March 20, 2008
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A Small Postscript on Grandparents Rights and then Spring Observations
On my post yesterday, I told the story of my missing granddaughter, Teri Lynn Vancil-Buchanan. I think what set off my mind with worry was something I had seen on TV a few days previously. It concerns predators. You know the kind I mean. I had gotten pictures of Teri Lynn sent to me once when she was approximately 10 years old and I was a bit shocked and horrified that she would #1 have such ugly glasses and #2 her clothes were shapeless and unattractive. This is apparantly something that many fathers who are abusing their daughters do to keep them from being noticed by boys and even other girls. They keep them looking ugly and do not allow them anything feminine to keep them *safe* from outsiders. The idea that it might be a *like father, like son* thing going made me sick to my stomach. I mean, what could you possibly do to help out if such a thing was actually taking place?
Oh, I know this is all a worse-case scenario I’ve built up in my mind but the ugly clothes could not possibly have been her choice. She always loved girly things and had a bikini even as a 2 year old (her choice). She had to have corrective surgery on one of her eyes at 18 months old because of a lazy eye as it’s called but she came through it fine. Shands Hospital in Gainesville is well-known for such things. It’s also the hospital where she was born. The glasses didn’t surprise me but the ugly black or dark brown frames did. Teri had had glasses since after her surgery and was always wonderful about using them and keeping them on. I remember her first pair which looked like something that went onto a doll. They were clear with little tiny multi-colored hearts in them. She wore them without fuss at the tender age of 18 months old.
Anyway, even if Clint wanted to keep Teri from her mother, I don’t know why the courts don’t consider grandparents have rights too. These kids are OUR flesh and blood too. I have missed out on some of the most fun years of her life. I found out that some of the Christmas gifts meant for Teri never got to her so I am sure she thought even WE never thought about her again after she was given to her father. I know the only reason that my daughter considered it was because Clint had stopped drinking, had married and the woman seemed like a wonderful step-mother type who would treat Teri lovingly (and she did from all I knew at first). But when the marriage broke apart, I think my daughter would have taken Teri back rather than see her subjected to the vagabond type lifestyle that is all Clint would have to offer her. It breaks my heart. ‘Nuff said now. I thank everyone that read the blog and, hopefully, passed it along. There just may be hope to find her since the world wide web makes this a much smaller world. I know that if she is located and looks us up on Yahoo white pages, she can call collect any time. I hope my heart stays strong and I stay healthy enough to see that day come.
Now that Spring has officially arisen, I was driving home from Wal Mart the other day and noticed all the signs. Trees are blossoming. The magnolias are starting to bloom. The country road I take home has farms on both sides of the road and many of the farmers were putting down straw prior to plowing the fields that will have cotton, hay and other crops common to this area. Horses were let out into fields and cows were grazing. It was an idyllic day full of the excitement of spring and things to come.
When I got home, I looked around and almost all of our fruit trees were breaking out into blossoms. The peach trees had been the first but suddenly I noticed the pears, plums and even the cherry trees were either blooming or budding out. Our red maple trees also had small red flowers on them which was a real surprise to us. I had no idea they did that. Our sugar peach has both pink and white blossoms on it.
I came home and broke out my wildflower seeds and some azalea seeds to plant in a hanging moss planter and get started. I had never soaked and formed moss before and it’s quite an experience but I did manage to get the wire frame filled and then put the dirt into it. After sowing some of the different flower seeds I had, I added a little bit of the azaleas and wildflowers and a thin layer of soil over that. Then it’s sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle to get the seeds to germinate in the next few days. I noticed some little green tendrils today when I misted it so I’m getting a bit excited to see how this is going to look.
Even Baron is feeling his oats with this weather. It still gets a bit chilly at night but is in the 60′s during the day. We should see some 70 degree weather this weekend. Heck, that’s almost shorts weather!
My niece, Tara, is taking her kids down to Tallahassee to spend the weekend with her brother, his wife and step-kids and their brand new baby girl. I’ve seen her picture and she’s cute as all new babies are. I hope she has a good time because she starts her new job next week and she won’t be taking too many trips out of the area for a while.
Well, the Beast is making cleaning up noises so I think I will join him and see what I want to make for dinner. I still haven’t decided what I am making us for dinner this Sunday (Happy Easter everyone! Hope the Easter Bunny is good to you.) I was thinking maybe a hungryman meal
Just kidding.Love you. Again, thank you to my sister, D for linking the blog about my granddaughter, and to everyone else that read it. Have a wonderful weekend.
