Category: Family Stories

Granddad Week and Four Mystery Series Temptations

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This week has been a Granddad week for me. It started on Sunday when i went to my first dance recital. I raised three boys and one girl and that one girl is the mother of Emma. Emma turned 3 in February and has been taking both tap and ballet lessons. Sunday was her first recital. I must say overall it was very good and Emma did great … Here is the picture they used in the introduction of the students.

Later that night we babysat Emma and Lucas for several hours as their parents went to a photo shoot for their business Rego Photography. Monday my son and Logan the son of my third son Peter came and we played cards from 2:45 to 4:45.

Finally, last night we went to my oldest grandson Oliver’s Spring Band Concert. Oliver is 12 and is in 6th grade. The concert was very good.

The result of all of the above is that we missed Senior Tuesday and its 15% off this week. But we still made a trip to the Audoubon NJ Goodwill this morning, The vinyl today was the same ones I left last week after my pretty good haul and the books were the same too. I did find some that I must have passed over last week.

Today’s Goodwill Book Mini-Haul – Four Mystery Series Temptations

Today's Four Mystery Series Temptations Books

“I” is for Innocent – Sue Grafton

While I have never read a Kinsey Milhone book, I acknowledge the groundbreaking nature of her work. Wuthout her work I may never have read books from the likes of Laura Lippman, Carol O’Connell, Kathy Reichs or even Karin Slaughter!

And that’s why I have been collecting the Kinsey Milhone series. With the addition of “I” is for Innocent I ever have 11 of the series books!

The Eighth Sister – Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is another of those authors whose books I should be reading but haven’t. Dugoni has two main series the Tracy Crosswhite series and the David Sloane series. The Eighth Sister appears to be a standalone featuring former CIA case worker Charles Jenkins.

Hundred-Dollar Baby – Robert B Parker

I read my first Spenser novel back in 1987. It was The Judas Goat Spenser #5. I also read Taming a Sea-Horse in 1987 it was Spenser #13. Subsequently I have never read another Spenser book even though I enjoyed the books ans characters!

Hundred Dollar Baby is Spenser #34! It was released in 2006 four years prior of his sudden death in 2010. The last Spenser novel written by Robert B Parker and his assistant was SixKill published in 2011. From 2012 t0 2022 Ace Atkins wrote 10 Spenser books. In 2023 Mike Lupica began writing the books and has since added 4 books to the series. The latest released in 2026 is Framed (Spenser #54)! Anyway I hope maybe Hundred Dollar Baby can get me back into the series!

A Cold Day for Murder – Dana Stabenow

One of the author’s who may have benefited from the success of Sue Grafton was Dana Stabenow. A Cold Day for Murder is the first book in the now 23 book series featuring Kater Shugak. This is another series that I should have read but didn’t I blieve I have a copy of this book but where it is I know Not! Anyway the copy i bought was released in 2023 so it has the feel of a new book! So maybe I can trick myself into reading it!

But considering that Kate is a native Alaskan ex-DA investigator who lives on a 160 -acre homestead in a generic nationa park in Alaska with her half-wolf, half-husky dog named Mutt; I should love this series!!

Sue GraftonRobert DugoniRobert B ParkerDana Stabenow
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Thursday Update:

I am now finishing this post on Thursday after working this morning at Target! I din’t finish it last night becasue Zoe my sceond oldest grandchild only 6 months younger than Oliver had HER Spring Band concert. She plays saxophone and had a short solo in the third song! She was also named The Rising Star of the 6th grade band by the Music Teacher. Go Zoe! The best thingabout last night’s concert though is that the school is in the same block as our house so it was a short trip home!

Cash Register Crisis Averted – A Family Moment

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Or How a 28-Month-Old Negotiated Her First Major Purchase!

There are times when you just shake your head and say, that child is a piece of work! This was Cash Register Crisis one of those times.

The other day, our 28-month-old granddaughter Emma had a very serious conversation with her mother.

The Conversation: A Cash Reigster Crisis Arises

Emma: I need a new cash register. It’s broken.

Elizabeth (Mom): Oliver got it for you — he thought you’d like it!

Emma: I don’t like it. We need to go to the store. I need a Minnie one.

If you knew Emma, you’d know that right now she is obsessed with the show Minnie’s Bow-Toons, where Minnie and her friend Daisy Duck are co-owners of Minnie’s Bow-tique — a specialty shop that sells only bows and bow ties.

This is a child whose TV time was limited until recently. When she did watch, it was usually Miss Rachael. But now, things have changed — ever since Baby Lucas entered the family on May 8th.

But back to Emma’s story. After my wife Kathleen (aka Grandma) told me about the conversation, I searched Amazon for a Minnie Cash Register. I found one and would have bought it — but Elizabeth told us the devious child had seen one at Target. So we didn’t think any more about it.

The Result: A Crisis Averted…

Until Elizabeth texted this photo. Crisis averted:

Emma the cash register crisis averted

And here’s proof — Emma greeting customers at her Bow-tique!

Hmm, Miss Emma got her way. Sometimes you have to know when to give in. And considering how wonderful she has been with her new baby brother, she certainly deserves special treats.

Well — actually — in those first few days, when Lucas was really fussy and crying, Emma told her parents:

“You have to take him back and get a better baby!”

A New Crisis??

Her first employee…

Hmm LucA ANITHER cASH rEGISTER cRISIS

Oh no — a union problem already — sleeping on the job!

More About Emma –

Rockin‘ Granddaughter Emma to Sleep with Jerry Jeff and Others!

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2026 Reflections – while “Edward” which is what Emma calls me because that’s all she heard my wife shout before i got y new hearing aids – EDWARD! EDWARD! and now my wofe is teaching Emma’s brother Lucas to continue to call me Edward and nnot Granddad! And while I am no longer rocking Emma to sleep – Lucas has succumbed several times ti the charms of Mr Bojangles!

“Boom, boom, boom.” That’s the sound of love, rhythm, and a sleepy toddler in motion.

I’m trying to get more enthusiastic about writing again — and to do so in a more timely way. Over the summer I did better, but now that the school year has begun, my wife and I are back to full-time babysitting for our granddaughter Emma.

Emma is our fourth grandchild, the daughter of our daughter Elizabeth and her husband Marcus. Elizabeth is a school psychologist in a district about 45 minutes north of their home. So, we babysit from around 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — a long day for us Grandparents!

When we finally get home and dinner’s done, I’m usually wiped out. Writing feels like the last thing I want to do. But I’m going to try a new approach — to write more posts wrapped around my day. Hopefully, this is the first of many.

How Rockin’ Granddaughter Emma to Sleep Goes….

On a typical day, Emma takes a two-hour nap sometime between 11:00 a.m. and noon. Before that, I usually take her for a walk around the neighborhood — a mile or two, depending on how it goes. The goal? Keep her awake during the walk so she’ll sleep better afterward.

The other day she fell asleep mid-walk, so today I kept my eye on her. Every time her head started to droop, like she was about to doze off, I spoke to her — and her head would pop right back up! We managed to finish the full mile, and she’s now peacefully asleep.

The Rockin’ Grandaughtrer Emma Routine

Once it’s nap time, I rock her — first while standing, then transitioning to a rocking chair. I also sing to her. (I think she stays awake just to hear me stop!)

First up is one of my all-time favorite songs: Jerry Jeff Walker’s Mr. Bojangles. I sway back and forth singing “boom, boom, boom” to match the beat. When Emma was younger, she’d say “boom boom” herself when she got sleepy!

If she’s still awake after that, I move on to Aztec Two-Step’s Baking, and if she’s really holding out, I finish with Harry Chapin’s Taxi.

This past Monday? She held out all the way to Taxi before finally surrendering to sleep.

The Rockin’Playlist for Grandaughter Emma

Here’s a playlist of the songs I sing to her. Someday I’ll have to explain that I rocked her to sleep with a song about a street dancer in a New Orleans drunk tank…

Granddad Needs a Nap Too

Since I can’t take a photo while I’m rocking her, here’s one Grammie took right after a nap — when Granddad needed one just as badly!

Emma after a nap with Granddad