Friday, March 14, 2014

Seven thirty alarm


Two years on with grandchildren and I find life not too much changed except I bought a second alarm clock.  These children came from a home where survival skills were required, so they still get themselves up, fed and out the door in the morning. They don’t need the grownups around.

I used to do other things in summers and afternoons, now I ferry children. I used to do nothing at night, except make a ten mile round trip twice a month on county roads to attend Board of Trustee meetings. Now I have bright new eyes that see lane lines, and I make night runs ferrying children. All I needed was a second alarm.

Changing the alarm setting on a digital clock is the pits. Changing the hour setting is bad, but clicking through the numbers of the minutes makes me frantic. Sometimes I don’t release the trigger soon enough and have the whole job to do over again. When the once this week or month or year event has come and gone, the alarm time needs reset.

I bought a second alarm clock to set at seven thirty for Sunday mornings. I have enough time to eat my breakfast before we leave to take Hamilton to church at eight fifteen. I seldom leave home without breakfast, but seven thirty even worked to eat and leave ten minutes sooner, with Emily too, to drop her at the farm after I dropped Hamilton at church.

The children respect grandma’s seven thirty alarm. If there is a weekend event they plan carefully to schedule it around that alarm, or the regular, eight o’clock alarm. They are good, respectful children. I love them for that.

Emily and Angela, the Arsenic in Rice team, were sent on to regionals, as you may recall. They are tomorrow, at the University of Akron. I had to tinker with the seven thirty alarm in February, to get the team to the STEM judging at Kent State before sunrise. I wondered and waited to hear about the Northeastern Ohio event.

Emily is quite pumped for this event, and I’m sure Angela is, too.  Emily hopes they will make super judging and be sent on to the state event. Recalling the many weaknesses of their original presentation I inquired into the nature of her hopes and was assured the two of them have made substantial changes to their original presentation. I wonder if they got more test strips from the lab, as the judges seemed to have been impressed by seeing the strips indicate arsenic in water.

And what time must we leave, I asked? They have to be at the university at seven. However, Grandma need not mess with the seven thirty alarm; Angela’s father will pick up Emily on the way.


A windy Friday afternoon.

27 comments:

  1. The very best of luck to Emily and Angela! I'll have my fingers crossed for a great result for them. I love the photograph.

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  2. It makes me so happy that you can say they are good, respectful children.

    Love,
    Janie

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  3. I second Elaine's good luck wishes.

    I preferred the analog alarm clock as well...except some nights I forgot to pull out the little thingy.

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  4. Even though you are very busy raising your grandchildren, I can hear in your words how happy you are with this situation. These children are blessed to have you and you, in return, are rewarded by your's and their successes.

    Those are killer icicles, really killer icicles.

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  5. Alarms I so glad I have finished with them.
    Merle...............

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  6. Best of luck to Emily and Angela!
    Since I retired back in 2007, I very seldom need an alarm and when I do I just go with my cell phone's alarm. A quiet little ding ding rather than a startle and jump to hit the big alarm like in the old days.

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  7. I rarely use alarms these days - the cats wake me up instead.
    Good luck to Emily and Angela - and I am glad you get a (tiny) lie in.

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  8. Third alarm most likely available on your smart phone.

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  9. Goodness, you and your grandkids have quite a schedule. I know what you mean about digital alarm clocks. Fortunately, there is no time change in Hawaii.

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  10. Hari OM
    good luck girls!! And yaaaaayy to gran getting a lie-in. YAM xx

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  11. Here's wishing the girls the best on their project. Sounds like they tweaked it just fine. Bill & I both have "built in" alarm clocks but use the cell phone as a back up if we really have to be somewhere... just in case.

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  12. I was just saying the other day that my alarm clock is ancient. I can't stand setting it. My son has a talking alarm clock..you verbally set it. Unfortunately, most of the time he forgets...

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  13. Best of luck ladies..you have a world wide cheering section.
    Jane x

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  14. I never change the time my alarm goes off. Some mornings I just have more time to putter around the house than others :-)

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  15. Joanne, I absolutely love your header photo!

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  16. I've never needed an alarm clock, always waking up ten minutes before I need to get up, but one of my grandsons wouldn't wake up even if the clock hopped onto the bed and bopped him on the head. Silly boy is up until the wee hours playing video games...Definitely not academic material that one.

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  17. Thank God for science partner dads to help shuttle them to their events! I hope they get to move on to the next level! Good for the grand kids to get up and going on their own! It will carry them far in life I do believe!

    betty

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  18. I think you are wonderful Joanne & that quiet half an hour is sacred.
    I get to the shop at least half an hour early to check the rota, set the till & check the notebook before the volunteers and customers arrive.
    We have to change our opening times from Easter for a longer hours open day- guess I'll have to work in my extra half an hour earlier !

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  19. Good luck to your granddaughters' project!
    The icicles show you still are on winter time? Here in Berlin over night a big storm broke loose - the very early spring days seem to be over for a while.

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  20. Children who know how to give respect have become a rare bunch.
    Alarm clocks can be tricky sometimes.
    You do a lot. A great example of a productive and helpful grandma.

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  21. good luck to the girls. I remember when my kids were in those competitions and ferrying them around on weekends.

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  22. Good luck to the girls.....and how nice that they remembered the alarm.

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  23. I always look forward to your posts. I compare you to Erma Bomback in some ways -- you make me laugh. Good luck to your Emily and Angela. Funny how we can master the computer but have a silly little clock drive us mad. -- barbara

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  24. Oh, also think that is a great header! -- barbara

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  25. The only time I use an alarm is on the rare occasion when we have to do something especially early. I wake up every morning at 6 a.m.
    Good luck to the youngun's.

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  26. So much respect for the alarm set by grandmother, even from the children.
    As for the digital thing, I still prefer a clock with two arms - it is so easy to tell the time.

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