Everyone Needs a Grumpa Laur - July 4, 2020
Everyone needs a Grumpa Laur. Not Laurence himself, but that kind of granddad.
My hubs has the ability to take what some would see as a long, boring walk and turn it into an adventure – at least for three year old Jasper and 63 year old me.
Two cases in point. 1. Canada Day and 2. the day after.
On Canada Day, hubs came up with a walk along the Merritt Trail – starting in downtown St. Catharines. Depending how far you follow it – and if I’m on the walk, you’ll be following it to its happy or bitter end – it can be two to four miles one way. Tom (son), Julie (daughter-in law), Laur and I like to walk. And grandson Jasper loves to ride in the “Beep Jeep” – a high end stroller on loan from the Steven Glausers, formerly known as Emma’s Chariot.
We followed a path that runs through Centennial Gardens and along old Welland Canal Two, and we stopped at a number of bridges and waterfalls. Grumpa Laur wanted Jasper to enjoy the views, so was inclined to hold Jasper up higher and closer that his parents and I felt comfortable with. OK, we were mildly freaking out, but Jasper does love bridges and waterfalls.
At the end of the trail we came to a construction site with a sign that said, “Do Not Enter.” In Laur’s mind that means there has to be something very exciting there or else they wouldn’t post the sign. I started to object but Laur countered, “It’s Canada Day so there’ll be no one working there. Besides, Jasper might get to see a crane and a digger up close!”
I was sold on this. Tom said to Julie, “This is the kind of thing my parents do when we’re not around…” Laur and I were lifting, pushing, and pulling Jasper in his Beep Jeep over a big mound of baked ground. I assured Tom that we are far more careful with Jasper than we were with our kids. Knowing some of the situations he found himself in as a child and teenager, I’m not sure he found this reassuring.
Sigh, there was nothing there. But rather than return, we continued across the site, hoofed it over another mud hill, and cut across some railway tracks. (Don’t worry, my train-driving father who art in heaven, there were no trains in sight and it’s a seldom used line.)
[Ed: Actually, it is the main CN/Amtrak line between Ontario and New York!]
On to the closest street and what did we find? A parking lot for a digger, a loader with a giant shovel on the front end and on the back end, and an excavator. Just sitting there.
Jasper loves the story “Are You My Mother?” It’s about a baby bird who falls out of a nest while his mother has gone to get some food. One of the things the baby bird meets is a “Snert” – a digger who puts the bird in his bucket and returns him to his nest. Shortly thereafter his mom arrives home with food and gives her baby some food and a big hug.
Grumpa Laur wanted Jasper to sit in the bucket so he could take a picture of him with a Snert. But was some blood and guts in there – I expect leftovers from a mother bird that had an unfortunate meeting with a hawk. If it were our kids, we’d have just thrown dirt over it. The kids would have climbed in and “tra da” – a lasting memory for us and a questionable one for them.
Jasper was not so sure about this. I think by now his parents were ready to pop benzos. The compromise was that he stood in front of it – looking a little anxious. And while we knew the Snert wasn’t going anywhere, how did Jasper know it wouldn’t carry him away?
Next up – the loader! And just as I was asking Jasper to stand by the wheel – it was bigger than he was – the owner came up to us. We didn’t look like trouble. We weren’t touching it and two of our group of five were seniors wearing goofy looking sun-hats. He asked, “Would your grandson like to sit in the cabin and hold onto the wheel?”
Would he?! Laur and I were thrilled. Jasper not so much. So Grumpa Laur pretty much joined him in the cabin. Jasper sat on the chair, put his hands on the steering wheel, and marveled, “So big! So high!”
Now, Grumpa Laur isn’t quite his Dad – Grandpa Doug. Doug would have talked the loader owner into letting Doug drive it around with his grandson on his lap. And I’d be OK with that with our kids, but what was once “normal” would now be “unacceptable risk.” And I want to be able to see my grands again.
Off for the walk back, but not before taking a look at the excavator. It was old and rusty and thankfully Jasper was not interested in getting too close. (I asked Julie earlier if Jasper had had all his shots. That one against tetanus is one I’ve had updated a few times myself. It comes of having a husband who sees a junk yard as an archeological dig.)
The next day Laur and I decided to walk to the lighthouse in Port Weller. From Lock One of Canal Four it’s about 4 km (and then 4 km back.) We asked Julie if Jasper would like to join us and he said, “That would be fun.” Either this child has a short memory or he genuinely enjoys the things we do.
We stopped off to visit Cousin Emma en route. Jasper was intent on finding her cats and SHRIEKED every time he saw Stewart. Brownie had already gone into hiding. I said to Emma, “Can you imagine? If Jasper was your little brother, you’d have to babysit him.” Em responded very politely, “Please don’t keep saying that. I find it really…annoying.”
Emma is nine going on 13 and no longer likes long, slow walks with Granny Jan and Grumpa Laur. Em would rather hang out with friends and electronic gadgets. I get it. In fact, I do this in the afternoon – the friends part by phone during this covid-19 epidemic.
Ten minutes after we crossed the bridge at Lock One, we heard the ringing sound that indicated the safety gates were going down. This meant the bridge would soon be going up. We booted it back so we could watch the bridge go “up, up, up.” Jasper would have a better view out of the stroller, so I elected to hold him. Much lower than Laur would have and as far from the edge as I could be.
Jasper loved this – almost as much as we did. “Jasper, the ship’s name is Argonaut. Can you say Argonaut?” And he said, “Argonaut” and we just beamed. Mind you if he’d said “Boap,” we’d feel the same way. After the Argonaut went through, we watched the bridge go “down down down” and the safety gates go back up. And off we went toward the lighthouse again.
I confess, given that it was 90F or so, I found that walk pretty long. Jasper was just fine. Occasionally he’d get out of the stroller for a run, and play traffic cop with us – telling us when we could stop or go. And then he’d get back into the stroller. “Too hot.” And he’d tell us “The lighthouse is so far!” Finally, we got there and had snacks – sitting in the shade of the light house - and then Laur and Jasper threw rocks into the water.
As we left, Laur told Jasper the story of “The Lonely Lighthouse.” It goes something like this.
Everyday Bob the Boat went by the Lonely Lighthouse. He’d ask, “Have you seen Jasper today?” And she would sigh, “No not today…”
Then, one day, Jasper arrived in his Beep Jeep. He enjoyed having his snack in the shade of the Lonely Lighthouse and then he liked to throw rocks into the water. The lighthouse sure enjoyed Jasper’s company. But then it was time to go. And the Lonely Lighthouse was sad again.
Bob the Boat went by again and said, “Have you seen Jasper today?” and the lighthouse perked up and said, “Yes! Yes, I did! It was so wonderful. I got to shade him while he had his snack, and then I got to share my stones with him so that he could throw them into the water.” But then she hunched over as much as a lighthouse can and said sadly, “But he’s gone now and I don’t know when he is coming back. And one day he won’t want to come back at all…”
Bob replied kindly, “Don’t worry. He’ll come back to see you a few more times. And remember, you always have me.” And Lonely thought about this and stood tall and said, “Thank you for being my friend.” And Bob honked his horn like so…
.-.. --- ...- . That’s “I love you!” in boat language.
My hubs has the ability to take what some would see as a long, boring walk and turn it into an adventure – at least for three year old Jasper and 63 year old me.
Two cases in point. 1. Canada Day and 2. the day after.
On Canada Day, hubs came up with a walk along the Merritt Trail – starting in downtown St. Catharines. Depending how far you follow it – and if I’m on the walk, you’ll be following it to its happy or bitter end – it can be two to four miles one way. Tom (son), Julie (daughter-in law), Laur and I like to walk. And grandson Jasper loves to ride in the “Beep Jeep” – a high end stroller on loan from the Steven Glausers, formerly known as Emma’s Chariot.
We followed a path that runs through Centennial Gardens and along old Welland Canal Two, and we stopped at a number of bridges and waterfalls. Grumpa Laur wanted Jasper to enjoy the views, so was inclined to hold Jasper up higher and closer that his parents and I felt comfortable with. OK, we were mildly freaking out, but Jasper does love bridges and waterfalls.
At the end of the trail we came to a construction site with a sign that said, “Do Not Enter.” In Laur’s mind that means there has to be something very exciting there or else they wouldn’t post the sign. I started to object but Laur countered, “It’s Canada Day so there’ll be no one working there. Besides, Jasper might get to see a crane and a digger up close!”
I was sold on this. Tom said to Julie, “This is the kind of thing my parents do when we’re not around…” Laur and I were lifting, pushing, and pulling Jasper in his Beep Jeep over a big mound of baked ground. I assured Tom that we are far more careful with Jasper than we were with our kids. Knowing some of the situations he found himself in as a child and teenager, I’m not sure he found this reassuring.
Sigh, there was nothing there. But rather than return, we continued across the site, hoofed it over another mud hill, and cut across some railway tracks. (Don’t worry, my train-driving father who art in heaven, there were no trains in sight and it’s a seldom used line.)
[Ed: Actually, it is the main CN/Amtrak line between Ontario and New York!]
On to the closest street and what did we find? A parking lot for a digger, a loader with a giant shovel on the front end and on the back end, and an excavator. Just sitting there.
Jasper loves the story “Are You My Mother?” It’s about a baby bird who falls out of a nest while his mother has gone to get some food. One of the things the baby bird meets is a “Snert” – a digger who puts the bird in his bucket and returns him to his nest. Shortly thereafter his mom arrives home with food and gives her baby some food and a big hug.
Grumpa Laur wanted Jasper to sit in the bucket so he could take a picture of him with a Snert. But was some blood and guts in there – I expect leftovers from a mother bird that had an unfortunate meeting with a hawk. If it were our kids, we’d have just thrown dirt over it. The kids would have climbed in and “tra da” – a lasting memory for us and a questionable one for them.
Jasper was not so sure about this. I think by now his parents were ready to pop benzos. The compromise was that he stood in front of it – looking a little anxious. And while we knew the Snert wasn’t going anywhere, how did Jasper know it wouldn’t carry him away?
Next up – the loader! And just as I was asking Jasper to stand by the wheel – it was bigger than he was – the owner came up to us. We didn’t look like trouble. We weren’t touching it and two of our group of five were seniors wearing goofy looking sun-hats. He asked, “Would your grandson like to sit in the cabin and hold onto the wheel?”
Would he?! Laur and I were thrilled. Jasper not so much. So Grumpa Laur pretty much joined him in the cabin. Jasper sat on the chair, put his hands on the steering wheel, and marveled, “So big! So high!”
Now, Grumpa Laur isn’t quite his Dad – Grandpa Doug. Doug would have talked the loader owner into letting Doug drive it around with his grandson on his lap. And I’d be OK with that with our kids, but what was once “normal” would now be “unacceptable risk.” And I want to be able to see my grands again.
Off for the walk back, but not before taking a look at the excavator. It was old and rusty and thankfully Jasper was not interested in getting too close. (I asked Julie earlier if Jasper had had all his shots. That one against tetanus is one I’ve had updated a few times myself. It comes of having a husband who sees a junk yard as an archeological dig.)
The next day Laur and I decided to walk to the lighthouse in Port Weller. From Lock One of Canal Four it’s about 4 km (and then 4 km back.) We asked Julie if Jasper would like to join us and he said, “That would be fun.” Either this child has a short memory or he genuinely enjoys the things we do.
We stopped off to visit Cousin Emma en route. Jasper was intent on finding her cats and SHRIEKED every time he saw Stewart. Brownie had already gone into hiding. I said to Emma, “Can you imagine? If Jasper was your little brother, you’d have to babysit him.” Em responded very politely, “Please don’t keep saying that. I find it really…annoying.”
Emma is nine going on 13 and no longer likes long, slow walks with Granny Jan and Grumpa Laur. Em would rather hang out with friends and electronic gadgets. I get it. In fact, I do this in the afternoon – the friends part by phone during this covid-19 epidemic.
Ten minutes after we crossed the bridge at Lock One, we heard the ringing sound that indicated the safety gates were going down. This meant the bridge would soon be going up. We booted it back so we could watch the bridge go “up, up, up.” Jasper would have a better view out of the stroller, so I elected to hold him. Much lower than Laur would have and as far from the edge as I could be.
Jasper loved this – almost as much as we did. “Jasper, the ship’s name is Argonaut. Can you say Argonaut?” And he said, “Argonaut” and we just beamed. Mind you if he’d said “Boap,” we’d feel the same way. After the Argonaut went through, we watched the bridge go “down down down” and the safety gates go back up. And off we went toward the lighthouse again.
I confess, given that it was 90F or so, I found that walk pretty long. Jasper was just fine. Occasionally he’d get out of the stroller for a run, and play traffic cop with us – telling us when we could stop or go. And then he’d get back into the stroller. “Too hot.” And he’d tell us “The lighthouse is so far!” Finally, we got there and had snacks – sitting in the shade of the light house - and then Laur and Jasper threw rocks into the water.
As we left, Laur told Jasper the story of “The Lonely Lighthouse.” It goes something like this.
Everyday Bob the Boat went by the Lonely Lighthouse. He’d ask, “Have you seen Jasper today?” And she would sigh, “No not today…”
Then, one day, Jasper arrived in his Beep Jeep. He enjoyed having his snack in the shade of the Lonely Lighthouse and then he liked to throw rocks into the water. The lighthouse sure enjoyed Jasper’s company. But then it was time to go. And the Lonely Lighthouse was sad again.
Bob the Boat went by again and said, “Have you seen Jasper today?” and the lighthouse perked up and said, “Yes! Yes, I did! It was so wonderful. I got to shade him while he had his snack, and then I got to share my stones with him so that he could throw them into the water.” But then she hunched over as much as a lighthouse can and said sadly, “But he’s gone now and I don’t know when he is coming back. And one day he won’t want to come back at all…”
Bob replied kindly, “Don’t worry. He’ll come back to see you a few more times. And remember, you always have me.” And Lonely thought about this and stood tall and said, “Thank you for being my friend.” And Bob honked his horn like so…
.-.. --- ...- . That’s “I love you!” in boat language.