Surf's Up ~ "Oma, are these yours?" Temple (age 9) asks, checking out the box of Neofins in my garage. "Yes, as a matter of fact, they are," I answer, trying not to sound defensive. With an askance side-eye she says, "You don't seem like the type." "I wore them swimming when I went with Elaina to … [Read more...]

Char Girl ~ I had my four-year-old granddaughter for the weekend. We’re making chocolate chip cookies and she begs to take over mixing the butter and flour. “I do it, I do it! Let me, let me!” After getting the cookies in the oven and cleaning up, as there was now batter everywhere, we put a load of … [Read more...]

Righteous Indignation ~ I picked up my granddaughter from school on her third day of kindergarten. “So, how was it?” “Well,” she says, arms akimbo, “they have a lot of rules here.” “Like what?" “You can’t throw rocks, you can't throw the bark, you can’t tear the leaves off the bushes, you can’t … [Read more...]

Casper ~ We’re on the couch watching Casper cartoons on my iPad, and Temple, who's four, says, "Have you noticed that I haven’t pulled on your old skin today?" Little Miss Blue Eyes has this thing about tweaking the flesh on the back of my hand and watching it remain in a wrinkled peak. I said, … [Read more...]

First sleepover (age 3) ~ "Oma, do you wear jammies?  "Not always, but for you, I'll wear jammies." As we get tucked into bed, I give him a goodnight peck on the cheek. He side-eyes the leopard print pajamas my friend Kay Grether gave me and says, "Nice jammies!" "Thank you, Satchel. I love … [Read more...]

An Ancient Being ~ It was the day after his birth that I held my grandson for the first time. I remember having this tiny creature cradled in my arm, peering into his dark eyes, thinking he looked nothing like a baby, but more like a wise and ancient being. A week later I brought my stepmother, … [Read more...]

Dead People ~ “Oma, there’s dead people under those rocks, you know.” I glance over my shoulder to see what Satchel is talking about. My grandson, who is four, is commenting from his car seat about the small cemetery to our left on East Napa. “I know Satchel, that’s where they put our bodies when we … [Read more...]

2006 ~ My grandson is three, and this is my second time to have him for an extended period at night. Brooke and Matt are in San Francisco, returning around 11:00. We spend the afternoon and evening at my house doing all the things we love to do together: cooking, eating, and reading the books I … [Read more...]

The Grandkids • July 2009, Sonoma, California ~ Brooke and the kids are visiting in Sonoma for a month. My son and his family moved to Vancouver, Canada last year—they had the nerve to not only move there, but to take my grandchildren with them—and this is their first time back. Satchel is … [Read more...]