Sun-Mon-Day.

Good Morning! It's a bright, sunshiny day! So far, no major catastrophes. Today has great day potential.

Josh just left for a very busy Monday. He's not coming back until dinner. This might seem pretty normal to you, but it will be the first day like that since he lost his job at the Phoenix Group. We're still getting by because of the tax return money that we used to get ahead in the bills. That won't last, unfortunately. He's still applying everywhere. One day he applied for over 50 positions. And today is not actually a day full of knife selling appointments, either. The morning appointment is with the unemployment office.

Well, we did the funeral thing. Actually, it wasn't a funeral. It was a memorial. Or often it's called a "Celebration of Life". I don't much care for that phrase. It sounds a little ethereal and ungrounded. Besides, if you want a "celebration," then have an Irish wake. This was less fun that a bridge party. I'll stick with Memorial, I think.

Do people use the word harrowing anymore? My job of keeping the children from being disrespectful, impolite, mean, disobedient or distracting can be described as harrowing. Although, I think maybe tortuous might be even more accurate. I think it was one of the more difficult days of "work" I've had since the kids could talk. And un-successful. I, by some amazing cosmic event (and sheer determination) was able to get Grant and Abbie to not talk during the speaking, or kick the table, or jump out of their seats, or sing noisily, or climb all over me or Josh. I gave them paper and pencils. So, what do you think? I got glares from old people in mourning because they were scribbling too loudly. I can't win.

In other news, one old lady could not be persuaded that I wasn't my sister-in-law, Sarah. The kids had too many cookies. I suspect the staff gave Grandma extra "happy" pills. She seemed a bit cheerfully detached for her. And if you ever want to cheer up and entire nursing home wing full of old ladies, just walk a little girl down the hall dressed in a gray suit, black wool coat with matching beret, and new shoes. Little old ladies love dressed up girls. But they lose interest in the boys after toddler age. When Grant was about 3, he could get a smile out of just about any white haired woman he came across.

I went to taiko yesterday. Secretly, I was very, very tired and didn't much feel like it. Plus, it was raining. But I had said I would be there, so I was. I picked Michelle up at her house. I really should be able to find it by now, but I got lost, anyway. That wasn't nearly as funny as the fact that after I picked her up, we got lost twice before we found 40 (we needed 70). It was kinda fun.

I filled in for Rieko on Hanabi. I feel a little guilty, because I was just kinda going through the motions. I wish I had worked a little harder. But I did try to correct a mistake that I recently found out I was making. Played atarigane on ashura a lot, and was extremely accurate, if I do say so myself. Finally, the last time we played it, we didn't slow down at all, and I think some of the chuu players were surprised at how fast we were going. Well, that's what happens when you don't slow down! We also played St. Louis Bayashi. I don't think I ever got it exactly right, but at least I am gaining familiarity with the song, and with the part I'm playing. Then I took Michelle back to her house, and didn't get lost at all! Yay!

I thought maybe Heather might come over in the afternoon. I found out she had never seen The Princess and the Frog. Did I tell you that my mom sent it to us on Blu-ray last week as a surprise? I asked if she and Renee wanted to come over and watch it. But it turned out that they had other plans. I did get to see her for a minute on Friday, though. Heather was picking Renee up in Columbia, and I was on the way back so they stopped in for about a half hour. It was fun. But Sunday we ended up just having our neighbors over instead.

Some people have flowers coming up already. And blooms on trees. Not at my house. I will have to wait and see if those bulbs I moved will flower at all. I haven't really lost anything if they don't, though. They weren't flowering in the front yard. And I haven't been able to check my free red buds to see if they made it through the winter. The other bushes and trees have buds. Hopefully the red buds do, too. It's just really hard to check. Our back yard is entirely clay, which takes for ever to dry out, and it slants down toward a drainage ditch, so the further from the house you walk, the more the chance of getting stuck in the wet clay.

Can you believe that Easter is this weekend? We will probably have plans at Josh's mother's house, as per usual. I need to write her and ask the times, though. She hasn't said yet. It must've snuck up on her, too!

My mom and cousin spent the weekend visiting my brother in Colorado. Can't wait to hear how that went. And Brother should be coming at the end of April. I'm already thinking of all the fun things we can do.

I think we're going to play outside later today. Or at least take a walk.

How are you? Are you your usual cheerful self? 'Cause... I worry, you know. Maybe you need a walk in the sunshine. We should all eat our lunches picnic style today. What do you think? Josh brought up a bunch of old photos to scan, and some of my old photo albums. I swear, I was having a picnic every third page! Ha!

Happy Monday!