Our oldest grandson, Lane will marry a beautiful young lady this Saturday. The family has joined in the preparation with a combination of love and happy anticipation. Naturally, this young man has been on my mind — even more than usual. In honor of his marriage to Margie, I wish to share some stories about our “Mr. Precious”.
Cowboys Wear Boots
“Lane, cowboys always wear boots when they work around horses.” I shared this grandmotherly advice at the ranch one evening when I discovered three-year-old Lane walking barefoot in the fenced area with the horses.
The next time we drove to the ranch, we arrived just in time to see Lane streaking from the house toward the horses. What a rush! With amusement, I noted Lane’s boots. However, other than boots, he was stark naked.
Claim of “I’m Dalton”
After the boys moved to Arkansas, Chris and I installed an 800 number, which we hoped the boys could learn to use by themselves. The new number also allowed us to carry on lengthy conversations with the little guys. Of the two boys, Lane enjoyed talking more than Dalton did. Until Lane made friends and felt established at his new home, he talked to us often and conversations usually lasted a long time.
One day, after a lengthy conversation with Lane, I said, “Lane, I want to talk to your brother.” Lane made a great pretense of calling Dalton before getting back on the phone and saying,
“Hi, Grandma. This is Dalton.”
Immediately, I said, “Lane, I know this is not Dalton.”
Lane, “Yes it is. Ask me what 2 + 2 is.”
After I asked, Lane replied “2 + 2 = 5.” He then proudly added, “See, I told you I was Dalton.”
Challenging Marble Game
During a long-distance phone call, Lane asked, “Grandma, do you want to play marbles with me?” I replied, “Of course I do. But you will have to play for me when it’s my turn.” Lane assured me, “You can trust me. Grandma.” (This assurance came shortly after Lane had claimed to be Dalton.) Although my confidence wavered, we began to play.
After numerous turns, I scored zero points. Nada! Zip! I heard Lane say, “You missed again, Grandma.” “Why am I not surprised?” I replied. Needless to say, I lost the marble game. However, the fun of playing with Lane was a big win for me. The picture below shows Lane and his dad on his first day of school.
Lane On a Healthy Diet in High School
When Lane takes on a project, he takes it on all the way. I was delighted with his interest and commitment to consuming only healthy food and drinks. In fact, when he indicated an interest in a video program about a particular eating program, I gladly paid for his right to use the plan.
However, I should have known to expect the unexpected from Lane. Imagine my surprise when I walked in one evening after work to find ¾ of the food items from the pantry displayed on the kitchen cabinet. “All of these things have to go,” announced Lane. Who would have thought we would have so many unhealthy items in the house? To be totally fair to Lane, many of the labels indicated expiration dates that were quite old. Although I salvaged a few choice staples, almost got tossed into the trash.
The following week, Lane headed for Arkansas. I warned his Arkansas grandparents to put locks on all cabinet doors and on the refrigerator.
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