ahhhhh....kids!

“had a nice "read" from Vickie and it sounds like the process of job hunting will begin soon...(if not already) you sure put some energy into those children... they THINK"

What I find most interesting about this comment from my Mother is that she knows, better than most, that parenting adult children is often more difficult than parenting little kids. It probably takes more physical endurance to put up with the “can I haves” of a ten year old than the “why did you say that” of the twentysomething, but that’s why most people have kids when they are young, themselves. They can handle the physical endurance part far better than we old farts, and the mental challenges posed by twentysomethings they know they’ll learn about later in life. Or hope they will. Or know they’ll screw it up now and then.

Adult children have the chance to point out your mistakes, while those of ten seldom do. Young children think their parents are pretty special, even when they make dumb decisions involving loose teeth and dental floss. Looking back, now, it seems silly to everyone, myself included. With adults, if things fall a little off the rails, there is no hesitation in pointing out the mistakes. It is great fun learning, even when the lessons need some repeating at times. And in fifteen years, God willing, I bet we’ll all look back on the challenges in the same way we look at dental floss and door knobs. “What an idiotic idea, what were you thinking?”

It has been awhile since I’ve posted, and so much has happened. I find it nearly impossible to watch TV coverage of the Haitian earthquake, because of the turmoil and terrible outcomes. Any reader of “Collapse” knows that this was not a society on the verge of success, but one that had nearly disintegrated for many different reasons. Some of them basic geography. The rainfall drops on the Dominican Republic, it simply doesn’t rain in Haiti enough to sustain the forests that provide firewood, that sustains the people. The country couldn’t feed its nine million people in “good” times, how on earth will everyone be fed now, with perhaps 22% living in the streets. (On the positive side, Chambers children? What is a guy hitting who is two for nine??)

On a more happy note, how special can five days in Palm Desert be? Good friends. 75 degree weather, two rounds of golf. Special chances to laugh, and know how deeply people care about both Judy and I. Seeing Bobby the Magnificent drop putts each time he walks to the green. Laughing with the same Bobby, because we’ve been laughing together since second grade, and maybe WE are really the ten year olds…rather than adult children.

Work has begun well for the year. We’re making plans, enjoying some success that was not anticipated for 2009.

Before I just fall into work drivel, though, I’ll leave you with a laugh. Since the oncology visits have taken a backseat for awhile, I decided that a trip to the audiologist couldn’t hurt. It is nice to have a friend who has that professional training. When she says, “gee, your kids are right. You’re about as deaf as a post,” I can tell by the look on her face that she’s kidding. At least a little. My hearing deficit isn’t huge, but forces me to miss important parts of conversations. Surprise??!! She complimented me on my ability to read lips, before setting the appointment with the hearing aid technician.

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is a 2005 book by Jared M. Diamond, professor of geography and physiology at University of California, Los Angeles

Time FLIES!

Life seems to move so quickly over the holidays. Even as children, we wait and wait, and then WHAM, Santa arrives, New Year’s Eve happens, some of us throw in a birthday and get back to work before we can even think about a Happy New Year.

Nothing different this year. Judy, Vickie and I headed south at 10 pm the 26th, the odd departure time meant to avoid snowfall in the Siskiyou mountains. Didn’t really get to “see” the Oregon Coast, as it was dark, but finally achieved our goal of meeting up with Liz & Billy around six pm. Sunday night. That many hours in a car should come with showers, little bars of soap, something....chocolate on our pillow?

On the positive side, we got to spend time with the Chambers gang and introduce Billy to Lompoc . The grandchildren could spend time with grandparents on both sides, a special treat given Mrs. Kingston's advancing age. Navy won, Oregon lost. Both results drew cheers from different quarters. Carrie Ellen, Judy and I spent time tasting wine, laughing and catching up. The weather, not remarkable for those who live in California, was warm enough for all of us that ventured from out of town. Vickie returned to Valpo with snow and single digit temps on her calendar.

On the downside, there isn’t really that much to do in Lompoc . When you’ve seen WalMart and the small museum in town, you’ve pretty well covered the bases. Billy was able to add to his delight by using Google maps on his phone as we drove around town, filling in the gaps we couldn’t really see from the road. Carrie and Steve showed off their new sports bar, but everyone was afraid of spilling the first glass of red wine on the carpet. Eventually, someone will, then the upstairs party will never stop.

Oh…and we could have been like nephew Phillip, who greeted the New Year with a broken wrist courtesy of his new snowboard. So none of us should complain, but look ahead at the New Year as a new adventure, awaiting our experience.