This morning Grandpa greeted me with: "I'm rich."
"Oh yeah?" I said. "How so?"
"I have a new niece and nephew."
"You mean great-grandkids? You have two new great-grandchildren." Congrats, cousin, on the twins!
"Oh yeah. That's right. I'm waiting on you for a niece."
"Huh?"
"I'm waiting on you for a niece."
"Well, you're going to be waiting a while." (For more reasons than one...)
"Wait, what are you?"
"I'm your granddaughter!"
"Oh yeah. Never mind."
Showing posts with label Grandpa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grandpa. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
a little quirkiness
It's been a low-key couple of months as I adjust to my new living situation. There haven't been a whole lot of funny moments to share. There have been several good thinking moments. I'm not sure they'd be interesting to anyone else, though, so I haven't written much. But when you get bogged down in the editing process before you've even written, you're dead. And I miss writing. I hope you'll find some sort of hospitality and a kind of welcome, recognition, and love here.
Grandpa's made me laugh this week by:
Asking how much Dad was going to charge him for his regular haircut and "manicure", then when Dad said "$600," saying, "I'll have Kerri pay for it." Later when I fake-scolded him about spending my money, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. Oh sure, Grandpa, pull out the big guns.
Asking me to "fix" three items on a small nearby table so that they were all the same distance from the front edge of the table. "I've got a ruler in the desk so you can measure them," Grandpa said helpfully. I gave him a look.
Laughing and covering up his watch and moving his arms around when I'm trying to remove his watch and apply a medicine in lotion form to the inside of his forearms. He cracks himself up.
Grandpa's made me laugh this week by:
Asking how much Dad was going to charge him for his regular haircut and "manicure", then when Dad said "$600," saying, "I'll have Kerri pay for it." Later when I fake-scolded him about spending my money, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. Oh sure, Grandpa, pull out the big guns.
Asking me to "fix" three items on a small nearby table so that they were all the same distance from the front edge of the table. "I've got a ruler in the desk so you can measure them," Grandpa said helpfully. I gave him a look.
Laughing and covering up his watch and moving his arms around when I'm trying to remove his watch and apply a medicine in lotion form to the inside of his forearms. He cracks himself up.
Friday, August 19, 2011
birthday bash and roommates
Grandpa turned 94 last week - woo-hoo! He had a great day complete with a John Deere cake, lots of cards, and visits with family. (That's my mom and dad to Grandpa's right).
Last month I moved in with Mom & Dad to care full-time for Grandpa, who also lives with them. Grandpa and I share the finished basement which includes a full kitchen which I assume works, although I haven't actually turned the stove on yet. It's a good set-up, though it requires quite a mental adjustment - more so than I expected. Living with my parents, still grieving for my loss of my dogs and teaching job, and uncertainty re: how long this new stage in life will last have all caused me to feel as if I've dived into a deep lake. I am enveloped, and my attention has focused down to the narrowest of points. I am only now beginning to bob to the surface.
So I haven't had a lot of funny times with Grandpa to share, although I have noticed something interesting. Now that I'm living here and not sitting next to Grandpa all day, he's had to come up with new ways to get or maintain my attention. Grandpa is very reliant on a consistent schedule, and if I am late to change the channel or begin preparing meal, or even if he thinks I might be late, he will turn the TV up loud, clap, holler, bang things on his tray, etc. I try to watch the clock because after a while that stuff just isn't cute anymore (!). But it's interesting to observe our behavior and our attempts to modify each others'. I think we deserve each other.
The other day I overheard Grandpa mumbling to himself. Uh-oh, I thought, was he beginning to go senile? I thought I'd better check. "Grandpa?"
"Huh?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You were talking to yourself. Or were you talking to me?"
"Oh - no. I was repeating what the two Andy Griffith shows were this morning so I could remember them."
And we're back.
Monday, June 27, 2011
lunch with grandpa 6/27/11
Lunchtime used to be noon (that's why Grandpa called it "the noon meal"), then he decided that it should be four hours after he had breakfast, then it somehow became four hours after he got out of bed, which usually makes it 11:00 a.m. Now, at 10:45 or thereabouts, Grandpa calls out, "I'm getting faint!" which means "feed me, quick!" Today:
Grandpa: "I'm getting faint!"
me: typing on the computer, "Okay," didn't move
Grandpa: "Ohhhhhh..." (fake faint)
me: no time to respond, because less than a second later,
Grandpa: "OHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" (louder fake faint accompanied by drooping head and arms)
Sometimes the man has the patience of a saint, and sometimes he has the patience of a toddler.
After lunch, Grandpa banged his empty soup cup on the tray. I rolled my eyes, beleaguered soul that I am, and asked him what kind of pudding he wanted for dessert. "Lemon." As I fixed his pudding I thought about writing this post. When I handed him his pudding, I realized I'd given him chocolate instead of lemon. He accepted the mistake graciously. That'll teach him.
Grandpa: "I'm getting faint!"
me: typing on the computer, "Okay," didn't move
Grandpa: "Ohhhhhh..." (fake faint)
me: no time to respond, because less than a second later,
Grandpa: "OHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" (louder fake faint accompanied by drooping head and arms)
Sometimes the man has the patience of a saint, and sometimes he has the patience of a toddler.
After lunch, Grandpa banged his empty soup cup on the tray. I rolled my eyes, beleaguered soul that I am, and asked him what kind of pudding he wanted for dessert. "Lemon." As I fixed his pudding I thought about writing this post. When I handed him his pudding, I realized I'd given him chocolate instead of lemon. He accepted the mistake graciously. That'll teach him.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
more "old" favorites
For today's "Tuesdays Gone" hop I thought I'd resurrect some stories of me and Grandpa and our hearing prob- I mean, opportunities...
Prologue: Fun with my private student N:
Today I received outside confirmation that my trouble understanding Grandpa's speech is not entirely due to him. After my lesson with N. ended, he and his younger brother L. told me they were taking out a tree. What? Why? I wondered. And why do I care? But instead I used my great linguistic ability and said a more concise, "What?" "We're taking out a tree!" both boys said. "We're shooting!" L. added. I'm thinking, WHY are you cutting down a tree...it's too early for Christmas, isn't it?.....yes.....and HOW on earth are you going to get it down by shooting it? With an Uzi? What is wrong with you people?! Rather than confuse them with all my questions I modeled excellent verbal expression and scrunched up my face and said, "Huh?" Then L. lifted up his bow and N. said slowly, as if speaking to a....well, to me, "We're taking AR-CHER-Y!"
Fun with Grandpa:
My dad's dad is a 92-year-old, charming, sweetheart of a man whose picture is in the dictionary under "ornery". He's currently living with my parents, and on Sunday mornings I hang out with him, which has turned out to be a great time for both of us (or so he says). A few weeks ago, he had trouble reading the soap-opera-type comic he likes to keep up with, so he asked me to read it to him. Grandpa is a bit hard of hearing, although there is suspicion among some family members that his hearing problem is selective or he is just plain faking it. Anyway, I made the mistake of not pre-reading the comic, in which two guys were talking. So what came out of my mouth at full volume was something like this:
"HEY, JOE. HOW'S MIKE? I HEARD HE'S IN JAIL AGAIN."
"YEAH. I HAVEN'T GONE TO SEE HIM YET."
"I HEARD VALERIE WENT TO VISIT HIM."
"YEAH. SHE STAYED 45 MINUTES, AND WHEN SHE LEFT MIKE HAD A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE."
(Silence.) (Crickets chirping.) If you've never hollered at a grandparent about conjugal visits, I highly recommend it.
Today when I went into Grandpa's room/space at Mom & Dad's house, I was a bit groggy from a fitful night's sleep. Grandpa was extra perky. "That," he said, pointing to his book of word search puzzles, "almost fell out of bed." Grandpa likes to tell silly jokes, so I thought this was one of them. "It did?" I said. "How?"
"Huh?" Grandpa said.
I put the book on his tv tray. "Are you still working on #10?"
"Yeah. Can you count that high?" (giggles)
"Ha ha." I shove Grandpa and open the book to puzzle #10 and point to it, "So how did this almost fall out of bed?"
"Huh?...No, this," he said, holding up his mechanical pencil, "is almost out of lead!" My brain's so big it clogs up my ears. It's fun to make a non-senile elderly person wonder if he's becoming senile (eye roll).
The other day as I walked into Grandpa's I heard Dad say to him, "Kerri will get your pills." Dad left and a few minutes later Grandpa told me, "I need my pills." I was a bit confused, because he usually has his pills with breakfast.
"You need your pills?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
"Have you had your breakfast?"
"Huh?" (confused look on Grandpa's face now, too)
"You usually have your pills with breakfast. Have you had your breakfast?"
"Yeah, I had my breakfast," he said, still confused.
"Well, did you have your pills with it like usual? I don't understand what pills Dad was talking about."
"I need my PIL-LOWS," Grandpa said. Poor man.
Today he needed a paper clip. "Do you have some in your desk?" I asked, walking over to his desk/secretary - like a roll-top desk but not rounded.
"Yes, on the right side."
I looked around and eventually found them in a small jar on the left side. I took out a paper clip (but Grandpa didn't see that), held the jar up, and said, "Do you want me to put them back where I found them or where you thought they were?" (We can be very Type-A.)
"Huh? No, I need a clip."
"Yes, but do you want me to put the rest of them back here, or here?" I said, pointing.
"No! I want to clip these two papers together." (an article onto a piece of white paper)
"Yes, but what about the rest of the paper clips?"
Chuckling, but also trying very hard to remain patient with me, Grandpa said slowly and clearly, "PICK. UP. THE. JAR. AND. WALK. OVER. HERE. AND. PUT. THE. JAR. DOWN. HERE. PLEASE," as he pointed to a tray by his chair.
I laughed and said in the same way, "I. KNOW. I. GOT. THE. CLIP." I showed it to him and put it on his tray. "I'M. TALKING. ABOUT. THE. JAR," I said, holding it up.
By then we were both laughing, and I don't know where they ended up.
He clipped the papers together, then he asked me to cut off the extra white paper around the margins. (See? Type A.) He said, half-serious/half-teasing, "DON'T. CUT. THE. ARTICLE. IN. HALF. CUT HERE," he said, pointing, "AROUND. THE. ARTICLE."
"I'm going to go get the scissors and bring them here so you can watch me cut it."
Grandpa smiled, sighed with relief, and said, "Yes."
I returned with the scissors, picked up the article, and pretended I was about to cut it in half.
"No!!!!!!!!!!!"
We keep each other mentally fit.
Prologue: Fun with my private student N:
Today I received outside confirmation that my trouble understanding Grandpa's speech is not entirely due to him. After my lesson with N. ended, he and his younger brother L. told me they were taking out a tree. What? Why? I wondered. And why do I care? But instead I used my great linguistic ability and said a more concise, "What?" "We're taking out a tree!" both boys said. "We're shooting!" L. added. I'm thinking, WHY are you cutting down a tree...it's too early for Christmas, isn't it?.....yes.....and HOW on earth are you going to get it down by shooting it? With an Uzi? What is wrong with you people?! Rather than confuse them with all my questions I modeled excellent verbal expression and scrunched up my face and said, "Huh?" Then L. lifted up his bow and N. said slowly, as if speaking to a....well, to me, "We're taking AR-CHER-Y!"
Fun with Grandpa:
My dad's dad is a 92-year-old, charming, sweetheart of a man whose picture is in the dictionary under "ornery". He's currently living with my parents, and on Sunday mornings I hang out with him, which has turned out to be a great time for both of us (or so he says). A few weeks ago, he had trouble reading the soap-opera-type comic he likes to keep up with, so he asked me to read it to him. Grandpa is a bit hard of hearing, although there is suspicion among some family members that his hearing problem is selective or he is just plain faking it. Anyway, I made the mistake of not pre-reading the comic, in which two guys were talking. So what came out of my mouth at full volume was something like this:
"HEY, JOE. HOW'S MIKE? I HEARD HE'S IN JAIL AGAIN."
"YEAH. I HAVEN'T GONE TO SEE HIM YET."
"I HEARD VALERIE WENT TO VISIT HIM."
"YEAH. SHE STAYED 45 MINUTES, AND WHEN SHE LEFT MIKE HAD A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE."
(Silence.) (Crickets chirping.) If you've never hollered at a grandparent about conjugal visits, I highly recommend it.
Today when I went into Grandpa's room/space at Mom & Dad's house, I was a bit groggy from a fitful night's sleep. Grandpa was extra perky. "That," he said, pointing to his book of word search puzzles, "almost fell out of bed." Grandpa likes to tell silly jokes, so I thought this was one of them. "It did?" I said. "How?"
"Huh?" Grandpa said.
I put the book on his tv tray. "Are you still working on #10?"
"Yeah. Can you count that high?" (giggles)
"Ha ha." I shove Grandpa and open the book to puzzle #10 and point to it, "So how did this almost fall out of bed?"
"Huh?...No, this," he said, holding up his mechanical pencil, "is almost out of lead!" My brain's so big it clogs up my ears. It's fun to make a non-senile elderly person wonder if he's becoming senile (eye roll).
The other day as I walked into Grandpa's I heard Dad say to him, "Kerri will get your pills." Dad left and a few minutes later Grandpa told me, "I need my pills." I was a bit confused, because he usually has his pills with breakfast.
"You need your pills?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
"Have you had your breakfast?"
"Huh?" (confused look on Grandpa's face now, too)
"You usually have your pills with breakfast. Have you had your breakfast?"
"Yeah, I had my breakfast," he said, still confused.
"Well, did you have your pills with it like usual? I don't understand what pills Dad was talking about."
"I need my PIL-LOWS," Grandpa said. Poor man.
Today he needed a paper clip. "Do you have some in your desk?" I asked, walking over to his desk/secretary - like a roll-top desk but not rounded.
"Yes, on the right side."
I looked around and eventually found them in a small jar on the left side. I took out a paper clip (but Grandpa didn't see that), held the jar up, and said, "Do you want me to put them back where I found them or where you thought they were?" (We can be very Type-A.)
"Huh? No, I need a clip."
"Yes, but do you want me to put the rest of them back here, or here?" I said, pointing.
"No! I want to clip these two papers together." (an article onto a piece of white paper)
"Yes, but what about the rest of the paper clips?"
Chuckling, but also trying very hard to remain patient with me, Grandpa said slowly and clearly, "PICK. UP. THE. JAR. AND. WALK. OVER. HERE. AND. PUT. THE. JAR. DOWN. HERE. PLEASE," as he pointed to a tray by his chair.
I laughed and said in the same way, "I. KNOW. I. GOT. THE. CLIP." I showed it to him and put it on his tray. "I'M. TALKING. ABOUT. THE. JAR," I said, holding it up.
By then we were both laughing, and I don't know where they ended up.
He clipped the papers together, then he asked me to cut off the extra white paper around the margins. (See? Type A.) He said, half-serious/half-teasing, "DON'T. CUT. THE. ARTICLE. IN. HALF. CUT HERE," he said, pointing, "AROUND. THE. ARTICLE."
"I'm going to go get the scissors and bring them here so you can watch me cut it."
Grandpa smiled, sighed with relief, and said, "Yes."
I returned with the scissors, picked up the article, and pretended I was about to cut it in half.
"No!!!!!!!!!!!"
We keep each other mentally fit.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
goofiness with Grandpa
Somebody ate his (Cream of) Wheaties this morning:
Grandpa: "You know what?"
me: "No, what?"
"That's what I'm wondering. I don't know what either."
Grandpa doing his word search puzzle: "'Payroll.' I can pay you now. I found the payroll."
me: "It's about time!"
(fake pitiful voice): "Well I'm sorry, I looked and looked and looked..."
Grandpa, looking at high school girls' soccer honorees in the paper: "I can't find you...where's your picture?"
me: "Huh?"
"You're not in here."
"Imagine that!"
(Grandpa giggling): "I'm so disappointed!"
Grandpa: "You know what?"
me: "No, what?"
"That's what I'm wondering. I don't know what either."
Grandpa doing his word search puzzle: "'Payroll.' I can pay you now. I found the payroll."
me: "It's about time!"
(fake pitiful voice): "Well I'm sorry, I looked and looked and looked..."
Grandpa, looking at high school girls' soccer honorees in the paper: "I can't find you...where's your picture?"
me: "Huh?"
"You're not in here."
"Imagine that!"
(Grandpa giggling): "I'm so disappointed!"
Saturday, May 21, 2011
six-word saturday
Brother's graduating. Just me and Grandpa!
Grandpa and I are getting some quality time this weekend as my parents attend SLBWAD's graduation. And there's no Andy Griffith on the weekends! Thank goodness we have DVDs. :) I just figured out how to add this button as a link versus a picture! I'm a rock star!
Grandpa and I are getting some quality time this weekend as my parents attend SLBWAD's graduation. And there's no Andy Griffith on the weekends! Thank goodness we have DVDs. :) I just figured out how to add this button as a link versus a picture! I'm a rock star!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
eavesdropping on kerri and grandpa
Grandpa: "What was the first Andy Griffith again?" (the first of 2 shows daily)
Me: "The one with Thelma Lou's cousin and Gomer."
"Huh?"
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN AND GOMER!"
(confused pause) "What?"
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN AND GOMER AND THE DANCE!!!"
"Oh yeah, the dance."
One hour later:
Grandpa: "I've already forgotten what the first Andy Griffith was."
Me: "Hmm."
"What was it again?"
"Barney set up Thelma Lou's cousin and Gomer to go to the dance!"
(longer pause) "Now slow it down for me - what did you say it was?"
(brief prayer) "THE DANCE!!!"
"The dance..."
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN! GOMER!"
"No, that was the second one."
(longer prayer) "NO, THE SECOND ONE WAS BARNEY IN JAIL!"
"Huh?"
"THE. SECOND. ONE. WAS. BARNEY. GOT. PUT. IN. JAIL - CITIZEN'S. ARREST!!!"
"Oh yeah. You're right."
"Thank you!"
"Huh?"
Me: "The one with Thelma Lou's cousin and Gomer."
"Huh?"
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN AND GOMER!"
(confused pause) "What?"
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN AND GOMER AND THE DANCE!!!"
"Oh yeah, the dance."
One hour later:
Grandpa: "I've already forgotten what the first Andy Griffith was."
Me: "Hmm."
"What was it again?"
"Barney set up Thelma Lou's cousin and Gomer to go to the dance!"
(longer pause) "Now slow it down for me - what did you say it was?"
(brief prayer) "THE DANCE!!!"
"The dance..."
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN! GOMER!"
"No, that was the second one."
(longer prayer) "NO, THE SECOND ONE WAS BARNEY IN JAIL!"
"Huh?"
"THE. SECOND. ONE. WAS. BARNEY. GOT. PUT. IN. JAIL - CITIZEN'S. ARREST!!!"
"Oh yeah. You're right."
"Thank you!"
"Huh?"
Sunday, May 15, 2011
a reminder to myself
"Old people like for others to listen to them. In some places we have groups of Co-Workers whose main responsibility is to listen. They visit typical homes, especially of older people, sit down with them, and let them talk and talk to give them the satisfaction of being listened to. The older people, I repeat, love this even though they may not have much else to say other than unimportant things - to others, obviously, not to them - that happened a long time ago.
"To listen to someone who has no one to listen to him is a very beautiful thing."
Mother Teresa
"To listen to someone who has no one to listen to him is a very beautiful thing."
Mother Teresa
charming grandpa
Grandpa charmed the socks off another person yesterday. A substitute nurse came by to check his vitals and ask some routine questions. I wasn't in the room, but I could hear Grandpa yakkin' (his word) away.... As she left, the nurse said, "He's so sweet!" He sure is. Usually.
After the nurse left, Grandpa kept fussing with the blanket on his lap, which had been moved during her visit. I adjusted it, found the Kleenex he keeps hidden under it, and handed it to him. He still kept fussing with the blanket. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "Oh, yes, this is just messy and I don't want it to bother your father," he said. The blanket was bunched up a bit and not lying perfectly straight (it has a plaid pattern; the stripes were crooked!). I think I've mentioned before that we have a slight streak of particularity (particularness?) in our family. Wait...in our family we have a slight streak...hang on, a slight streak of particularity runs.... Oh well. "Yeah right!" I said. "I think it's bothering someone else!" and I tapped him on the chest. He laughed and shook his head. Give it up, Grandpa; I know all your secrets now!
After the nurse left, Grandpa kept fussing with the blanket on his lap, which had been moved during her visit. I adjusted it, found the Kleenex he keeps hidden under it, and handed it to him. He still kept fussing with the blanket. "Is everything okay?" I asked. "Oh, yes, this is just messy and I don't want it to bother your father," he said. The blanket was bunched up a bit and not lying perfectly straight (it has a plaid pattern; the stripes were crooked!). I think I've mentioned before that we have a slight streak of particularity (particularness?) in our family. Wait...in our family we have a slight streak...hang on, a slight streak of particularity runs.... Oh well. "Yeah right!" I said. "I think it's bothering someone else!" and I tapped him on the chest. He laughed and shook his head. Give it up, Grandpa; I know all your secrets now!
Monday, May 9, 2011
befuddlement with grandpa
Poor Grandpa. He wants so little, and he gets exactly what he asks for. Today he wanted to trim a fingernail but was having trouble getting a small bit on the end smoothed out. The nail was very short, so I was reluctant to try cutting it any further. I am a klutz and a ditz; fortunately, I know that much. I was sure I'd hurt Grandpa if I tried to cut the nail. I explained this to him, and he continued to work with his clippers and file - one set of several that he keeps in a small box. The Andy Griffith Show was playing loudly on the TV, I was "working" online, and Grandpa mumbled at me (or so it seemed):
Grandpa: (mumble mumble)
Me: "Huh?"
(mumble mumble)
I got up and moved to his side: "What?"
"WHAT IS YOUR JOB?"
(my laughter) "It's to take care of you without hurting you!"
"Huh?"
"I'm afraid of hurting you if I try to trim your nail."
Grandpa shook his head. "Yeah, but what do you do with your kids (students)? Are you tutoring now?"
"Oh! Yes."
"Would they like to have any of my clippers?"
"No thank you, I'm afraid they'd hurt themselves."
Grandpa smiled and nodded, and a look of "Thank goodness she finally got it. Good grief!" passed over his face. I'm going to get us matching "Huh?" t-shirts.
Grandpa: (mumble mumble)
Me: "Huh?"
(mumble mumble)
I got up and moved to his side: "What?"
"WHAT IS YOUR JOB?"
(my laughter) "It's to take care of you without hurting you!"
"Huh?"
"I'm afraid of hurting you if I try to trim your nail."
Grandpa shook his head. "Yeah, but what do you do with your kids (students)? Are you tutoring now?"
"Oh! Yes."
"Would they like to have any of my clippers?"
"No thank you, I'm afraid they'd hurt themselves."
Grandpa smiled and nodded, and a look of "Thank goodness she finally got it. Good grief!" passed over his face. I'm going to get us matching "Huh?" t-shirts.
Monday, May 2, 2011
huh?
Grandpa and I just had the following conversation. What makes me laugh is that either one of us could have asked the question...
"Is today Tuesday?"
"Monday."
"Huh?"
"Monday!"
"It's not Sunday."
"M-M-M-O-N-D-A-Y!"
"Oh, Monday."
"Is today Tuesday?"
"Monday."
"Huh?"
"Monday!"
"It's not Sunday."
"M-M-M-O-N-D-A-Y!"
"Oh, Monday."
sittin' pretty with grandpa
Grandpa's got a spiffy new chair that reclines and stands him up with the push of two buttons. Dad was showing me how it works, and Grandpa said, "And if you hold that button down a while it flips me over!" He won't let me try it, though. :)
Here's my new view of Gpa from the couch. The easier to be sneaky with, but the harder to converse with; we'll figure something out. Or maybe that was his plan all along...
Friday, April 29, 2011
fingerprint friday
Grandpa doing a word search puzzle. Right now, he's laughing and clapping at Barney's antics on The Andy Griffith Show. He likes to watch it with the lights off, though, so I don't have a good picture. :)
Recent funnies from Grandpa:
Grandpa worked for the plane manufacturer Beechcraft for 40+ years. He likes pictures of planes. The other day he saw one in the newspaper and said, "Hey, here's a nice airplane...oh, it's a Boeing. Never mind."
Grandpa talks back to the people in the commercials we see over and over and over. Yesterday, he lost his patience with the guy who says "I can stay in my own home!" because he doesn't have to move into a nursing home since he got his scooter: "You told us that before! Stay in your home! You're getting as bad as a woman!"
(I gotta' go - Grandpa likes to eat lunch early and pretends to faint when he's hungry. His fake sighs have just gone from silly to melodramatic to ridiculous.)
Beki, the hostess of "Fingerprint Friday," has a wonderful post today:
http://www.blog.therustedchain.com/2011/04/fingerprint-friday_29.html
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
silliness with grandpa
I tend to forget things. Grandpa knows this and thinks it's hilarious. I'm glad he's amused. The other day as I gathered my things to leave, Grandpa said, "Do you have everything?" "Yep!" I said. "I've got it all!" I left, then reappeared a couple of minutes later. "What are you doing here?" Grandpa said. "I forgot my charger," I growled with fake irritability. "Well, I asked you if you had everything," Grandpa laughed. "I know!" I yelled.
This morning, Grandpa said while doing his word search puzzle: "You know, if you look at the word in the right direction, it's easy to find!"
Me: (laugh) "Well, why didn't you do that the first time?"
Grandpa: "I know, I know!"
This morning, Grandpa said while doing his word search puzzle: "You know, if you look at the word in the right direction, it's easy to find!"
Me: (laugh) "Well, why didn't you do that the first time?"
Grandpa: "I know, I know!"
Friday, April 22, 2011
New, Nifty job skills
Last week I realized that my time with Grandpa has helped me develop some valuable new job skills to add to my resume:
- I can remove most of the pudding in a pudding cup with just one scoop!
- I can spray whipped cream on a variety of surfaces and in a variety of shapes!
- I can tell you which section of Medicaid covers prescriptions and how to get it!
- I can name that Andy Griffith episode in 30 seconds! (Grandpa can do it in one.)
- I can remove most of the pudding in a pudding cup with just one scoop!
- I can spray whipped cream on a variety of surfaces and in a variety of shapes!
- I can tell you which section of Medicaid covers prescriptions and how to get it!
- I can tell you which lawyer to call if you get in a car accident!
- According to Grandpa, I am "pretty sharp" at raising and lowering the bottom part of the recliner!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
fun with grandpa
Grandpa, half-serious, looking at the newspaper I'd strewn all over the floor: "Look at that mess on my floor!" I said, "I'm sorry, Grandpa, I'll pick it up," and I balled up a page and threw it at him. "Hey!" he whined in a fake sad voice, "that's the funnies! You crumpled the funnies!" I threw the 2nd page of funnies at him. "Hey!"
Grandpa, bored, tapping the pillow on his lap: "I'm playing the piano," then he tapped and sang a silly song. Afterward, he laughed and said, "I'm going crazy." Okay, time to get out the word search puzzles.
Grandpa, bored, tapping the pillow on his lap: "I'm playing the piano," then he tapped and sang a silly song. Afterward, he laughed and said, "I'm going crazy." Okay, time to get out the word search puzzles.
Friday, April 8, 2011
more fun with grandpa
Grandpa really enjoys his mealtimes. I think I've mentioned that before; it bears repeating. Sometimes he jokes with me and says he's going to faint if he doesn't get food soon. Today he said, "I know it's only a quarter 'til (lunchtime), but I'm starting to feel faiiii...." Then he said ugh/sighed real loud and pretended to do just that. I played along: "Oh no! Hang on! I'm coming!"
Later when he told me what kind of pudding he wanted for dessert:
Me: "Coming right up!"
Gpa: "Going right down!"
Later when he told me what kind of pudding he wanted for dessert:
Me: "Coming right up!"
Gpa: "Going right down!"
Thursday, April 7, 2011
fun with grandpa
Grandpa was working on a word seek puzzle with the theme "parts of the body." He looked at the word list and said to himself, "Head. I need to find my head." I said, "I thought you lost your head." Grandpa said, "Yeah, well...leave me alone!" I finally made him speechless! :)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
fun with grandpa
The other day Grandpa was throwing out hints about how lunch was a long time away. He wanted a cup of Ensure, which he often has daily between meals. His hinting around versus just telling me was pretty funny. I decided to play dumb, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about." "Oh yes you do!" Grandpa said.
Gpa: "Tell me again - what did you major in in school?"
Me: "Special education."
"Oh yeah, that's right."
"I also majored in bugging grandpas."
"You're good at it! I need to major in bugging you!"
"Nah, you don't need to go to school for that."
One of Grandpa's favorite jokes:
Me, asking Grandpa if he's ready for me to pull the bar on his chair to recline it: "Ready?"
Gpa: "Aim, fire!"
Gpa: "Tell me again - what did you major in in school?"
Me: "Special education."
"Oh yeah, that's right."
"I also majored in bugging grandpas."
"You're good at it! I need to major in bugging you!"
"Nah, you don't need to go to school for that."
One of Grandpa's favorite jokes:
Me, asking Grandpa if he's ready for me to pull the bar on his chair to recline it: "Ready?"
Gpa: "Aim, fire!"
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