Kitty Surprise

Daughter was here over the weekend with her two little ones.

Cap is three and Mary Brooks just turned one year old. I guess I'm prejudiced, but they're adorable. It's just that simple.

We had a grand time. Mary Brooks took her first wagon ride in the wagon I bought a couple of years ago to take Cap and his cousin, Hank, who is the same age, on wagon rides. It's not a traditional wagon, as it's plastic rather than metal, but it's red like the wagons of old, and it's made of sturdy plastic.

Best of all, it has little seats that face each other and has straps so the riders can be safely secured as they ride. It's been a whole lot of fun since the boys were able to sit up and ride. Now that there is a third rider, I guess there will have to be some negotiating when they are all here (which isn't very often).

And in a year, we'll have another rider. Maybe by that time the boys will have outgrown it?

Daughter loves having a little girl. She loves having a little boy, of course, but now that she has a girl, she is itching for her to play with some of her old toys and dolls that we kept.

While they were here, she remembered one. It was called "Kitty Surprise" and oh, how my little girl loved it. We couldn't remember all the details, but best we could recall, you bought a stuffed Mama cat, and inside her, ahem, womb (a Velcro pouch), little kittens resided. You didn't know how many you got until you opened her up. (Hence the name, Kitty Surprise).

And our Mama cat had the maximum number, six. (I wonder if they all did).

To Daughter's delight, Kitty Surprise was one of her treasures we kept. Because I've done some work in the basement lately, I knew right where she was.

All these years later, I must say she's a bit creepy looking.

But Mary Brooks was delighted with her and the kittens, and so was Cap. In fact, we had to divide up the kittens to they each had the same number!

Anyone else remember this?

 

Done

Blog friend Debby said recently something to the effect that we all need to stay up New Year's Eve to make sure 2020 leaves and 2021 arrives.

Amen to that.

Don't know how to say it other than it's been a helluva year and we still have almost three months to go.

I thought I'd seen it all until I watched the presidential debate, which was an embarrassment and a disgrace, for starters. I'll stop there, even though other adjectives could be used.

But no, I had not seen it all, because over the weekend I, along with countless other Americans, witnessed our president tweeting and sending videos from the hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19, topping it off with a joy ride outside the hospital, waving to his supporters.

The grand finale occurred when he returned to the White House Monday evening. In his well orchestrated descent from the helicopter and ascent up the stairs to the entrance to the residential quarters, he defiantly removed his mask before walking in.

He reminded us in one the videos that he has "been to school."

"Don't be afraid of COVID," he told us.

I'm done. So completely done. I'm committed to not getting overly political on this blog, but let me say it again, for emphasis: I'm done.

But in this crazy, weird year, blessings still abound.

One has come to Wife and me in the person of our fourth grandchild, and second granddaughter.

Ruth Kay "Ruthie" McKinney was born in Atlanta September 23rd, arriving about two and a half weeks early, but perfect in every way.

We were not at the hospital for her birth as we have been for the other grands. We happened to be vacationing when she was born, and managed to swing by and meet her on our way home. She's a sweetheart.

And she came just at the right time.