Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to be a grandmother.
First I had to be blessed with motherhood so I waited patiently fully understanding the desire of my two married children to be untethered for the first few years of union.
The years ticked by.
Then, when Covid hit, along came a silver lining. Hibernating did the trick and within three years we had four beautiful granddaughters and my dreams of grand-motherhood were granted.
I wanted to be called Mama Viv and at first that caused a slight problem because their Mums were Mama, if that makes sense, so my Mama got dropped and the V changed to a D becoming Div to both sets of girls.
For no reason a year ago they started calling me Divvy which sounded perky and made me feel sassy!
They know that I am their grandmother even though I’m Divvy and their grandfather is ‘Silly Lray”.
They are the best things about my life now and are old enough to pay attention, walk, talk, dance, joke, draw, puzzle, hug and laugh a lot.
This summer we are blessed to have our closest two spend every Tuesday with us. The day is long; it is happy; it is noisy; it is tiring; it is blessed.
There’s lots to do at the Footlights Ranch.
We take short ambles along our rock driveway.
We wax lyrical over the Indian blanket dotting its red and yellow flowers haphazardly among the grasses. 
We marvel at the milkweed pods that burst spreading cotton wool all over the meadows making us gasp when we pick them up and gently throw the seeds and watch the breeze catch them as they float away. 
The powdery blue of the Gipsy Rose swaying on its delicate stalks speaks of the Creator on this early morning as we gather the flowers 
being careful to cut the ones closest to the path to avoid chiggers, which aren’t such a welcome gift.
At the bottom of the driveway awaits a sweet treat that grows up the metal entranceway to our ranch filling the air with a heavenly smell. The girls call them ‘honey flowers’ but haven’t quite grasped the idea of tasting the sweetness at the bottom of the stamens. 
Nevertheless they are a fragrant, pretty yellow and white addition to our bouquet.
We take them home for our breakfast table and carefully place them in two favourite vases to remind us of the Lord’s bounty and the blessings of grandchildren each time we sit down to eat. 
Such a lovely way to start the day at our beloved Footlights.