More night fits. I'm awfully tired today.
I didn't mention it yet, but I started another story. I have the concept figured out, but I don't know how to achieve what I want. I need a major plot element that will be somewhat life altering, and still produce the result I need given the personality I've established for my protagonist. Well, I'll keep looking at it.
I'm starting to plan a trip to Brother's place. He's moving all his furniture in today, I hear. I thought I might give him a call later on. So far we are planning on Memorial Day weekend, even though that is also my anniversary. I tried to find out if Josh would be on his work trip. He seemed confused. I told him that I wasn't going to leave him home alone on our wedding anniversary, but if he was going to be out of town I would probably go that weekend. He said I should go ahead and make plans. Now that I think about it, Josh's Month of Celebration attitude toward holidays probably applies, and he figures as long as we do something within 30 days plus or minus, it still counts. Well, that's my guess, anyway.
***
Had to take a break for Abbie's most exciting fit ever. Well, one of them. She's perfectly fine now. More than she usually is after these fits, so maybe I did something right. But probably not. For part of it, she was mad at the shirt I put her in, because she wanted her dress from yesterday, and in her wild fit-throwing, she got stuck in the shirt while trying to take it off. I set her free, but since I was the bad guy, she was particularly ungrateful and punched me for my trouble. She still has a mark on her collar bone from the shirt. Anyone know how to stop a 3 year old from hitting? I've tried lots, and am now open to suggestion.
Grant is putting colorful stones all over my foot.
My mother is all better. I talked to her yesterday and today. I also talked to my grandmother the other day. She and my uncle will be stopping by next Monday. I really need to start cleaning the house. The laundry is taking over. I might do a load or two today. I'm still supposed to be taking it easy.
I made it to the meeting last night with no trouble. Andrew and his wife bought some antique carpets, and they are beautiful, of course. I was wearing socks, but I could still tell how soft and sleek they were, and hand made, too. The meeting seemed long, or maybe it was just because my back started to get sore. I knew I should have packed some motrin. And I made it home with no problems, too!
It's foggy today. We're listening to the end credits of the 2008 Speed Racer - Abbie's latest favorite song. I might have to let Julie teach her to "Sassy Walk".
I've been lazy for so long, I'm not sure how to transition back to being efficient. Laundry and Motrin sound promising. Everyone keeps telling me not to do any lifting yet, but how is anything supposed to get done? We all know that I'm the only person who takes care of the house.
Really I'm too tired to be so indignant.
I wish you all a happy day, I am off...in a fog.....
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Illness, Children and Time For Tea
I've been reading about Swine Flu. Have you? I'm not used to the idea of new and exciting diseases spreading worldwide. And I'm also having a hard time getting real information as to what makes this one deadly. What is killing people? High fever? They don't ever say.
On the subject of diseases, though, I sort of did expect some sort of epidemic to pop up eventually. I mean, we as a species have sort of banished all forms of natural population control. Nature was bound to take a few fretful swipes at us, don't you think?
I finished my book. The end felt a little incomplete to me. It was well written, for the most part, but I didn't love it. What should I read next?
I called my mom last night, and she was sick and couldn't talk. I'm a little worried about her, but I guess I should wait to hear from her. I would hate to wake her up if she was resting.
It rained and stormed last night. It's cloudy now, and they say it will be most of the day, but I think the temperatures should be nice. Maybe we'll be able to take a walk. I'm not sure with my back still so tentative, but I'll keep it in the back of my mind.
As long as we're listing things that I probably should avoid doing in my "condition", I would love to bathe Abbie. Her hair will need a de-tangling. She's like a little wild thing today. She has, once again, refused the "potty chair", too. We recognized our lack of progress there and went ahead and bought the next size diaper. Well, whenever she's ready, we sure are. In the meantime, I will attempt to convince her that she doesn't run the family.
Grant has been the difficult one these last few days. I tried to tell him he doesn't need to be so angry. I hope it works. Yesterday the big thing was kicking the wall when he got in trouble.
My back is starting to feel sore.
I want to make taco salads tonight. Yumma. But I also need to leave on time. With no GPS I don't know how I'm going to find Andrew's house without missing a turn or two, and we have a meeting there tonight.
I might make tea. I feel like I could use a cup. And here comes Abbie's first sulk of the day. Yes, definitely tea.
Hope you have a good day.
On the subject of diseases, though, I sort of did expect some sort of epidemic to pop up eventually. I mean, we as a species have sort of banished all forms of natural population control. Nature was bound to take a few fretful swipes at us, don't you think?
I finished my book. The end felt a little incomplete to me. It was well written, for the most part, but I didn't love it. What should I read next?
I called my mom last night, and she was sick and couldn't talk. I'm a little worried about her, but I guess I should wait to hear from her. I would hate to wake her up if she was resting.
It rained and stormed last night. It's cloudy now, and they say it will be most of the day, but I think the temperatures should be nice. Maybe we'll be able to take a walk. I'm not sure with my back still so tentative, but I'll keep it in the back of my mind.
As long as we're listing things that I probably should avoid doing in my "condition", I would love to bathe Abbie. Her hair will need a de-tangling. She's like a little wild thing today. She has, once again, refused the "potty chair", too. We recognized our lack of progress there and went ahead and bought the next size diaper. Well, whenever she's ready, we sure are. In the meantime, I will attempt to convince her that she doesn't run the family.
Grant has been the difficult one these last few days. I tried to tell him he doesn't need to be so angry. I hope it works. Yesterday the big thing was kicking the wall when he got in trouble.
My back is starting to feel sore.
I want to make taco salads tonight. Yumma. But I also need to leave on time. With no GPS I don't know how I'm going to find Andrew's house without missing a turn or two, and we have a meeting there tonight.
I might make tea. I feel like I could use a cup. And here comes Abbie's first sulk of the day. Yes, definitely tea.
Hope you have a good day.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
P.S.
Today's Question:
Why is it that young Americans are so concerned with finding themselves, but not with making themselves? We are none of us born perfect, and yet, once we discover faults in ourselves, we proudly announce them to the world without considering that improving them might be a better use of our time. The point of knowing thyself....isn't it rather to know which areas need work, and not so much so you can proclaim your plusses and minuses to anyone who acts interested?
Why is it that young Americans are so concerned with finding themselves, but not with making themselves? We are none of us born perfect, and yet, once we discover faults in ourselves, we proudly announce them to the world without considering that improving them might be a better use of our time. The point of knowing thyself....isn't it rather to know which areas need work, and not so much so you can proclaim your plusses and minuses to anyone who acts interested?
Laid up.
I'm reading a book that Josh generously bought me out of the sale box at Borders Books, when we happened to be at the mall this Saturday. The title was just interesting. It's called, "Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking". It's well written, but detached. A bit dry. We'll see how it unfolds.
I'm a little foggy today, and am having trouble distinguishing the past few days. Friday, my mother came to visit me. Friday? Yes. Friday was wonderful. It was a warm day, and my mother brought four red bud trees, still small sticks, to plant in my clay yard. I know I've told her before about the clay. I've told her that when it rains, it turns into modeling clay and stays muddy long after you think it ought to be dry, and then when it is dry, it's like a cracked pot and makes you think of red deserts. Well, except that our clay is mostly gray or yellow. I was surprised, then, when she exclaimed, "It's clay!" as she dug a small hole for the flowers she also brought for the kids.
"Well, yes."
"There's no soil at all. It's ALL clay." She bend down, fascinated and exasperated. At least I was no longer confused. She'd thought I was exaggerating to be amusing, all this time. It did, in fact, become the joke of the day after that. "I ought to be making a sculpture instead!" she would laugh. Digging in the back yard was fun. Grant helped with a little spade, and I helped Abbie carry water from the faucet in a purple Easter bucket that was painted with bunnies. We planted the trees (they were free ones, in honor of Earth Day) in a square, and if they all live, they'll make a lovely soccer field someday. Mom says with the soil I've got I shouldn't expect anything to survive. She's now impressed with the grass we were able to grow, even if it is sparse and patchy. It was so green on Friday. Dark, healthy green.
We had fun, even though she didn't stay long, and Abbie was asleep soon after she left. The kids' noses were a little runny, and for a while I didn't know whether to be worried about spreading cold germs or about potential allergies. Either way, Abbie needed rest. I did, too, having survived yet another night tantrum, but I never ended up taking a nap. Josh brought dinner, and by then I was feeling very sick, myself. We all watched a movie together, and then I took cold medicine and went to bed.
On Saturday, we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We took the car to Wentzville, bought White Castle for lunch and had a picnic. Jake was with us, too. We ate at a little smoking area picnic bench behind Home Depot. It was more fun than it sounds. Then, Josh and Grant took the car to get an oil change, and Jake, Abbie and I walked to the Petsmart to get Jake's nails clipped. It was fun, but it was also a strain. Abbie would escape my grip and run, and Jake would relentlessly pull the opposite direction. It was exhausting. After than we came home for a while, and then went out again, this time sans Jake. We drove to Mid Rivers Mall and met Katie on her dinner break. We had Bob Evans. I hadn't been there before, and left disappointed in everything except the breads. Maybe next time we'll just get a loaf of blueberry bread instead of having dinner there. But it was nice to see Katie, and we met two of her friends.
Today, I am laid up. My back is out. Writing this has made me realize that it is probably a result of being pulled in two directions at Petsmart. It wasn't so bad this morning, so I decided that I would go to taiko and just sit out and listen. Then, I opened the door of the bathroom to go shower and had a huge spasm. In my mind I saw all the stairs leading to the room where we practice, and I knew I would have to stay home. I was irritated and disappointed. I wanted to go. But it was no use pretending my back wasn't out.
I took some cyclobenzaprine. (That should explain the foggy brain.)
I didn't go to practice, but I DID go to the grocery store. We all did. It was frustrating to me not to be able to simply grab what I wanted/needed. Plus, I was hungry. I very nearly didn't make it past the frozen pies. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't been on the injured list!
Then, we went to Josh's mom's house. For a while I sat in the kitchen, hearing the latest on the shocking behavior of Josh's second youngest sister. Yes, it's true that she sees all rudeness except her own. Yes, it's true that she never learned a good way to deal with stress. Yes, it's true that she's not great with pitching in. But these are not things she learned from a stranger. At her age, she'll either grow out of it soon or not at all. I think she would probably benefit from having her own apartment, and a little introspection - if she's given to that, and I'm not sure she is. Well, after I had the detailed report, I changed locations and sat outside for a while. We had dinner out there in the wind. I kind of like wind, if I'm prepared for it. It's not always conducive to outdoor eating, though. The kids were playing happily in the sprinkler. Grant had to be called to dinner (unusual for him), and Abbie didn't even stop for dinner. She came over to the table just as we were all finishing up and we gave her some food. Between that and dessert, though, we had an incident. Austin and his dad were throwing a baseball back and forth, and Grant (we still can't figure why) picked up a tennis ball sized watch and threw it at Austin. It hit him in the side. Grant got a spanking, of course. Also, I changed locations again and sat with him inside while the others continued to play. He also didn't get cake. I hope that was a significant enough punishment, and I hope he views it from the right perspective. You see, only last week Grant got in trouble for throwing hard toys at his friend, Elise.
Also, it seems that my foggy brain assisted in my getting two spare diapers for Abbie, and then putting them in the wrong bag, so that when she was done playing in the hose, she had no diaper. Josh's mom insisted she would be fine in some regular underwear that her daughter had grown out of. Half an hour later, we had no diapers and also no clothes for Abbie, because, as expected, she didn't tell us when she needed to go potty. She borrowed a shirt from Mariah to wear as a dress, and soon afterward we left. Abbie fell asleep in the car, and is still out cold (although she does have a diaper on now). As for me....I think I need more medicine. Just sitting here is painful.
I hear that tomorrow we are going to have quite an exciting storm. Why is it always on Monday? Grant's soccer keeps getting cancelled. I'm betting heavily that it will be, tomorrow.
We watched the 2008 Speed Racer movie the other day. Abbie loves to dance to the ending credits. The movie is actually a little rough for my kids' age group. I hope I don't have it to blame for the rock throwing. I feel a little betrayed. I always counted on Grant to grow up to be a decent, nice guy while I struggled with my willful Abbie, the caged cat. If I went through all this considerable trouble to raise them myself and then they became the bad kids, what good will I have done? I digress.
Did I tell you about the tea? I don't think I did. I got a cup of it at the mall. Peaceful Nights or something like that. It was wonderful.
I'm a little foggy today, and am having trouble distinguishing the past few days. Friday, my mother came to visit me. Friday? Yes. Friday was wonderful. It was a warm day, and my mother brought four red bud trees, still small sticks, to plant in my clay yard. I know I've told her before about the clay. I've told her that when it rains, it turns into modeling clay and stays muddy long after you think it ought to be dry, and then when it is dry, it's like a cracked pot and makes you think of red deserts. Well, except that our clay is mostly gray or yellow. I was surprised, then, when she exclaimed, "It's clay!" as she dug a small hole for the flowers she also brought for the kids.
"Well, yes."
"There's no soil at all. It's ALL clay." She bend down, fascinated and exasperated. At least I was no longer confused. She'd thought I was exaggerating to be amusing, all this time. It did, in fact, become the joke of the day after that. "I ought to be making a sculpture instead!" she would laugh. Digging in the back yard was fun. Grant helped with a little spade, and I helped Abbie carry water from the faucet in a purple Easter bucket that was painted with bunnies. We planted the trees (they were free ones, in honor of Earth Day) in a square, and if they all live, they'll make a lovely soccer field someday. Mom says with the soil I've got I shouldn't expect anything to survive. She's now impressed with the grass we were able to grow, even if it is sparse and patchy. It was so green on Friday. Dark, healthy green.
We had fun, even though she didn't stay long, and Abbie was asleep soon after she left. The kids' noses were a little runny, and for a while I didn't know whether to be worried about spreading cold germs or about potential allergies. Either way, Abbie needed rest. I did, too, having survived yet another night tantrum, but I never ended up taking a nap. Josh brought dinner, and by then I was feeling very sick, myself. We all watched a movie together, and then I took cold medicine and went to bed.
On Saturday, we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We took the car to Wentzville, bought White Castle for lunch and had a picnic. Jake was with us, too. We ate at a little smoking area picnic bench behind Home Depot. It was more fun than it sounds. Then, Josh and Grant took the car to get an oil change, and Jake, Abbie and I walked to the Petsmart to get Jake's nails clipped. It was fun, but it was also a strain. Abbie would escape my grip and run, and Jake would relentlessly pull the opposite direction. It was exhausting. After than we came home for a while, and then went out again, this time sans Jake. We drove to Mid Rivers Mall and met Katie on her dinner break. We had Bob Evans. I hadn't been there before, and left disappointed in everything except the breads. Maybe next time we'll just get a loaf of blueberry bread instead of having dinner there. But it was nice to see Katie, and we met two of her friends.
Today, I am laid up. My back is out. Writing this has made me realize that it is probably a result of being pulled in two directions at Petsmart. It wasn't so bad this morning, so I decided that I would go to taiko and just sit out and listen. Then, I opened the door of the bathroom to go shower and had a huge spasm. In my mind I saw all the stairs leading to the room where we practice, and I knew I would have to stay home. I was irritated and disappointed. I wanted to go. But it was no use pretending my back wasn't out.
I took some cyclobenzaprine. (That should explain the foggy brain.)
I didn't go to practice, but I DID go to the grocery store. We all did. It was frustrating to me not to be able to simply grab what I wanted/needed. Plus, I was hungry. I very nearly didn't make it past the frozen pies. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't been on the injured list!
Then, we went to Josh's mom's house. For a while I sat in the kitchen, hearing the latest on the shocking behavior of Josh's second youngest sister. Yes, it's true that she sees all rudeness except her own. Yes, it's true that she never learned a good way to deal with stress. Yes, it's true that she's not great with pitching in. But these are not things she learned from a stranger. At her age, she'll either grow out of it soon or not at all. I think she would probably benefit from having her own apartment, and a little introspection - if she's given to that, and I'm not sure she is. Well, after I had the detailed report, I changed locations and sat outside for a while. We had dinner out there in the wind. I kind of like wind, if I'm prepared for it. It's not always conducive to outdoor eating, though. The kids were playing happily in the sprinkler. Grant had to be called to dinner (unusual for him), and Abbie didn't even stop for dinner. She came over to the table just as we were all finishing up and we gave her some food. Between that and dessert, though, we had an incident. Austin and his dad were throwing a baseball back and forth, and Grant (we still can't figure why) picked up a tennis ball sized watch and threw it at Austin. It hit him in the side. Grant got a spanking, of course. Also, I changed locations again and sat with him inside while the others continued to play. He also didn't get cake. I hope that was a significant enough punishment, and I hope he views it from the right perspective. You see, only last week Grant got in trouble for throwing hard toys at his friend, Elise.
Also, it seems that my foggy brain assisted in my getting two spare diapers for Abbie, and then putting them in the wrong bag, so that when she was done playing in the hose, she had no diaper. Josh's mom insisted she would be fine in some regular underwear that her daughter had grown out of. Half an hour later, we had no diapers and also no clothes for Abbie, because, as expected, she didn't tell us when she needed to go potty. She borrowed a shirt from Mariah to wear as a dress, and soon afterward we left. Abbie fell asleep in the car, and is still out cold (although she does have a diaper on now). As for me....I think I need more medicine. Just sitting here is painful.
I hear that tomorrow we are going to have quite an exciting storm. Why is it always on Monday? Grant's soccer keeps getting cancelled. I'm betting heavily that it will be, tomorrow.
We watched the 2008 Speed Racer movie the other day. Abbie loves to dance to the ending credits. The movie is actually a little rough for my kids' age group. I hope I don't have it to blame for the rock throwing. I feel a little betrayed. I always counted on Grant to grow up to be a decent, nice guy while I struggled with my willful Abbie, the caged cat. If I went through all this considerable trouble to raise them myself and then they became the bad kids, what good will I have done? I digress.
Did I tell you about the tea? I don't think I did. I got a cup of it at the mall. Peaceful Nights or something like that. It was wonderful.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Consequences of a weed-free yard.
Kinda wish I could go visit my mommy today, but she has plans. Plus, I can't touch the car. I'll explain later.
Yesterday was a very warm day. It was in the upper 70's, a day after the high was 60 and the wind was strong and cold. I had great plans...I always have great plans...but not all of them proved attainable.
I woke up tired yesterday, because Abbie had had a bad dream in the middle of the night. Those of you who don't have toddlers don't already know this, but sometimes small children dream about being in trouble or fighting with their parents. Since not a lot else upsets them in their young lives, this is frequently the subject of their "nightmares". It's rough to be a worried parent and go into your child's room to console him/her only to discover that, through no fault of your own, you are the bad guy.
It took Abbie about half an hour to forgive me for whatever she dreamed I had done, and then we went about the business of going back to sleep. That takes kind of a long time for Abbie, and even longer for me. So, though it made me sad, I was obliged to decline the invitation we had to go and spend the morning at the Botanical Gardens. Abbie did, in fact, have two minor fits yesterday morning. One when she woke up cranky, and one just after lunch. I was surprised that after the second of these fits, Abbie came into my arms and told me she wanted to go to sleep. So, Abbie took a nap. I wish she was always that rational.
Grant and I played on the deck, and he complained of being too hot. I wanted to plant my dead azalea, but with Abbie asleep, I couldn't go too far from the window. She woke up cranky, of course, but jumped into my arms again when she saw a wasp fly by. Then we had snacks, etc., and eventually time had escaped and it was time to start dinner. When Josh came home, and after we ate, we went in the front yard, and I was happy to get the dandelions out of the yard. While I was weeding, our neighbors came over and the kids played and Josh sat around on the porch. It irritated me. Eventually, when he could see that my laser eyes were charged and aimed at his head, he got out the bucket and started to clean up the dog poop. By then the neighbors were leaving and I couldn't find any more weeds, so I was on my way inside when, at the door, Kirk said, "By the way, Rosemary, I was wondering if I could borrow the last book of the Twilight series."
Well, I set the book by the door. Then I went to look for something to put on my legs, which were now suffering from a rash from kneeling in the grass. At least I was helping the neighborhood by preventing the further spreading of the dandelion. Finally, I tried some caladryl, which was actually expired. It helped, anyway. I was exhausted. I don't remember any of the conversations from last night, or what movie the kids watched. I think it was Bob the Builder. I put Abbie to bed and snuggled into my own bed. Then, Grant decided to sleep in there, too, so I ended up in his bed.
This morning started out normal. Josh hit the snooze. By the time he got out of the shower me, Grant and Abbie were all in my bed. Grant was hungry. Very normal. Then, after I thought he had left, Josh came back in to ask if I'd moved his GPS. Why would I have done that? I told him I had neither seen it nor touched it. And then it came out. Josh had forgotten to close the garage door last night.
So, a few minutes ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a police officer who lives a few blocks away from us. His theory on the subject is that there is a small group of kids from "over the fence" who come into the area neighborhoods at night and help themselves to whatever is easily available in unlocked cars. Ours was not the only report for last night. (The fence, in case you were curious, separates my neighborhood from a trailer park.) Funny thing about that is that I leave the huge explorer unlocked on the street all the time. I've always said that nobody looking at it would imagine that it had anything worth stealing.
I forgot to mention that our tv is starting to go out. It randomly turns off, sometimes several times in only a few minutes.
It's cloudy. There's a chance it will rain today. The rash is mostly gone from my legs, but I'm still tired. I'd like to clean my house. Abbie is having a picnic on the carpet. It consists of generic Apple Jacks cereal.
I think tomorrow Josh is going to a job fair, and then we will spend the rest of the day together. I hope it will cheer him up. Today has been very hard on him. I think maybe I'll make him some brownies.
Today's questions:
Should I plant one of the Earth Day redbuds my mommy is giving me in the front yard by Abbie's room, and the other in the back yard, or all put all of them in the back yard?
Why do I keep lending books to people who keep them for months and months?
Aren't TVs supposed to last longer than 5 years?
Should I buy a lottery ticket?
Yesterday was a very warm day. It was in the upper 70's, a day after the high was 60 and the wind was strong and cold. I had great plans...I always have great plans...but not all of them proved attainable.
I woke up tired yesterday, because Abbie had had a bad dream in the middle of the night. Those of you who don't have toddlers don't already know this, but sometimes small children dream about being in trouble or fighting with their parents. Since not a lot else upsets them in their young lives, this is frequently the subject of their "nightmares". It's rough to be a worried parent and go into your child's room to console him/her only to discover that, through no fault of your own, you are the bad guy.
It took Abbie about half an hour to forgive me for whatever she dreamed I had done, and then we went about the business of going back to sleep. That takes kind of a long time for Abbie, and even longer for me. So, though it made me sad, I was obliged to decline the invitation we had to go and spend the morning at the Botanical Gardens. Abbie did, in fact, have two minor fits yesterday morning. One when she woke up cranky, and one just after lunch. I was surprised that after the second of these fits, Abbie came into my arms and told me she wanted to go to sleep. So, Abbie took a nap. I wish she was always that rational.
Grant and I played on the deck, and he complained of being too hot. I wanted to plant my dead azalea, but with Abbie asleep, I couldn't go too far from the window. She woke up cranky, of course, but jumped into my arms again when she saw a wasp fly by. Then we had snacks, etc., and eventually time had escaped and it was time to start dinner. When Josh came home, and after we ate, we went in the front yard, and I was happy to get the dandelions out of the yard. While I was weeding, our neighbors came over and the kids played and Josh sat around on the porch. It irritated me. Eventually, when he could see that my laser eyes were charged and aimed at his head, he got out the bucket and started to clean up the dog poop. By then the neighbors were leaving and I couldn't find any more weeds, so I was on my way inside when, at the door, Kirk said, "By the way, Rosemary, I was wondering if I could borrow the last book of the Twilight series."
Well, I set the book by the door. Then I went to look for something to put on my legs, which were now suffering from a rash from kneeling in the grass. At least I was helping the neighborhood by preventing the further spreading of the dandelion. Finally, I tried some caladryl, which was actually expired. It helped, anyway. I was exhausted. I don't remember any of the conversations from last night, or what movie the kids watched. I think it was Bob the Builder. I put Abbie to bed and snuggled into my own bed. Then, Grant decided to sleep in there, too, so I ended up in his bed.
This morning started out normal. Josh hit the snooze. By the time he got out of the shower me, Grant and Abbie were all in my bed. Grant was hungry. Very normal. Then, after I thought he had left, Josh came back in to ask if I'd moved his GPS. Why would I have done that? I told him I had neither seen it nor touched it. And then it came out. Josh had forgotten to close the garage door last night.
So, a few minutes ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a police officer who lives a few blocks away from us. His theory on the subject is that there is a small group of kids from "over the fence" who come into the area neighborhoods at night and help themselves to whatever is easily available in unlocked cars. Ours was not the only report for last night. (The fence, in case you were curious, separates my neighborhood from a trailer park.) Funny thing about that is that I leave the huge explorer unlocked on the street all the time. I've always said that nobody looking at it would imagine that it had anything worth stealing.
I forgot to mention that our tv is starting to go out. It randomly turns off, sometimes several times in only a few minutes.
It's cloudy. There's a chance it will rain today. The rash is mostly gone from my legs, but I'm still tired. I'd like to clean my house. Abbie is having a picnic on the carpet. It consists of generic Apple Jacks cereal.
I think tomorrow Josh is going to a job fair, and then we will spend the rest of the day together. I hope it will cheer him up. Today has been very hard on him. I think maybe I'll make him some brownies.
Today's questions:
Should I plant one of the Earth Day redbuds my mommy is giving me in the front yard by Abbie's room, and the other in the back yard, or all put all of them in the back yard?
Why do I keep lending books to people who keep them for months and months?
Aren't TVs supposed to last longer than 5 years?
Should I buy a lottery ticket?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Me on Blogs
May I have my spotlight, please?
Wait a minute. I'm not here to do improv on stage in front of an audience. What am I here for? Well, it's a long story. And since you got out the popcorn anyway...
My first contact with blogs at all was when Tylar was living in Japan. I will always keep in touch with Tylar. I adopted him into my family long before he introduced me to my husband. Tylar would write of his adventures, etc. on the internet (I didn't even know blogging had a name), and I would comment, thereby maintaining a friendship a hemisphere away. Interesting idea, I thought. When blogs came to the attention of the nation as a whole, I was not impressed with the way they were conducted or treated. As much as I've journaled, and as much as I've written, I never considered it as something I would do.
When you say things like, "I will always keep in touch with Tylar," you kind of set yourself up for getting roped into things....like Myspace, for example. So, I joined Myspace to keep in touch with Tylar and his amazing sister, and then found that I was keeping in touch with lots and lots of people. Some that I was in "real" contact with already, and some that had dropped off the face of the earth, and re-emerged in digital form. Myspace has a blog function, and I immedeately, and without considering anything else as an option, started a blog. Now that I have only one friend left who still uses Myspace, and having moved over to facebook, myself, I came here to keep my blog, while discontinuing Myspace.
My blogs are intended to be the conversations I imagine I would have with friends I already have, if my children would ever allow me to finish a sentence, or if certain friends, who shall remain nameless, would stop screening my calls (just kidding, guys). From another angle, they are me, just talking to myself, as any other journal would be. I have absolutely no intention of grabbing attention from passersby, which probably wouldn't happen, anyway. I am not here to speak to the world. And though I sometimes hop up on my soap box, please note that I am doing it in a dark closet and NOT on a street corner.
Now that we all have a general idea of what I'm doing here, I shall proceed. And you...
By the way, what are you doing here?
Wait a minute. I'm not here to do improv on stage in front of an audience. What am I here for? Well, it's a long story. And since you got out the popcorn anyway...
My first contact with blogs at all was when Tylar was living in Japan. I will always keep in touch with Tylar. I adopted him into my family long before he introduced me to my husband. Tylar would write of his adventures, etc. on the internet (I didn't even know blogging had a name), and I would comment, thereby maintaining a friendship a hemisphere away. Interesting idea, I thought. When blogs came to the attention of the nation as a whole, I was not impressed with the way they were conducted or treated. As much as I've journaled, and as much as I've written, I never considered it as something I would do.
When you say things like, "I will always keep in touch with Tylar," you kind of set yourself up for getting roped into things....like Myspace, for example. So, I joined Myspace to keep in touch with Tylar and his amazing sister, and then found that I was keeping in touch with lots and lots of people. Some that I was in "real" contact with already, and some that had dropped off the face of the earth, and re-emerged in digital form. Myspace has a blog function, and I immedeately, and without considering anything else as an option, started a blog. Now that I have only one friend left who still uses Myspace, and having moved over to facebook, myself, I came here to keep my blog, while discontinuing Myspace.
My blogs are intended to be the conversations I imagine I would have with friends I already have, if my children would ever allow me to finish a sentence, or if certain friends, who shall remain nameless, would stop screening my calls (just kidding, guys). From another angle, they are me, just talking to myself, as any other journal would be. I have absolutely no intention of grabbing attention from passersby, which probably wouldn't happen, anyway. I am not here to speak to the world. And though I sometimes hop up on my soap box, please note that I am doing it in a dark closet and NOT on a street corner.
Now that we all have a general idea of what I'm doing here, I shall proceed. And you...
By the way, what are you doing here?
Monday, April 20, 2009
Her Introduction
Once upon a time, a girl moved with her family from Sunrise Beach, Missouri to a white house with black shutters and columns on the front porch in Rolla. She was 4. For the next 10 years, she played on the green shag carpet and rolled down the hill and fought petulantly and went to school and climbed trees and cultivated friendships with the neighbors (except the ones who got mad when she and her brother played in their pampas grass) and she grew and laughed and cried. Many, many things happened, and the years bloomed and faded before her eyes. Eventually, as happens, she grew into a teenager. She fought self righteously and petulantly. The family moved to a new house in the woods outside of town. The older brother left for school. The girl sang and learned and had friends and boyfriends and regrets and plans.
In time she left for school, herself. She learned just how small was the resemblance between the self she knew she was, and the self she had wished for. She learned that her plans were unlikely and impractical. She learned how to fend for herself. And, when she wasn't busy with all of that, she did attend some classes. She emerged from the conclusion of her studies with a degree that was largely useless, a very vague plan, and a handful of worthy and precious friends.
So, what did she do? Why, she very daringly moved across the country with nothing but a car load full of stuff, and anxious determination - all in pursuit of...employment? No. Adventure? No. Love? Well...more like conviction. After living in the same town with her long distance love for several months, she agreed to marry him, which she did, the next spring in Missouri.
She still fights petulantly and self righteously, with her husband and two children in a Missouri town west of St. Louis.
In time she left for school, herself. She learned just how small was the resemblance between the self she knew she was, and the self she had wished for. She learned that her plans were unlikely and impractical. She learned how to fend for herself. And, when she wasn't busy with all of that, she did attend some classes. She emerged from the conclusion of her studies with a degree that was largely useless, a very vague plan, and a handful of worthy and precious friends.
So, what did she do? Why, she very daringly moved across the country with nothing but a car load full of stuff, and anxious determination - all in pursuit of...employment? No. Adventure? No. Love? Well...more like conviction. After living in the same town with her long distance love for several months, she agreed to marry him, which she did, the next spring in Missouri.
She still fights petulantly and self righteously, with her husband and two children in a Missouri town west of St. Louis.