If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! That’s What Grandpas Are For. Grandchildren Quotes. My husband has been downloading public domain books ever since he got a Kindle late last year. Our grandchildren are now six years old and read well. So, my husband decided to download Peter and Wendy, the original Peter Pan book, so our grandson could read it the next time he came to visit. Here is how the book starts “All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. “One day when she was two years... (Read More ...)

When Did We Start Teaching Animals Sign Language? For nine months in 1931-1932, Luella and Winthrop Kellogg raised a chimpanzee, Gua, as though she were their infant son’s four-months younger sister. ASL phoneme of the word "WHAT'S UP / WHAT'S NEW" (Photo credit: WikipediaFor nine months in 1931-1932, Luella and Winthrop Kellogg raised a chimpanzee, Gua, as though she were their infant son’s four-months younger sister. After nine months, the chimp’s reading and understanding were ahead of their son’s. However, at just over a year old, the chimp could not say any words.... (Read More ...)

Have You Ever Seen the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC? On a too-rare day I played hookey recently. Japanese cherry trees adorn the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The Washington Monument is visible in the distance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The sky was a faultless blue. The air, at 70 degrees, was slightly breezy, with no sign of the coming summer’s humidity. A Monday, traffic was light, incremented only by the tourists who planned their trips ahead of the scheduled festival. And, the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC were at their peak. When Is... (Read More ...)

When Was the Last Time You Grew Sweet Potato Vines from a Sweet Potato? Sweet Potato I just saw a video about potatoes and the difference between those grown with pesticides and those grown organically. This is also a story about how a little girl and her grandma conducted a science experiment to show the difference dramatically. When you were growing up, did you ever grow potato vines by sticking toothpicks in a potato and putting one end in water? Did you ever pick up potatoes from a dark potato bin and find that the roots had been growing because you left them too long? Did you conduct a scientific... (Read More ...)

Got Milk? Chocolate Milk My grandson took out the milk and the chocolate syrup, put them on the counter and waited for permission to drink chocolate milk. I said, “Well, at our house I only offer milk or water, but I’m willing to defer to your Mom.” Mom said, “He only gets chocolate milk at a couple of places we go out for dinner. At home, he gets milk or water.” And, it was settled. I put away the syrup and poured him a glass of milk. Grandma is happy because she wants to protect those precious baby teeth from a regular diet of sugar as long as possible. Grandson was happy because Grandma’s... (Read More ...)