Lazy Jacob day and a good dinner

Having fallen asleep before 9 p.m., Jacob woke birght-eyed and bushy-tailed at 6:30 this morning. I did not share his enthusiasm for the day. I got him to cuddle for half an hour, but he's a pretty restless, wriggly cuddler. At seven, I thought, okay, I'll turn on the TV for him and feed the cat (he kept telling me Wywy wanted food!). I did and got another 45 minutes of dozing, which brightened my mood considerably.
Our good weather continued today, and we spent a lot of time on the porch (I had to convince him he could not go out in his underwear). We tasted and talked about the various herbs in my porch garden--I think he liked chives best. We watched squirrels, and I sent him on a hunt for geckos on the brick of t he house. He moved his precious rock collection for me, so I could put the plumbago in a spot where it got more much-needed sun. With the nicer weather, my porch has come back to life--the basil no longer droops, the plumbago and impatiens are blooming. It's like a green sanctuary. On our second trip to the porch for the morning, Jacob thought he saw a bee and nothing would do but that we go inside. Then, inside, he spotted a spider and insisted I "get it," when my inclination was to let the poor creature go about his business. Still, I decided when it came to a standoff between Jacob and a spider, he won hands down. Goodbye, spider.
I told Jacob to take a body rest after lunch, and I had what I'd call an interrupted nap--he kept appearing at my bedside with some new announcement. When I finally got up, he lay still as could be and watched TV. I was still trying to persuade him to put his clothes back on when his mom arrived. We did sit outside, and the new neighbors wandered over for a visit. Jacob and their two-year-old played sweetly--a pleasant encounter.
I fixed a dinner of lamb burgers, wedge salad with a pumped up ranch dressing, and feta bread--the latter was the centerpiece of the meal. You heat an oven proof skillet (my reliable iron one) in a 500 degree oven for five minutes, the pour in 2 Tbsp. olive oil and a batter of flour, baking powder, salt, water, olive oil, and vodka (not sure why the latter), spread it around quickly because it begins to cook immediately, and top it with feta and dots of butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, still at 500, and remove carefully. The directions were so full of cautions for dealing with the extreme heat and the need for speed that I was intimidated, but it really wasn't hard at all--and it came out great. Like a pizza with a really thin crust topped with feta. Christian immediately wanted to open a pizza parlor and serve variations of it, until I asked if I had to do the cooking? If you're interested in the recipe, try to find a Web site called "the meaning of pie" and scroll back to older entries--it's worth the chase, believe me.
Jacob was an angel all weekend--well, okay, a couple of mis-steps, but nothing serious. For some reason when his parents arrive, his behavior deteriorates, Jordan gets impatient, and confusion results. I'm not sure how to handle that.
Back to the workaday world tomorrow after my nice lazy weekend. I dreamt I was getting ready to be at the office at 8;00 a.m. and then I thought, "Wait! I'm retired. Why am I going in at eight?" And tomorrow I can sleep past 6:30.

A grandmothering weekend

So far, my weekend with Maddie is going great. I thought she would arrive in time for supper last night and was prepared with cuisine choices--Lebanese, Mexican, hamburgers, or seafood. But, in true Jamie fashion, they didn't get here until slightly after nine. Jamie hung out for a while, and it soon appeared that Maddie was reluctant to let him go--more than a little bit. She hung on to him, with tears said, "I don't want you to go," and finally sobbed outright. He was good and had several private talks with her and finally left with a promise to call from the road. She was teary and didn't want to do anything else until her daddy called. She came to me panicky because she'd lost one of the things he gave her--turned out they were acorns. So when he called, he sent her out to the driveway to find another, and she was happy. After she talked to him, she was completley herself, and beat the tar out of me in a short Scrabble game.
We did have another bit of excitement as Jamie left--a possum ran down the driveway. I got a flashlight, and we could see it watching us, all curled up high in an oak tree. The dog was going bananas. Maddie didn't much like the possum, but Jamie and I were fascinated. My house is close enough to a big park, the zoo, and the river that was do often have critters. I worry about coyotes but figure Scoob is big enough to hold his own.
Today we shopped for a birthday present (Webkinz which I'd never heard of), went to Central Market, and spent a fortune at what Maddie called "the plant store." She was a big help--fetching things, pushing the cart, etc. Then we had lunch at the deli, where she declared she could eat every day, and a short quiet time at home during which Juju snatched a nap. Then off to play with Jacob for two hours. The power at their house kept going out and when it came back on the alarm wailed, which scared Maddie to death. She was not happy, but she loved playing with Jacob--and he was in hog heaven. Then it was supper at the Lebanese restaurant--dolma, stuffed squash, and a canelloni--my grandchild is cosmopolitan! Now we've made Rice Krispies treats (okay, not cosmopolitan all tlhe time) and settled down quietly.
I'm reading the newest Sue Grafton novel and haven't gotten much done today, except when Maddie was playing with Jacob. Work, what's that? My job is being a grandmother!