A Recital and Basketball Game, Life As A Grandparent

Tired Out!

Soccer Star

Coach Tom

Nick, the Sous Chef

A dark threatening sky here in Lee's Summit, 68 degrees, and windy, much like it's been the last two days.  All are asleep except for Bella and me, as she lays on my legs, as I try to write this blog.

Yesterday was a busy day, as Tom and I went down to the Plaza, to the Apple store, as he needed some help updating for his Apple desktop.  It was packed with people, with lots of Apple aides milling around, ready to see you are laptop.  He had an appointment at 10:30, so we browsed before and after his session.  He was able to get his help without spending a lot of money which is rare if you step inside an Apple store (it's like a candy store to a child).  Since it was a nice day, we walked around the Plaza for about a half hour before heading home as Marlena had soccer game.

Playing checkers and scrabble with Granny

Lee Summit, like most affluent communities, has a huge outdoor softball/baseball/soccer complex.  This one had numbered parking lots with at least 20 games going on, perhaps more.  It was very windy but warm enough so it did not chill.  Marlena has really improved as a soccer player; she can handle the ball, knows how to take it around opponents now, and understands the game.  And she seems to have great wind, as she rarely tired.  Her team, unfortunately, lost by two late goals 6-4 though they dominated the field most of the game, a typical soccer outcome with the team that seemingly is better losing despite more shots on goal and controlling the ball most of the game.

Tommy and I also went off to the local mattress store after the game; his back has been bothering him, and he had been looking at tempurpedic types of mattresses, so we ended up talking to the salesman, getting the Internet price and ordering a Sealy King.  They were able to deliver it the same day.  It took the movers about 10 minutes max to set it up and remove the old one.  Tom was also able to avoid getting the box springs, saving about 400.00 bucks, by putting a piece of plywood down over the old box springs, creating a flat, supportive surface.  I am anxious to see how Tom slept, whether the mattress has made a difference in only a day.  They have a hundred day guarantee; bring it back within that period if unsatisfied and you get your money back.

For dinner, we had salmon, more asparagus and Nick's favorite, mashed potatoes.  Tom grilled the salmon and Evie made up her own salad dressing with mango salsa, which was so good Tommy wanted the recipe.  Nick had been wanting banana cream pie all day, so he and I went off to Perkins and got one for dessert, more whipped cream than bananas but tasty, at least it was all gone by the time we went to bed.

We mentioned to Tom about how much we like the streaming from Netflix, so he ordered it and set up his TV so we could watch a movie.  We convinced them to watch an Iranian movie called Children of Heaven, about a poor Iranian family, where the young boy in the film accidentally loses his sister's shoes and, because their father cannot afford a new pair, the brother and sister must share the same pair of shoes when they go to school, she using them in the morning, then running home, so he can use them in the afternoon.  It was in subtitles but Marlena was able to read along and she enjoyed the film more than Nick I think.  It was a typical 'Baba film', as my kids put it, slow moving, subtitled, with little sex or violence, just a good story and wonderful acting.  Later, when Marlena went to bed, we watched the Shooter, much more up Nick' alley, about a retired sniper who gets called back into service, only to discover he is being set up for a second time.  Needless to say, he must kill forty or fifty people during the course of the film, much like Jack Reacher does in his novels.

Today, we have Marlena's piano recital at 1:30, then Nick's basketball game at 8:00, an unfortunate time for a  game, but what the heck, I am retired, with nothing I have to do.  Let's go Nick!