Delaney

Delaney talks to statues
As she dances 'round the pool
She chases cats through roman ruins
And stomps on big toadstools
She speaks a language all her own
That I cannot discover
But she knows I love her so
When I tuck her 'neath the covers

Father, daughter
Down by the water
Shells sink, dreams float
Life's good on our boat
Songwriters: Buffett, Jimmy;Lee, Amy;Mcanally, Mac

I'm not much of a parrot head, though, like just about everybody else think that Mr Buffett is one fine story teller.  I have quite a number of his songs on my Rockbox'd iPod and it shuffled this song up on the way home.

When I was a father, I feel I never had the time to give my daughters the kind of attention that is talked about in "Delaney".  I always had the job to do and I was on call 24/7 throughout most of my career.  I gave them as much as I possibly could (I was even a cookie mom for girl scouts one year), but I never felt it was enough.  They turned out all right in spite of that and know that family is what is important in life.

But now I have two little ones under foot all the time (my daughter, son-in-law, and kids live with me).  And now I have a bit of a second chance.

I still have the job, but I am more of an emeritus fire fighter in computer geek terms, and rarely get calls outside of work.

And when "Delaney" started playing when I was on the train, I realized I shouldn't waste my second chance.

So my oldest granddaughter and I sat outside when I got home and we chatted, she rode her little training wheeled bike up and back.   She rode down the sidewalk a ways waving and yelling goodbye and saying that she had to go to the "leaf store".  She rode to the "store", picked a single dandelion leaf and rode back to give it to me.  Then rode back to get another.  This went on until she was startled (read terrified) when she saw a bug.  She is almost phobic about flying bugs because of a bee sting once.

I ran to her aid and calmed her down and hugged her close.  It was getting dark so we put her bike away and came in to get ready for supper.  She then "helped" her mom with dinner.  When it my turn to cook, my granddaughter is "little chief", ala "ratatouille".  We make a mess have fun.

She is my Delaney.  And I love her so.  Unlike Delaney, though, she tucks me in at night and will read me a bedtime story.  Book held upside down pretending to read the words and making the story up as she goes.  The stories can be quite restful.  She'll stop, sometimes in mid sentence, and then say "The End!"  She gives me a goodnight kiss and tucks *me* 'neath the covers.

My relationship with my youngest granddaughter is developing in it's own special way.  Our relationship is different than the one I have with my oldest granddaughter just as my relationship is different with my two daughters.

She will be two in August and speaks a language not found on earth.  She has a running commentary about everything.  I truly wish I could understand what she is saying.  I'm sure I will learn more from her than she from me.  I feel our classes have only begun and she is starting me out on the simple concepts and she will educate me on more complex topics as we go along.

Yeah, life's good on our boat...

-Sandy