Getting Old

I hate like hell settling down into old age but that is exactly what I am doing whether I like it or not and its not that I am a doting grandfather, I am not! BUT I keep getting caught doing things which might describe me as such. I hate it I just hate it.

This holiday has been marred by low temperatures, wind and lots of rain making doing the kind of things I would enjoy near impossible. As indicated in earlier posts GD1 has been at the house all weekend and I think yesterday morning cabin fever was beginning to set it. Actually, the day started off clear and fairly warm all things considered. Dianne was in need of further sleep or least a long nap and GD1 was in need of way more attention then grandma was able to administer so I stepped in and suggested that GD1 and I explore the neighbor hood and search for as garage sale or two. I noted on our return trip from Iron Man a couple of posted signs indicating as much. I was surprised when she jumped at the opportunity to go questing with me. So with GD1 at my side we bounded down the ramp and out into the neighborhood and looking for neighborhood garage sales and I knew a visit to the neighborhood 711 or equivalent would also appear on our agenda before too long. I soon realized what garage sales may have been advertised on various telephone poles and street posts were long over—very rarely do these events lapse into Sunday so we ventured east to our 711. Good old always open 711. Thanks to the homogenization of 711 GD1 knew where candy would be located and immediately drug to the spot. We picked a few pieces: Sour Watermelons, some sort hard candy, a candy bar for Dianne, sleeping at home, and a bottle of Naked—some concoction fruit and vegetable drink –GD1 assured me the Naked was a health requirement for a diet she was contemplating going on. We checked out with our goodies in plastic and headed across the street to a Starbucks.

I was not sure how Starbucks and 8 year old would go but GD1 is not your average 8 year old. She is hip, cool and knows what is down. She settled into the Starbucks environment immediately. The dark lighting, over stuffed chairs and young staff in black tee shirts wishing they were anywhere, on a Sunday morning but there. There were a couple other old farts reading the paper, some yupsters in shorts and tan baseball caps and couple dressed down business types waiting for a deal to be made or to make one and finally there was a semi cute couple. He with his lap top wyfing like crazy she I finally realized had a small human type firmly attached to a breast. GD1 is too shy at first so I have to ask what Starbucks has which is legal for kids and we soon found some form of frozen chocolate. I got a latte and we found a spot and settled in sipping our drinks, gossiping about customers and going through my backpack for items of interest settling on my sketch pad. We sat there for more then an hour being “cool”. We made fun of the Barbies who came in and made a major effort at being ostentatious and two other chicks dressed in black and white—exactly alike, I think they may have been waitresses at one of the neighboring restaurants choosing to sit out front and smoke cigarettes. We sat there and just enjoyed each other rare. We came to the conclusion together that Grandma had slept long enough and we should be heading back. But we sort of made a date to do this again, possibly in a forthcoming winter, sit there and drink lattes and kid lattes and watch the snow fall.

So is this doting? I don't think so but I kind a think, in the back of my mind it is an old guy thing.