Cold, Wet, and Rainy

And it doesn't matter.

I have effectively deposited all my winter clothes in two plastic buckets which live in a closet in the basement.  Every time we visit, I find new old clothes, items I'd forgotten I owned, stowed neatly beneath socks and underwear and my favorite t-shirt, the one that says Have No Fear - GRANDMA IS HERE.

We stayed with the little ones while their parents went out to dinner, for the first time in a long time.  We watched Encanto until Giblet decided that he needed to be in the playroom.  We built with giant cardboard blocks, tossed a soft ball around, and generally indulged the youngest member of our crew.  

Bedtime was less fun for Giblet than it was for FlapJilly, who, after an hour or so of listening to his unhappiness, managed to calm her little brother down.  She has the magic touch.  She knew just what to say and how to say it.  She wouldn't let me interfere - Gramma, you stay here.  I'll go.

But while he was wailing, and TBG watched on the monitor to be certain he was safe, she and I had a great time.  We read her horse encyclopedia (in anticipation of the pony she desperately desires) and admired manes and coats and the spots on the appaloosas.  She has saved $40; she's well on her way to buying her own pony.

We talked about Pippi Longstocking, whose hardcover book smiled out at me from her shelf.  Her mom loved Pippi, and as FlapJilly recounted some of her favorite stories - the cannibal king and skating on brushes to wash the floor  - I was awash in memories.  She's not dressing up like Pippi, unlike her mother who had me putting pipe cleaners in her pigtails so they'd stand straight out of her head, just like the red haired heroine.  But admiring Pippi's jolly independence was enough for us.  

She painted my fingernails - silver and gold and a sparkly rosy pink.  We discussed her crying brother - the big people were slightly freaking out but she was calm as calm could be.  This happens a lot.

Eventually, the parents came home, hugs were exchanged, baby brothers were happy, and FlapJilly earned her first babysitting money - $1 from a very grateful grandma.

We're leaving tomorrow.  I'm sad.