GRANDDAUGHTER TIME 
Even since she could say, ‘”grandma,” our younger granddaughter F, now almost two and a half, has called both me and the Chief Penguin that name. This visit, she finally got it right and for a few days, he was “GrandPA” and then became just Grandpa. We are now differentiated and she always wants to know “Where’s Grandpa?” if he isn’t right there with us. F’s language continued to explode over the five days here with more sentences, more new words, questions like what’s that, and statements such as “I’m hungry” or “water dancing” in reference to the slightly shifting water in the cove. She likes books and being read to, can happily play by herself with her baby doll—changing her and carrying on a steady conversation or singing to her—and is a great builder with blocks, magnetic tiles and even small Legos. She almost always has a ready smile, is fearless and physically bold (too much so) but being two, also a bit stubborn and wanting to do things herself.
Her older sister, E, is six and excited about starting first grade. She is reading a lot, both simple books and shorter chapter books. A current favorite is the Ivy and Bean series. E is very creative and likes art projects that involve drawing and cutting out objects and paper dolls. She and I made a paper doll family, mother, father, big sister and little sister, and then drew and cut out suitcases, beach towels, and food items for them to take on vacation. Earlier we did all the trappings of a birthday party—birthday cake, cups of lemonade, and goodie bags as well as pizza, cupcakes and doughnuts for refreshments–using just paper, crayons, and tape. I’m the least artistic of my sisters, and both of them who are more so, would enjoy these draw, cut and color exercises!
When not engaged in art or books, we all visited the local alpaca farm (a hit), spent several hours at the botanical garden in their children’s area (fabulous!), shopped at the bookstore, walked the footbridge and ate ice cream in town, collected rocks and shells on the rocky shore, and watched while the girls and their dad braved Maine’s cold waters in a small cove and then romped in a nearby swimming pool. 
Meals were mostly at home and planned (not seriously planned) to be rustled together quickly. E. was a good helper at mealtime and loved what she called, “make your own lunch,” basically a buffet of choices on the kitchen island. It also re-appeared as make your own breakfast and even make your own dinner. One can perform culinary “miracles” with frozen meatballs and jarred tomato basil sauce with some cheese ravioli on the side!
Grandchildren wake up early; fortunately, the C. P. and I are early to rise also. The little feet came pattering downstairs by 6:00 am, if not before, and I could guarantee that there would be voices greeting me as soon as I emerged to see about breakfast. Lively, fun, and a real treat to have them here! I think we stored up lots of good memories.
READING UPDATE
#19 Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
Smart and blond with big blue eyes and a manufactured husky voice, Elizabeth Holmes’ idea for a finger stick blood testing device intrigued her Stanford professor mentor. Dropping out of college at 19, she founded her own company, modeled herself on Steve Jobs, and wielding charm and charisma, convinced a number of wealthy, older prominent men to invest in Theranos and join its board. None of these board members (all seemed to be male) had any medical or scientific background and hence didn’t possess the knowledge to evaluate her product. A detailed account of how Holmes cajoled, lied and hoodwinked investors and company staff, it is unputdownable and reads like a novel!
Elizabeth and her number two, Sunny, who was also her boyfriend, ruled with an iron hand creating a very toxic work environment. She frequently fired individuals who raised doubts or asked questions; he bullied and harassed the staff and was often the one carrying out the dismissals. Security was extreme, there was no cross communication between departments, and Elizabeth was routinely misleading in presentations to possible vendors such as Walgreens and Safeway. Not only was she marketing a device that gave false and misleading results to patients, she also deceived her board.
A sad case is that of George Schultz and his grandson Tyler. Tyler briefly worked for Theranos and had issues about the device and the company which he shared with his grandfather. His grandfather sided with Elizabeth and became estranged from Tyler. It took a long time, but ultimately, thanks to this author, a Wall Street Journal reporter, who gained access to a number of brave individuals and then wrote the first articles for his newspaper, the truth was revealed.
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved)
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