Granny-sitting Chronicles: Week 29 (Town edition)

In June 2013 I moved to countryside with my elderly aunt to run a "Grannysitting Expedition". 
During this time I have been taken pictures more or less constantly. I'll be posting these picture chronicles one week at the time. In December 2013 we had to relocate to town for a while - I'll be doing my best to keep up the weekly picture chronicles. Previous week is in this post.


The following moments are from January 6 -12.

That week ended the long-time daily discussion topic on whether there would ever be some snow. The weather was wonderful overall, and I tried to roam outdoors as much as I could. Often enough I managed to drag auntie along as well. Known incentives by this point: cat outside, need for firewood. When we went to check out the first-after-a-long-while snow, she suddenly announced it was imperative she collected some stones. (Wrestling with less-cooperative specimen yielded some swearing which made me very proud.) When I inquired what those were for, she only mumbled something about "pretty" and got confused on the way. (I'm guessing she has a very clear idea of the stones' purpose, she just lacks the vocabulary and mental connections to describe it.)  
By the time of posting, I still have not figured out what she intends to do with them. I've only seen such unquivering determination last spring when she'd grab the butter knife to dig out some daisies to take back home. (Judging by that I'm suspecting something of the garden variety.)

Granny-sitting Chronicles: Week 28 (Town edition)

In June 2013 I moved to countryside with my elderly aunt to run a "Grannysitting Expedition". 
During this time I have been taken pictures more or less constantly. I'll be posting these picture chronicles one week at the time. In December 2013 we had to relocate to town for a while - I'll be doing my best to keep up the weekly picture chronicles. Previous week is in this post.


The following moments are from December 30 - January 5.

The worst of the holiday frenzy was dissipating and our settling-in course got to continue. Settling-in-course mostly manifesting in space-organizing and enthusiastic grooming. (Increased grooming enthusiasm was also the tell-tale good sign back in the day we were still getting used to the countryside setting.)

Then there was new year. The fireworks was a blast. The auntie was clearly impressed - initial fright growing into sheer awe and glee. (She admiringly reported never having seen anything like this. Although she probably wouldn't remember even if she had, this might be accurate. Gotta admit - in the span of just a five-or-so-years when I've never paid much attention to it, the stuff that regular folks blow up seems to have become more elaborate and more abundant. I still cherish that one time twenty-ish years ago when we found a signal-flare's parachute out in the bushes, though.)

Settling-in-and-organizing at full throttle continued. One specific manifestation of this would be the enthusiastic hoarding of All Things Kitty. During the holiday dinners we noticed that the auntie got a bit of fixation towards a pair of cristmassy salt shaker figurines (Kitty!). A few times her attempts to acquire them and add them to All The Things We've Got Packed And Ready collection had been thwarted already. Then one morning I heard her return from the next-room explorations, accompanied by the unmistakable porcelain clinking sounds. (Later on we sneakily stole the shakers back and brought other "kitties" for replacement.) Also discussion-worthy: neighbours' christmas lights (would those awful things still appear at night?) and power outages (some menfolk would need to go fix that!).

Granny-sitting Chronicles: Week 27 (Town edition)

In June 2013 I moved to countryside with my elderly aunt to run a "Grannysitting Expedition". 
During this time I have been taken pictures more or less constantly. I'll be posting these picture chronicles one week at the time. In December 2013 we had to relocate to town for a while - I'll be doing my best to keep up the weekly picture chronicles. Previous week is in this post.


The following moments are from December 23 - 29. 

We had somewhat settled in; I had figured out how to optimally operate the kitchen stove, and managed to adjust the menu to fit the local tools. A set of local daily routines had emerged.
My job would be keeping up curiosity and maintaining structure - just like in the "normal old days". Also, to nudge up motivation for activities and outdoor trips. And customize our "sandbox" (setting up the mirror brought on quite an exultation).

Making pancakes proved a great do-along activity; spotting the kitty outside became a sure-fire outdoor motivator; there would be daily ritual discussions (Would those decorations at the neigbours' light up in the evening? When would "they" take us home?). The surroundings prove a bit of an exploration ground (cookies in the next room!) and a space to organize (what doesn't fit in the basket might fit in the suitcase).

I began to look opportunities to restore some of the physical activity levels I had gotten used to in the countryside. First step: to find suitable time slot for the morning coffee walk. (In the middle of all this, a critical sidequest: surviving the holidays.)