The Grandparent Shot?

A few weeks ago my son informed me I needed to get the “grandparent shot”….especially if I wanted to be near the new baby. I said “what?!…I’ve had two children, two grandchildren, and five nieces; I don’t think I need a shot to hold my third grandson”. He kindly said his wife would appreciate it if I got the shot. 

Not wanting to be one of those mother-in-laws, I googled The Grandparent Shot, not really expecting any results. Surprise, lots of results popped up! According to the CDC, The Grandparent Shot is the Tdap vaccine which protects against whooping cough (also called pertussis), tetanus and diphtheria. It’s very important to have the vaccine to protect babies from whooping cough. Cases of whooping cough have been on the rise in the US for the last five years, with two to three fatalities per 100 infants. 

Needless to say, I got the shot as did Tim. Baby Mac, we’re ready for your arrival!

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The Nesting Instinct – Does It Apply to Grandparents?

It’s been a long time since I had the nesting instinct while pregnant. I don’t remember much about it, but I suppose I cleaned and organized the house, and took care of things I’d been meaning to do. Since then, most of the serious domestic activity that happens around here is when we’re getting ready for house-guests or a party!

I’m a big procrastinator (which drives my better-half crazy). I’ve got a long list of things I plan to get to, but I usually default to doing my favorite things – rehabbing and painting furniture, and knitting.

This morning I woke up and decided to do a few things on “the list”. I donned my apron and set up camp in the kitchen making pesto with basil from the garden, roasted tomato sauce (again with tomatoes from the garden, thanks Tim), and turkey broth from a carcass in the freezer.

Now I feel like I’m ready. Ready for what?

For our third grandson who is due August 5th!

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The Sunday Drive or La Dolce Far Niente

Italians have a concept for piddling around known as “La Dolce Far Niente,” which means the sweetness of doing nothing. What a nice concept!

Growing up, my mother, father and I often went for Sunday rides. We’d first go to church, then out to lunch, and then on random drives around Norfolk. Sometimes we might have a destination, but most often we didn’t; my mother and I would look out the car windows and talk as Dad drove wherever the roads took us. We always ended the drive with a visit to High’s Ice Cream.

 

Today our morning started with Tim hiking 5.5 miles in “God’s Cathedral in the Woods” while I enjoyed the coziness of the “Church of the Inner Spring” – aka our mattress. Late morning, we decided to do something different for the afternoon and drive to the new Costco. A new store opened a few days ago in Charlottesville, which is just over an hour from us. At the nice, new store we picked up a few things, resisted many more, and then I thought it would be nice to continue our drive. My uncle and aunt live about 30 miles from Charlottesville, and I decided to find their house. With directions from our smartphones and a little intuitiveness, we enjoyed the country roads until we found their home. They weren’t there, but it was nice to see their 1825 farmhouse that I had not visited in many, many years.

Driving back home, I got off the interstate to go somewhere I’ve wanted to go for a long time – the Swannanoa Palace on Afton mountain. We’ve passed this exit so many times, but have never taken the time to get off the highway and take a peek at the run-down Italian Renaissance Revival mansion that has stories to tell, I’m sure. It is open from time to time for tours, but not today.

We passed Papa Jim’s Ice Cream, and I think I heard him calling our names, but we didn’t stop. Trying to be healthy.

All in all, we didn’t get much accomplished today, but there’s a lot of value in La Dolce Far Niente. 

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