Jacob--and lessons in enjoying the present and the past

Jacob came for dinner last night and tonight. Both nights I had drop-in guests for wine, and he was charming, smitten by them. But after dinner tonight he wanted to watch Tarzan and wanted me to cuddle with him.So I lay next to him on the daybed in the playroom and dozed,with a casual leg thrown over mine or a hand holding one of mine, and cuddling up close to that warm little body. Occasionally he'd rouse, look at me, and demand, "Why are your eyes closed?" And I did think he has the sharpest elbows and knees in the world. But it dawned on me that soon, maybe a year, maybe less, maybe a bit more, and he won't want to cuddle with his grandmother. It's a rare treat, and I intend to take advantage of every minute I can and enjoy it while it lasts.
Yesterday I went shopping with Christmas certificates--got some clothes on sale at Coldwater Creek, a couple of books at Barnes & Noble, and a food scale at Williams Sonoma. I think the latter will really help me on Weight Watchers, because a lot of their measurements are in ounces, so last night I measured out 2 oz. of ham (which is plenty) and tonight, 2 oz. of smoked salmon, which I rolled around low-fat cream cheese. I'm thinking I need to stop eating out, eat at home, measure my food, and get serious about losing those extra five lbs. The doctor's scale was not reassuring today, but then I was fully dressed, even with shoes on, and had eaten breakfast.
Today I met with descendants of Major Cheney, who have compiled a history of the Garden of Eden African American community on Fort Worth's East Side. Major Cheney was a major landholder, and many black famlies in that area are related--the great-great-grandson (maybe one more great) told me he wasn't allowed to date locally because he was related to all those folks. He married a lady from Dallas, but he said, "She may still be kin." It's a fascinating story-the community was once quite large but now is down to a few families, and some of the famiily members still live on Major Cheney's land, on which they grow enough produce to feed themselves ever summer. When I mentioned the former vice president, a lively discussion of the white and black Cheneys ensued. I'm really looking forward to reading this manuscript.