Where has the time gone?

By Dan Barber

Since the great August floods here in the desert I have been really busy until now… the flood waters have receded, the desert alligators are no longer nipping at my arm pits, the house is repaired, cleaned and almost decorated for my granddaughter Haleigh’s and new grandson-in-law Anthony’s Wedding Reception/Christmas and Farewell party set for tomorrow evening.

Potato salad and deviled eggs are complete and on ice… actually in plastic tubs with the lids being held tight with cases of beer and sodas to keep the desert critters out of them. It’s colder outside right now then it is in my refrigerator.

In the morning I will put the turkey and ham in the oven, prepare the bean dip and nacho cheese for snacking. With others bringing more food we should have a good time. My granddaughter is afraid that she will probably be crying during the entire party because she is moving away from her family here and up to Seattle with her new husband… and of course, the older I get the more emotional I have become so between the two of us we will probably be using up all of the tissue paper.

My granddaughter has had me stringing Christmas lights for the past week and sometimes taking them down and putting them back up again… according to her, the right way! They are all clear white so I’m not ever taking them down they are now my official porch lights, sidewalk lights, patio and courtyard lights. I’m half-way afraid I will get a ticket tomorrow night from the City’s code enforcement man. We do have an ordinance out here in the Mojave Desert prohibiting light pollution! The only kids we have trick or treating out here is our grandkids, because our house is too dark and we have no street lights. But every year grandma has to buy bags and bags of candy in the hopes that a horde of kids will be coming to our door. My wife gets mad at me for eating too much of the candy and my daughter gets mad at me for trying to load up the grandkids with too much of the candy. My routine with the grandchildren is to fill up some plastic sandwich bags with some treats before sending them home… nothing wrong with that is there?

As this granddaughter is the oldest of nine grandkids I’m sure I have many more weddings to go before I can rest! It seems like yesterday that Haleigh was born at the very hospital where I worked and where I recently retired from this year. Until just a few months ago I had no idea that Anthony and Haleigh were dating, even though Haleigh lives across the street from her grandmother and I and Anthony lives right behind our house putting her grandmother and I right in the middle. To top that off, I have known and worked with Anthony’s father for several years. I guess I’m just a clueless old grandpa who has trouble hanging Christmas lights.

My back is aching and I’m really tired, but I figured that I had better get this one more chore done before my head hits the pillow tonight and I have a nightmare about being tangled up in Christmas lights, tomorrow is going to come real early. Maybe I will be allowed to take Sunday off.