Big news in “Paradise” this week, with the much-anticipated announcement that pretty much overshadowed everything else: our first grandchild is on the way! (I’ll still give you everything else anyway. Well, almost everything! 😉

So That’s News?
Monday I was home sick and was watching the news reports of the unrest in the Muslim world. The news cameras were focused on how the Arab protesters were burning a picture of President Obama, and were stomping on it and hurling epithets at him. “What’s news about that”, I said. “A lot of us are doing that here in the States!”

The Trash Musical
Monday is “take out the trash day” at our house, as the garbage truck comes early Tuesday morning. So Monday afternoon, Michael was going around the house, gathering up the trash and taking it out. When he returned, Cheryl said to him, “Michael, you need to put a new trash bag here, and a trash bag there …”.
Before she could continue, I began singing, to the tune of “Old McDonald”: “Here a bag, there a bag, everywhere a bag, bag …”
Michael rolled his eyes and said, “Oh, joy …”
Without missing a beat, Cheryl began singing, to the tune of “How Great Our Joy”: “Joy, joy, joy!”
Michael: “STOP! What did I ever do to deserve THIS?!”

“Ooops!”
Of course, Michael couldn’t complain. He had told us that Monday was inservice at our church’s Academy and at the public school, and asked if he could have it off for his homeschool too. Being the nice parents we are, we acquiesced. Turned out, it was not LAST Monday that was inservice, it was NEXT Monday. “Stupid me”, Michael said. Yeah, stupid like a fox!

The Surprise Present!
Libby and Josh came down Friday to spend the weekend with us and celebrate her 23rd birthday. But it ended up that Libby was the one who gave US the best gift: she and Josh are expecting our first grandchild!
Libby told us the story of when she told Josh. She came down the stairs at their apartment and told him the results of her test: “It says I’m pregnant!”
She told us that Josh was flabbergasted, and quickly jumped from one response to the next:
“Do you think that’s right? … OK, let’s talk … No, let’s pray … No, I can’t talk …”

What’s In A Name?
The conversation at our house soon turned to what the baby was going to call Cheryl & I. Cheryl liked the idea of “Mamou” like the Louisiana town, but they eventually settled on “Marmie”, like on “Little Women.” Then the spotlight shifted to me. They said, “We know, he (or she) will call you ‘Boom Pa’!” If you are not “initiated”, that is what the bratty grandkid called Jimmy Stewart in the classic movie, “Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation.” The grandchild hated “Boom Pa”, and Stewart’s feelings were mutual. “What kind of name is ‘Boom Pa’?”, he asks. I jokingly said that is probably what I will end up with. Of course, we all know that the child will call us whatever he or she is able to pronounce, and not anything we determine, one way or the other!

Check That?
Our son David’s wife Ashley texting Libby: “There is free coffee at McDonald’s from 9/23 to 9/29!”
Libby: “From 9:23 to 9:29? That only gives you like six minutes!”
I guess some of her brain cells are already being diverted to the pregnancy! 😉