Preparing for the Arrival of Small Children

While other grandmothers prepare for the arrival of grandchildren by removing the porcelain figurines from the end tables or locking the glass display case, I am rounding up my rocks.  My rocks have been stored in two boxes and a metal can in a bottom cabinet in the kitchen.  They are some of my most prized possessions, and my grandchildren are every bit as fascinated with them as I am.  Sad experience has taught me that children lose rocks and some rocks break.  That is why I now shove them in a box on my bedroom closet shelf when the grand kids come.

Other women buy Precious Moments figurines, vases from Italy worth thousands of dollars, and sapphire earrings.  I collect plain, unaltered rocks. Usually, the only thing I spend for them is time.  Obviously, my husband encourages this kind of collecting over jewelry and figurines.  My rocks are not necessarily interesting or valuable to anyone except me.  When I am hiking, I love to take a rock home to remember the hike.

Then, I have the rocks I inherited,  My grandmother, Maude Brodock Robertson, was an enthusiastic rock hound, according to my father.  She found the shark's tooth pictured above on a mine dump in Oregon Gulch.  I have three big seashells from her collection. I'm guessing she bought them on a trip to California for a religious convention.

Besides my rock hound grandmother, three or more of my ancestors were gold miners.  I guess you could say they liked rocks -the right kind of rocks.  Watching my grandchildren, I gather that a love for rocks is an inherited trait.

Sometime during the children's visit, I will bring out the rocks for an hour one day, and the grandchildren and I will all admire them.  We will celebrate our fascination with rocks.  I wouldn't trade my rocks for all the artistically created jewelry and vases made.  My rocks are more interesting and a lot less stressful.