Blogging Away from Home

I have been out of town the last week. I am visiting my family in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma in general. It has been very fun and fulfilling. Hubby has gone to Ukraine and Denmark, and I couldn't go this trip, so instead of stying home and working around the house, I decided to make a break for the border!

All of our children and grandchildren live in Oklahoma now, and several loved ones have asked, when are you moving back? The answer is probably never. Having a little distance between me and the offspring is actually a good thing, I think. I tend to compartmentalize a lot and when I am closer, my compartments tend to break down and I worry about things that are not mine to worry about. Like. adult. children. and their. problems. None have life threatening ones at the moment, thank the Lord, but I do know myself pretty well. I was the ultimate helicopter mom--swoop in and rescue whenever a problem arose. That really retards your children's growth, if you don't know this important fact. There is only One who can do that properly, and I ain't Him!

Our oldest grandson fell at school last week and broke his arm while playing on the playground. He is still in a splint and sling until they do another x-ray Tuesday. The doctor will determine then if he will need surgery to pin the arm or if it has begun to heal properly. I am praying, of course, that the arm is doing well and he can get his cast and get on with his life. I do think if you are going to have to have a broken bone in the summertime, that at the beginning is the best (?) time...at least there will be some swimming time left. He will miss the rest of his baseball season, though, which is sad. Last year the season was cut short because of unbelievable rains, this year, broken bones. Middle son, grandson's uncle purchased him the Chronicles of Narnia paperbacks to help him pass the time while recuperating. UK is hoping that this will help GS become an avid reader, since he is pretty much couch bound...we shall see, I suppose.

My sister received a national medal of honor from the DAR this week for her work with the children in Oklahoma City. We, my mom and I, are so proud of her. Although we have refused to curtsy to her, a small salute has been agreed upon! It was exciting to see her recognized for the amazing work she has done.

I have been a detective on this trip, also. My mom has a beautiful set of wedding rings, which had been missing for several months. They were in a very safe place, to be sure, but mom couldn't remember where that safe place was. Mom is a widow, and when she couldn't wear the rings any longer due to arthritis in her fingers, she decided not to have them sized up again. Usually she places them in the bank whenever leaving town, but last time, the trip came up suddenly and she couldn't get to the bank...hence the hiding place. Long story short, after a discussion with a couple of her grands, she decided to take the rings to have them appraised and put them in her safety deposit box. Thus begins the detective work. Mom has looked everywhere she can think of out of season purses, jewelry boxes, closets, artificial flower arrangements (where she hid them another time for several months), etc. I kept calling and giving her new ideas, but she is pretty sharp, she'd already been there and done that. The other day, she had to go somewhere and I stayed here. She asked what I was going to do. I said, "look for your rings". I had done a little beforehand and met her, "I've already looked there" scorn. This was going to give me a couple of hours of no interference. She did tell me that she was fairly certain they were in one room. So there I started. I got out the trusty step stool and began my methodical search. I found all sorts of interesting things...shaving cream to a hot lather machine my dad used...he's been gone 19 years, buttons, rings belonging to my late grandmother and her late sister, etc. In the last cabinet on the very top shelf, I found all sorts of travel kits, and lo and behold in one that had been shoved waaaay back in the corner there were the rings and the diamond watch, which I didn't know was missing, safe and sound. I called mom and let her know the lost was found and felt my trip had been a success! NOTE: Lest anyone think I am picking on my mom...I am so prone to doing the same thing. I don't have jewelry that I lose, but I am constantly putting other items in "safe" places, which then become "lost". It is a good thing that everything has to be somewhere!