WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT

(Taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)

Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of her own. They like other people's. A grandfather is a man grandmother.

Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the store and have lots of quarters for us. When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars. They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also Why we shouldn't step on "cracks." They don't say, "Hurry up."

Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums out. Grandparents don't have to be smart. They have to answer questions like "Why isn't God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?". When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.

Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television, because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us. They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time, and kiss us even when we've acted bad.

A six year old was asked where his Grandma lived. ''Oh,'' he said, “She lives at the airport, and when we want her we just go get her. Then when we’re done having her visit, we take her back to the airport.”'

WHEN THE KIDS WERE CELEBRATING MY 70TH BIRTHDAY

When the kids were celebrating my 70th birthday, this summer, at The Shack family bonfire, they presented me with these … [my remarks in italics] Tom read them to me while everyone laughed, chiding me.

CAROLE'S 11 LIFE LESSONS AFTER 70 YEARS

1. No email should go unforwarded. info with family and friends. [Are they trying to tell me I forward too much email … to too many people …too often. Well, it is true; I do like to share all my good

2. Every good recipe starts with a stick of butter. [Are they accusing me of cooking with too much saturated fat? Who ever heard of making a good cookie without butter? Butter adds pleasure to our dining.]

3. Writing a book is easy, it only takes 30 years. [Are they making fun of me for writing about raccoons for over 30 years? Am I crazy? Does that show dedication … or what? Like The Little Engine That Could …’I thought I could, I thought I could, and I did persevere and write my books … and publish them..]

4. A movie made, is a movie worth watching. [Are they trying to tell me that I do not use much discrepancy when choosing movies … that I’ll watch anything … as long as it is a movie? No way! I choose my movies very carefully. Just check out my Netfix lists … you’ll see.]

5. A taco IS a sandwich. [I told them a taco was a sandwich but they didn’t believe me. Now they know. We found it in a crossword puzzle but it is too late for me to get credit for my answer in that game we were playing.]

6. If someone thinks it is worth saying, I think it is worth saying twice. [Are they saying I repeat myself? Oh, now REALLY, family ...Is that so bad?]

7. Everyone should have a servant named Larry. [I know I love my Larry. He is devoted to me.]

8. A pool is not a luxury it is a necessity. [It sure was in the stifling Georgia summer. Thank God, we had one in our backyard.]

9. Bras are over rated. [Can’t say that enough! Uncomfortable as hell.]

10. If they have a pulse, they are worth talking to. [Are they trying to imply that I’ll talk to anyone … anywhere … anytime? Well, I guess I do have to admit to being guilty of that. So what? I like people!]

11. Need a parking spot at Christmas? Pray to St. Anthony [That’s my advice. He always comes through for me. Has for years!]

TouchÃ

My friend Dave Woodbury sent this to me.


A college student challenged a senior citizen saying it was impossible for their generation to understand his. "You grew up in a different world," the student said. "Today we have television, jet planes, space travel, nuclear energy, computers..."

Taking advantage of a pause in the student's litany, the geezer said, "You're right. We didn't have those things when we were young; so we invented them! What are you doing for the next generation?"

THE 100 FAVORITE NOVELS OF LIBRARIANS

THE 100 FAVORITE NOVELS OF LIBRARIANS
Based on a survey conducted by Brodart Co., September, 1998 - March, 1999

* CABs Read
** CABs Seen Movie Only

1. Pride and Prejudice*
Austen
2. To Kill a Mockingbird*
Lee
3. Jane Eyre*
Bronte
4. Gone with the Wind*
Mitchell
5. Lord of the Rings
Tolkien
6. The Catcher in the Rye*
Salinger
7. Little Women *
Alcott
8. A Prayer of Owen Meany*
Irving
9. The Stand
King
10. The Great Gatsby *
Fitzgerald
11. Mists of Avalon
Bradley
12. David Copperfield *
Dickens
13. Kristen Lavransdotter
Undset
14. Beloved *
Morrison
15. Age of Innocence
Wharton
16. The Shell Seekers *
Pilcher
17. Tess of the D'Urbervilles *
Hardy
18. The World According to Garp **
Irving [didn't finish]
19. Catch 22
Heller
20. The Clan of the Cave Bear *
Auel
21. The Horse Whisperer **
Evans
22. Pillars of the Earth
Follett
23. Prince of Tides *
Conroy
24. Possession
Byatt
25. Rebecca*
DuMaurier
26. Follow the River *
Thom
27. My Antonia *
Cather
28. The Old Man and the Sea **
Hemingway
29. The Scarlet Letter *
Hawthorne
30. Sophies Choice *
Styron
31. Snow Falling on Cedars *
Guterson
32. One Hundred Years of Solitude
Marquez
33. Name of the Rose
Eco
34. The Giver
Lowry
35. Cold Mountain *
Frazier
36. Cold Sassy Tree *
Burns
37. Atlas Shrugged
Rand
38. Bridge to Terebithia
Paterson
39. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant *
Tyler
40. The Hobbit
Tolkien
41. Les Miserables **
Hugo
42. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Lewis
43. Wuthering Heights *
Bronte
44. A Tale of Two Cities **
Dickens
45. Huckelberry Finn **
Twain
46. Alice in Wonderland*
Carroll
47. The Wind in the Willows
Grahame
48. The Bean Trees
Kingsolving
49. Ben Hur **
Wallace
50. And Then There Were None **
Christie
51. The Secret Garden *
Burnett
52. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Taylor
53. Busman's Honeymoon
Sayers
54. Schindler's List **
Keneally
55. Emma *
Austen
56. The Color Purple *
Walker
57. The Count of Monte Cristo **
Dumas
58. Charlotte's Web **
White
59. Anne of Green Gables **
Montgomery
60. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood *
Wells
61. Lady Chatterly's Lover *
Lawrence
62. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn *
Smith
63. East of Eden *
Steinbeck
64. The Once and Future King
White
65. Enders Game
Card
66. The Fountainhead **
Rand
67. A Patchwork Planet *
Tyler
68. Gaudy Night
Sayers
69. Shogun *
Clavell
70. Grapes of Wrath *
Steinbeck
71. Handmaid's Tale
Atwood
72. Lonesome Dove **
McMurtry
73. Outlander
Gabaldon
74. Pigs in Heaven
Kingsolver
75. Slaughterhouse Five
Vonnegut
76. Jude the Obscure
Hardy
77. Time and Again *
Finney
78. Misery *
King
79. A Christmas Carol *
Dickens
80. The Accidental Tourist *
Tyler
81. Giants of the Earth
Rolvaag
82. Persuasion
Austen
83. Fried Green Tom8atoes *
Flagg
84. Tisha
Specht
85. The Thornbirds *
McCullough
86. Christy
Marshall
87. Lost Horizon
Hilton
88. The Little Prince
St. Exupery
89. Fahrenheight 451
Bradbury
90. For Whom the Bell Tolls *
Hemingway
91. Frankenstein
Shelley
92. Bleak House
Dickens
93. Boy's Life
McCammon
94. Chesapeake
Michener
95. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Adams
96. How Green Was My Valley**
Llewellyn
97. Howard's End **
Forster
98. I, Robot
Asimov
99. Of Mice and Men*
Steinbeck
100. A Passage to India
Forster

SUPERMAN

My daughter Annie sent this cute photo of my Grandson Connor on Halloween.

THANK YOU, ANNIE

Thank you, Annie, for setting my blog up for me. I've been wanting to do this for a long time but didn't know where to start. You have given me the opportunity to express myself to others. Hopefully, I will have many visitors and I encourage them to add their thoughts to this. Be patient with me, as I certainly am an ameteur blogger ... but hoping to improve. With writing my Waddodle series, I don't have a tremendous amount of time, but will try to make time to do this, like I do for my reading, genealogy serches, etc. I'm looking forward to spending many enjoyable hours blogging. I love you, Annie, for your thoughtfulnes in taking time out of your tremendously busy schedule to accomodate your mother ... I love you, Annie, for just being you.

WHY MEN ARE NOT SECRETARIES

Husband's note on refrigerator for wife:
Someone from the Gyna Colleges called.
They said the Pabst beer is normal.
I didn't know you liked beer.