Grandma Duty

IT was a Red Letter Day for me today in that it was the first day I got to care for all three of my grandchildren. Sage and Charlie have been visiting me all summer on my days off and afternoons, but it was the first time we added three year old Ronnie to the boy-pack. Ronnie is Tad's soon-to-be-stepson, and as far as I'm concerned, my third grandson.



We started off for a walk on the beach. Sage wanted to show Ronnie the sand dune near the beach we've been playing on all summer. It was a hit. Ronnie liked it so much he didn't care if we went anywhere else. But we had an ambitious day planned. Noontime found us packed in the car, Chuy included, headed for Sebastopol and a visit to the apple farm. The apple farm didn't materialize. I heard the Gravensteins were ripe and I was hoping to buy several boxes for applesauce but we learned at the fruit stand the growers were only picking this day and there was no product to buy. So we made a provisioning stop at the local organic produce place for fresh mozarella balls and breadsticks and a wierd yellow watermelon for a picnic lunch at the local park.



Chuy was happy. He nibbled everybody's leftovers and the bottles of gourmet root beer were a big hit. Sage burped his way through lunch, then admitted, "I might have drank too much of that, Grandma!" A walk afterward settled everybody's tipsy tummies and then we drove home. Though it's only twenty-some miles, Sage complained that it was "a long drive!"

Ronnie couldn't keep his eyes open on the ride home and nodded off. I had put him in the middle seat between the two older boys.

"I think Ronnie's gone to sleep!" Sage announced in a shocked voice midway home.

"I imagine he has," I answered. "He's a little boy trying to keep up with you big fellas. He's probably worn out."

From the front seat, Chuy looked up at me bleary eyed, agreeing in his dog fashion.

"Nope!" Sage shouted. He was leaning over and peering into Danny's drooping face. "I don't think he's really asleep, Grandma. He's got one eye open a tiny slit and I bet he's faking!"

"Yeah!" Charlie confirmed. "You can't sleep with one eye open!"

"Boys! Leave him alone! He's worn out!" I hissed from the driver's seat.

Chuy closed his eyes and went back to sleep. He knew when to gather his energy for this crew.

A bit later, Charlie announced. "No! He can't be asleep. He's drooling now! Oh yuck! Little-boy-drool!"

"Boys!" I warned, my teeth clenched.

"Oh, look at him!" Sage chortled. "He looks like a Zombie!"

We finally got home and I ordered the big boys out of the car. They took a suddenly awake Chuy into the house and I gathered up the still sleeping Ronnie in my arms. He turned and stretched and mumbled something.

"What'd you say, Baby?" I asked, carrying him into the house.

"The Hucka Muckas were after me." He slowly woke up.

"They were? I hate it when that happens!"

"Yeah, they were chasing me. But the Hucka Muckas didn't get me!"

"Not this time." (Hmmmmm, those Hucka Muckas couldn't have been Charlie and Sage, could they?")

Have a better day and keep the Hucka Muckas at bay.