“Stop Right There!”

There are a lot of things I’m trying to get used to, staying in the same house with my three grandchildren. Living alone as a grandma is quite a bit different than being in the same home with your grandkids (as you can well imagine, I’m sure). After many years of living by myself, it’s a bit of an adjustment. Even though I know I’ve forgotten a lot of the antics of my own children, I can at least remember that they were very similar to my grandkids, and this fact frequently makes me chuckle.

The last few days, my five-year-old grandson has taken to carrying a toy machine gun around the house and when he sees anyone, he points the weapon and says (loudly), “Stop right there!” It’s one thing to be fully awake when you hear this so you can react appropriately (hands in the air and a suitable facial expression), but I heard it the other day just after I woke up and was making my way down the hall to the bathroom. It took me a little by surprise (as I think the sun wasn’t even up yet) but I must say I appreciate his dedication to protecting the “castle” and the “princess” who lives here (his older sister).

Author: Carolyn Kay Hanson

Carolyn was born and raised in Idaho. She has worked with animals for most of her life (prepare yourself, the list is long): cats, dogs, horses, cows, goats, sheep, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, chickens, guineas, and geese. She was married to a cowboy for twenty-five years and during that time lived on seven different cattle ranches. She learned how to give shots to cattle, brand cattle, castrate bull calves and close the head catch in time to capture the beast that was flying through the working chute like a streak of lightning. She also learned to back the truck up to the trailer hitch and get it right the first time. When a teen, she attended horsemanship clinics and schools, and competed in horse shows that included dressage and jumping. She owned and trained seven of her own horses. After having two children, both of whom she homeschooled until they passed the SAT with flying colors (which is absolutely no credit to her as they both reside in the genius category and continually leave her wondering what the heck is going on) she dove into homesteading, learning how to make her own bread, make soup stock from scratch, butcher chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, and cows, and one year had so much fun canning everything in sight that when she counted the full glass jars in the pantry, she was shocked to discover there were over a thousand. Her knowledge of settings used as the basis of her stories is diverse due to the fact that she has lived in many different states including Idaho, Montana, California, Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Indiana, New Jersey, Washington, and Arizona. She now resides near Seattle. Her hobbies include knitting, crocheting, soap making, and, of course, writing. Oh, and her favorite author? P. G. Wodehouse. View all posts by Carolyn Kay Hanson