This morning I had an appointment to have a routine blood draw for my doctor's office. I got up early and planned to be at the lab by 7:30AM when they opened so I could be on time at work. Elder Daughter's husband is on an out-of-state trip and she called to ask us if we could put the boys on the bus for her. She will be home to pick them up this afternoon. I told T. I'd take my car and run them out to the road and wait until the big yellow bus arrived. When they came over, I was still getting dressed so they rested their eyes in the living room while I got ready and when it came time, we called them to get in the car. They came gangling out of the dark living room like night creatures blinking to get used to the light, shrugging on their book bags. We went out into the dark and piled into the the car. The outside air was cool but because T. had started the car and let it run, it was nicely warm inside. Matthew commented on how good it felt. I punched on the headlights, waved at T. and idled down the driveway to the edge of the road. We stopped between the two Pecan trees that flank the drive and I parked.
I left the headlights on and they shone across the road but we couldn't see anything in the field because it was so dark. There are two brown and white horses across the road and we couldn't even see them. We waited in the car - surrounded by dark and cold while we talked of this and that - how Grampa worries when they get off the bus in the afternoons and hurry across the road to meet their mom in the field. (Matt told me in a matter of fact voice that he always tells the driver if they are going to cross in front of the bus. ) How they're doing in school. (Fine.)
I had my Blackberry and Nathan asked me to play the Star Wars ring tone - and I did while both boys did the "lead the orchestra" thing. We listened to Jingle Bells and Matt told me I couldn't play it yet because Christmas was still a ways off and it was too early. We agreed that December would be a good time.
I played The Empire Strikes Back ring tone and put up my index finger while saying, "Zuhm" Nathan put up his light saber in return and we finger dueled there in the dark. It was warm in the car, lit by just the dash lights and the beam of headlights. While we talked the sky got a bit more gray, so you could see the shapes of trees in the dark. I could see the white on both horses now, as they stood by the hay to eat. There was an ever increasing amount of light in the sky. And a lot of light from the south end of the road as the school bus chugged up and stopped with lights blinking and the stop-arm out. The boys pushed open the car doors and got out of our warm and cozy haven and stepped up into the bus. "Good-bye, have a good....!"
The yellow monster took off, bearing the two away to start their school day. I did enjoy the time spent with my grandsons, before the sun was up or the day warmed. I will see if I can't do it again tomorrow.
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I remember those times with S-the-guru. We took him to school, too. When we watched him at night, I found out we could let him fall asleep in our bed and then sleep-walk him to the couch. He never remembered doing that.
Yeah, Nath & Matt, too. We watch them and they'll go to sleep and when Mom & Dad come to pick them up it's a comedy to see them get from the couch to the car. Don't let them stop walking because they'll sink down onto the rug or the lawn, still sound asleep!
These times are charming moments in the lives .of grandparents. You brought back to mind fond memories of the bag of blocks behind the chair in Mommas's living room. They lived in a sweet potato bag, remember?
Now , S. is a morning person. He is more of a morning than I am. He laughed when I told him this a few weeks ago. Thank goodness for coffee.
I thought it was an Orange Grove bag. Net with a label. And a string pull laced through slots at the top. I used to have 1 of those blocks somewhere. Probably in a jewelry box or my sewing machine.
We mprobably wore out the first bag. It was made of orange heavy duty twine-like material and held the sweet potatoes that were done at Christmas or Thanksgiving. She re-purposed it for the blocks. I remember trying to wash one of the potato bags when something (not sayin' what) was spilled on it. Didn't work. The sizing washed out and so did the color. It lost it tensile strength. So your orange grove bag memory is probably accurate, as well. T'was a multi-generational set of blocks, no?
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