Are YOU Smarter Than a Seven Year Old?

I am not.

On a nature walk around the neighborhood yesterday I learned things I never knew before. We were looking under pine trees for acorns, when suddenly Phoenix squealed “Grandma look!” She pointed to a grayish egg-shaped rock.  Owl Pellet

Me: “What is it?”

Phoenix: “It’s an owl pellet!”

Me (typical mother response): “Well, don’t touch it.”  I looked closer, skeptically. “It looks pretty big for bird poop”

Phoenix (impatiently): “Grandma. Owl pellets aren’t poop!”

Me: “Then what are they?”

Phoenix: “It’s bones, fur and stuff they can’t digest, so when the meat is all gone they cough it up.”

Me: “Really?”

Phoenix: “I’m not kidding Grandma”. She looked up at me to make sure I knew she was serious.

Me: “Like a hair-ball?”

Phoenix: “Yep. I’ve got to take it to school and show my class!”.

She used the baggie we brought along for acorns to pick up the thing. It was light in weight and thank goodness it did not stink. When hubby (a.k.a. grandpa) got home from work, Phoenix showed him her find. I figured he wouldn’t need an explanation because he watched Animal Planet and all those nature channels, but he had never heard of this before either.

Phoenix Age 7

So we both learned something.

From a 7-year old.

How awesome is that?

October is Christmas Awareness Month

Only 69 days until Christmas. Oh dear. If I want to enjoy the holidays (which is the point, right?) then I need to get shopping, planning and making lists of all I want to get done with before Thanksgiving.

This year I am determined  not to get stressed out by Christmas. The difference this year is I’m on vacation this week so I can go shopping in the mornings while my brain is fairly active (in a good way). I did not take vacation to do Christmas shopping, but since I have an assistant this week (who loves to go shopping), I can use this to my advantage.

Miss PhoenixMy granddaughter, Phoenix, and I get to hang out together maybe once a year if I can take vacation during one of her school breaks. We missed the summer break this year and I thought our “week” would have to wait until Easter or next summer when I retired. Yes, I know I’m too young to retire, but that is another blog post…

I don’t remember having “Fall Break” when I was in second grade. A week off school in October? A couple days in November during Teacher Parent Conferences was all we got and we were excited about that, believe me. Anyway, Phoenix came home with us when we left my daughter’s yesterday afternoon. The back seat of hubby’s F-150 was filled with our weekend bags, a pink suitcase, a princess tote bag (full of dress-up clothes), homework papers stuffed in my knitting bag, etc. We had to use a crowbar to get Phoenix into her booster chair secured in the middle of all the “stuff”. I should have taken a picture, but who knew where the camera was?

So, back to today. The plan is to grocery shop because I am out of everything. First we should plan some meals so we know what to shop for. And cut out coupons for items we plan to buy.

After we return home and put the groceries away (many more than were on our list), we are off to the library because we are bored with the reading material around here. Now that Phoenix is a good reader, we will look for a chapter book to read together. I’m hoping to find the chapter book series that my dad used to read to me & my sister -“The Happy Hollisters”. I loved those books! If Phoenix doesn’t like them I may have to read them to myself.

After the library, we will have our lunch, watch some TV, and relax. Grandma may will definitely need a nap at this point because she is up early writing this post and coffee is not kicking in like I want it to.

So, when is this Christmas shopping going to happen? Oh, we will start today. I have many, many mail-order catalogs to shop in at our leisure. We usually find all kinds of things that we would love to have too. Good thing we can restrain ourselves.

Since it’s time to start preparing supper, we decide that we will begin our “live” shopping tomorrow. Or not. We might think of something else to do instead. You never know with us. 😉

Things I Won’t Miss About My Soaps

True to my word last week, I managed to drop my scheduled daily recordings of my soaps. I still have saved ones that I’m watching while in the kitchen, or folding laundry in the living room. I have 16 episodes left (8 for each soap). I hate to admit it, but I have started to worry about said soaps. Will the trial be over in eight more episodes? Will I miss Victoria and Billy running into each other?  Important crap like that.

I am coping with this pre-abstinence behavior by focusing on what I won’t miss about my soaps. There are many things, actually. Today’s episodes (1 of each) reminded me of some of the really annoying ones..

Like that damned Chloë – I can’t stand her constant whining. Every day it’s something. Jill and Catherine are still fighting after 39-years, and just when you think that Jill has found her true mother – you’re wrong.

And we have spent WAY too many episodes listening to everyone in town going on and on about Hope’s virginity. Especially Hope. She is so sickly-sweet that I have to inject more insulin when watching her.

Sharon and Nicholas Newman That reminds me of Sharon Newman’s too sweet to be true personality. I will miss seeing her ex, Nicholas, though. Yum. But I digress…

What is with Ridge Forrester’s haircut? Are they making him look like an old fuddy-duddy on purpose, or was it a horrible accident?  Then there is Stephie Forrester. I love her new haircut. But when is somebody going to shoot the bitch? I am so tired of her I’m-a-little-princess attitude and her slutty ways. I suspect she is the progeny of Taylor and Bill Spencer, but I’m not going to wait around for that revelation.

And don’t get me started on Victor Newman. Just don’t. Victor Newman