Several degrees of separation.

Starting in the Fall, the girls will go to separate schools for the second and last time. The first time, two years ago was different. They were younger and had not begun to develop individual separate lives, even just a little. Nastia has a friend, Kaley, who is right now her best friend. Elena, has Jessica as her best friend. Back two years ago, they were each others best friend. Separate lives are one of our goals for them. At this stage of life they irritate each other over sometimes the simplest things. Elena doesn't want her sister to tell her what to do. Nastia can't help playing mother hen to her because she has done that all of Elena's life.
   So this summer has been a good change. Nastia has gotten to invite Kaley over to go swimming and Kaley has invites Nastia to go to Germonds pool.

   Elena invites Jessica to come over and swim and Jessica invites Elena to go to the Bronx Zoo without Nastia. Elena went out with Mathew, 'her boyfriend' (how much longer I will be able to use ' ' over boyfriend I don't know.) to dinner with his parents for his birthday. Elena ordered Smoked Salmon for an Appetizer and baby back ribs for the main meal. She didn't get back until 10:30 and I was starting to look out the windows to see if she was outside and I just didn't see her. I need to work on being a parent of teenage daughters who will be dating for real, you know no ' ' over the name. They will be on their own and doing all that ecky stuff that I used to do and my mother never asked about or want to know about and only one girlfriends mother let me know she worried about. I have to be less tightly wrapped.
   My mother's sex advise consisted of never let me know you got a girl in trouble. I've always wondered what she meant by that. Was it maybe like a girlfriend had a library book that needs to be returned today and if it isn't it would be late and I told her "Don't worry there will be no repercussions if you return it tomorrow.Or maybe it's more like I won't com....nah, too naughty to finish that thought.

 I did something the other day that if Teri knew she would maybe be pissed. So don't tell her all...two of you.
I gave both girls their second driving lessons. Second, you say? yes, the first one was done upstate two or so years ago when I let them sit on my lap and steer that big old Buick( and steer as we drove through town)*
   * I know it is only a snippet of a line, but what song does big old Buick come from?
We went over to Clarkstown South High School. This was not something planned. We had tried to visit my mother, but she was not home and they complained they were bored. So I went around the school told them a few stories about my time there and then I pulled into the parking lot furthest from the school and told Nastia to get into the drives seat. We went over mirrors and blind spots and changing lanes and reaching the peddles. Then I let her move the car. I had her just touch the gas and make believe there were eggs under the pedal she did not want to break. She touched the pedal and when she just bumped up the rpms and I was happy with that I then let her put the car in neutral and let it glide down the hill putting on the brake to slow and stop the car without jerking it. At the bottom of the hill I then turned it around and let her us the gas and go up hill. After a short while she was driving up and down the hill keeping it relatively straight.
   There then came a point where Elena said what about me.I told her in a year and a half I would let her do what her sister did. I then changed my mind and let her use the brake going down hill and maybe I let her go up hill once.

Ruth Darrow Smith  Moffett, my Grandmother 1920's

  It all reminds me of when my mother taught me how to drive upstate going down our driveway and the first time my Dad let me move the car and all I did way put it in drive and it moved on it's own. It seemed to be going so far. He then told me to stop it and I hit the brakes bouncing the car a little. Great memories, really great.

* My Hometown Bruce Springsteen
  I was eight years old and running with a dime in my hand
Into the bus stop to pick up a paper for my old man
I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick and steer as we drove through town
He'd tousle my hair and say son take a good look around this is your hometown
This is your hometown
This is your hometown
This is your hometown