Long ago his Poppo and I changed the name of Willow Road to Andy's Road because on it, from his car seat, he could see HIS donkeys, HIS lambs, HIS goats, HIS horsies, HIS cows and even two of HIS swans on Amish farms as we inched along. Once we stopped to chat with those cows, but they were non-committal. Drat.
Sharing cow talk was easy. Climbing up into the seats for high school and collegiate swim meets was terrifying. So.....I can't swim and I am afraid of heights. Try the University of Maryland swim-a-torium. It is a dizzying experience. (I only did it once.) Andy could churn up swim meet waters better than Grandmother Stone's egg beater. Not one bit of braggart in him, he kept most of his blue ribbons in the bottom of his closet. Meanwhile, as his unauthorized Pennsylvania press agent, I shared newspaper articles and online sport releases with friends, strangers and maybe even a cow or two.
Now Andy is too big for the swing in the front yard, and he is no longer interested in finding pine cones or pretty rocks. There is no way I could strap him into a car seat! Today I am most proud of the man Andy has become. He has grown into an intelligent, honest, and handsome University of Maryland graduate and accountant-to-be.
He can balance my bank book anytime.
