Saturday, August 18, 2007
Water Guns, a Train Robbery, and Shoulder dancing at McDonalds
Yesterday morning I discovered the Marmots have eaten the big green cushaw pumpkin in my garden. It would soon have been ready to harvest and probably all ready weighed nearly twenty pounds.
What a disappointment! The recent three digit temperatures and extended drought have taken their toll, and now this.
The children were not cooperating in anything! They come from a part of the world where hardly anything works well and the only reason to be in a hurry is to get to food!
It also seems not much is expected out of them until about age twelve. It is often a chore to get them to do the simplest little tasks. As always with little children, it would be easier to perform the tasks ones self. Common experiences to be sure, but the consequences of low expectations from his former existence are still present, exacerbated by the fact that Yonatan, six, until three months ago had not been taught ANYTHING and now, as well as having grown an inch taller, he has acquired a bit of language. With language comes other abilities and he does well, but there are frustrating times.
Fetlework, eight years old, self proclaimed princess of the universe, shut herself in the bathroom as we prepared to leave on a surprise adventure and didn’t emerge until she had re-done her hair. Memaw, Poppy and Yonatan waited.
Finally we arrived at Silver Dollar City. We walked hand in hand through the crowds, went on several rides including the train, experienced a train “robbery,” and then went to the part of the park we all enjoy most. The name escapes me but there is a lagoon, water gushing everywhere, and big water guns like the nozzles on a fire hose.
Yonatan is King of the lagoon! No matter how many folks direct the spray from “their” guns he reigns supreme. Shooting and ducking, he endures the high-pressure streams and won’t quit. I can attest to this having become completely water logged as a direct result of his unerring accuracy and tenacity.
Finally it was time to leave and return home. Memaw had started a pork roast in the slow cooker and Rebecca had finished her job and was at our house completing dinner preparations.
We broke the rules! And stopped at McDonalds for ice cream BEFORE dinner. Grandparents, after all, can do that.
As we sat in the booth I decided to demonstrate my talent at dancing with my shoulders. If you haven’t been to Ethiopia you probably cannot fully understand this.
Yonatan, the happiest kid on the planet, will stand on the porch all alone and perform traditional Ethipoian dance just because.
How does a little deaf kid learn to dance? I suppose we will never know.
Yonatan and Fetlework were quick to demonstrate correct methods, Memaw tried but only was able to kind’a move her head forward and back. And we laughed!
I suppose the other folks in the place thought we were ………………Well, we didn’t care what they thought, we were enjoying with our grandchildren.
On the ride home they squiggled and giggled in the back seat and waved at passing motorists.
Dinner was excellent and in spite of the fact they had eaten ice cream just a half hour earlier, the children ate well.
After dinner the six of us talked and laughed until the old house rocked.
Too soon it was time for Rebecca, Vernon, and those two wonderful children God has allowed us to share our lives with needed to go “up the hill” to their house.
God is good!
Shalom for now,
Charlie
Yesterday morning I discovered the Marmots have eaten the big green cushaw pumpkin in my garden. It would soon have been ready to harvest and probably all ready weighed nearly twenty pounds.
What a disappointment! The recent three digit temperatures and extended drought have taken their toll, and now this.
The children were not cooperating in anything! They come from a part of the world where hardly anything works well and the only reason to be in a hurry is to get to food!
It also seems not much is expected out of them until about age twelve. It is often a chore to get them to do the simplest little tasks. As always with little children, it would be easier to perform the tasks ones self. Common experiences to be sure, but the consequences of low expectations from his former existence are still present, exacerbated by the fact that Yonatan, six, until three months ago had not been taught ANYTHING and now, as well as having grown an inch taller, he has acquired a bit of language. With language comes other abilities and he does well, but there are frustrating times.
Fetlework, eight years old, self proclaimed princess of the universe, shut herself in the bathroom as we prepared to leave on a surprise adventure and didn’t emerge until she had re-done her hair. Memaw, Poppy and Yonatan waited.
Finally we arrived at Silver Dollar City. We walked hand in hand through the crowds, went on several rides including the train, experienced a train “robbery,” and then went to the part of the park we all enjoy most. The name escapes me but there is a lagoon, water gushing everywhere, and big water guns like the nozzles on a fire hose.
Yonatan is King of the lagoon! No matter how many folks direct the spray from “their” guns he reigns supreme. Shooting and ducking, he endures the high-pressure streams and won’t quit. I can attest to this having become completely water logged as a direct result of his unerring accuracy and tenacity.
Finally it was time to leave and return home. Memaw had started a pork roast in the slow cooker and Rebecca had finished her job and was at our house completing dinner preparations.
We broke the rules! And stopped at McDonalds for ice cream BEFORE dinner. Grandparents, after all, can do that.
As we sat in the booth I decided to demonstrate my talent at dancing with my shoulders. If you haven’t been to Ethiopia you probably cannot fully understand this.
Yonatan, the happiest kid on the planet, will stand on the porch all alone and perform traditional Ethipoian dance just because.
How does a little deaf kid learn to dance? I suppose we will never know.
Yonatan and Fetlework were quick to demonstrate correct methods, Memaw tried but only was able to kind’a move her head forward and back. And we laughed!
I suppose the other folks in the place thought we were ………………Well, we didn’t care what they thought, we were enjoying with our grandchildren.
On the ride home they squiggled and giggled in the back seat and waved at passing motorists.
Dinner was excellent and in spite of the fact they had eaten ice cream just a half hour earlier, the children ate well.
After dinner the six of us talked and laughed until the old house rocked.
Too soon it was time for Rebecca, Vernon, and those two wonderful children God has allowed us to share our lives with needed to go “up the hill” to their house.
God is good!
Shalom for now,
Charlie
