up.  This world of toys is complicated.

So now we are done with the fun part of shopping, and actually, most of the other as well.  If I can just finish my sewing this weekend, we'll be set.  Oh, and the stack of cards, and the garlands, and then the lights.

Old Age Day by Day December 9, 2011

My youngest turns twenty nine today.  I have a red velvet cake all ready and we're going to a restaurant beforehand that she chose.  I am a mom who likes direction.  While I was getting the cake, in a bakery right out of the fifties, I noticed a stollen tree, darling santa and gingerbread cookies, petit fours that were like baby presents in bright colors.  I may be forced to come back right before Christmas.  My eyes lingered on a Tiana Princess and the Frog sheetcake with a lily pond, and I'm fond of the cupcakes shaped like frogs and mushrooms.  Yes, it's probably all still made with lard and clogs the arteries upon impact, but what a beautiful way to die.  Of course, I can't eat any of it due to diabetes, but what the hay, I can look, can't I?

Remember the cakes with the doll in the center and the cake was the skirt?  I dreamed of those when I was a kid.  My mother was a great cake maker, but like every other kid, I wanted store bought.  I guess some of that desire has lingered all this while.  Being in the bakery was delightful, and I never ate a thing.

Old Age Day by Day December 8, 2011

Our younger daughter returned from a three day teacher's conference the way you hope - full of energy, enthusiasm and ideas.  Her group was chosen to bring their idea into the classroom and see how it works, and she was proud.  The Gates Foundation is encouraging this inspiration for teachers, and I give them full credit for looking to the future - our kids.  Collaboration is the key to this approach, and it sounds rich with common sense.  I was upbeat just listening to her on the phone.  Tomorrow is her birthday, and I believe she has already received a great gift.

I am half way through my Stephen King book, and deep into that human impulse to change the past and hope for a better future.  There is a lot to think about with this time travel theme - back to the future indeed.  And other issues arise - like preventative incarceration, domestic abuse, and places that just seem to have a pall over them.  It's a fun read, but provocative as well.

Now I must stop dallying and take my pile of cards to the post office, do a few errands, practice before my voice lesson and see my therapist.  Time's awasting!

Old Age Day by Day December 7, 2011

My foster granddaughter and I had fun looking at ornaments yesterday and picking out one for her dog, one for the baby to come and a couple for her.  She wanted a Santa hat, and it looked adorable on her red hair.  Needless to say, we are in the holiday mood.  We sang Christmas carols all the way home.  Her mother is absolutely glowing in her pregnancy, and her happiness has radiated out to us all.  What a delight it is to share in such joy.

Maybe that was why I was up for seeing the old movie "On the Beach", and managed to enjoy the acting and the fact that it is as pertinent today as it was then.  But I had a rough night sleeping, so I believe it did disturb me.  Boy, was Ava Gardner gorgeous.  No one else has ever looked like her.  And Gregory Peck wasn't too shabby either, before he got so craggy.  And it was nice to see Antony Perkins in a role where he wasn't neurotic or worse.  But perhaps the next movie I watch will be a tad more upbeat.

Old Age Day by Day December 6, 2011

The Eames documentary yesterday was quite interesting, and I hadn't known much about them or that they did anything but furniture.  It stays complex, except for not really addressing Charles' infidelities, and the blurred boundaries between himself and his associates.  Ray is not equally represented, though they do address the sexism of the time about her.  But the real sexism seems to have come from Charles.  The cost of fame is implied, and the exhaustion of being playful perhaps past feeling it.  They were two very beautiful people, and that has it's own burden as well.  The film is good enough to show us how to see the shadow side of their lives for ourselves.

Then we met an elderly woman coming out, who asked if we had an Eames chair.  I did not, but my friend surprised me by saying she had a knock off.  My friend walked up the street with the lady to direct her to a cafe, and I walked home.  That spontaneous kindness is why I like my friend so much.  She's a good model for me.

Old Age Day by Day December 5, 2011

I finished a book I found mesmerizing.  Einstein's Girl is a fictional account of Berlin in 1933, set in a psychiatric hospital as the Nazis are gearing up to pass a law to exterminate all "defective" citizens.  Einstein is still in Germany but about to leave for England and then America, and he is abandoning his younger son, who is in another psychaitric facility, and his unacknowledged daughter born before he married his first wife, and adopted away to save shame.  These two children of Einstein are true, not fiction, and the complex feelings and sufferings of both are realistic and haunting.  The psychiatrist who is featured is humane and progressive, but he is battling a culture that is sadistic.  I couldn't put it down - well I did, but couldn't wait to get back to it.  It's a paperback.

Now I'm really reading something weird.  I haven't read Stephen King since I was in my early thirties, but I'm reading the new book 11/23/63.  It's a fun idea, to go back in time and try to change history, and he's a good writer, so he makes it gripping and easy to read.

But for today, I'm going out to lunch with a friend and see a movie about Eames.  It should be interesting.

Old Age Day by Day December 4, 2011

I had a relaxing week with my friend.  We saw art, visited people, had an overnight get-away and celebrated her birthday in high style.  Now, on to our younger daughter's birthday, and the holidays.  My daughter and I shopped yesterday and she has picked out very nice and sensible stuff.  She's easy to shop with and never pushes for more.  She's a saver and modest.  More importantly, she's always fun to be with.  We went back to our house and watched "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", Frank Capra's take on Congress, and it is right on the money (yes, that is a pun).

Evidently, the corruption now is nothing on the corruption of 1939.  Oh, dear.

Today it is beautiful, crisp weather, and I've walked the dogs already, and am set for errands and a few tasks at home.  My husband just counted the pansy plants and we are six more down from yesterday.  The dogs are secretly pruning when we look the other way.