Summer's Decline

How are you feeling today, Friends?  I am considerably better.  I do have a slight headache, but I expect it won't interfere much with my day.  My sinuses are approaching normal, too.

The weather has been such a relief!  Cooler temperatures - today it is a mere 75 degrees! - and a small amount of moisture.  My lawn is starting to look in need of attention, and that hasn't happened since May! 

We've all had haircuts.  It was going to happen today, but instead we got them Saturday.  Saturday was Josh's company picnic.  We had a good time at a really neat park, and then were going to eat out.  (Josh's group got a bonus, but since he hadn't been an employee long enough to qualify, his boss gave him a gift card.)  There were a few hours in between, and instead of spend the increasingly valuable gas to go back to Warrenton, we did haircuts in Wentzville in the interim.  (The kids both got short school haircuts.  And I got bangs that look just as terrible as they did last time I had them...in Jr. High.)

Does anyone know WHY gas just went up again, just as it was approaching the high side of reasonable?  I guess I should just blame the election year....

I have officially met both the kids' teachers.  I went and had meetings with them both  at the school yesterday, immediately after music lessons.  Abbie's teacher we might not actually see again until October....her first baby is due the first day of school.  And Grant's teacher is the mother of one of his kindergarten friends, who he hopes to be in the same reading class with. 

Taiko is in full swing.  And all sorts of unnecessary bothers have been brought up there, too.  I wonder why we are voting on and ordering new uniforms now instead of waiting one month to be at our leisure?  And I nearly fell out of my chair when I read today that the newest member was told that if she wasn't on a song being practiced, she didn't need to worry about coming to practice.  That is exactly the opposite of what I was told my first year.  "I don't care if  you will be on a drum or not - you will attend ALL practices in the month of August!!"  I have been asking off especially just to be with my kids on their first day of school these last two years.  Now I can't tell if I feel like an idiot for overworking myself, or if I feel disgusted at the recent lax attitude toward dedication.

I'm a little nervous about playing Sumo in St. Louis tonight....  I'm having trouble finding a source to learn it from. 

Josh is on his first business trip.  The kids and I brought the shoes he forgot to his work today.  He will be home around bedtime on the first day of school.  When he first told me about the trip I was pretty much ready to skin him alive.  Not only will he be missing the first day of school after I went to serious trouble to make it a Big and Important Day (see "asking off especially" above), but I will be taking Grant and Abbie to my in-laws' house today.  That adds considerably to my travel time and gas consumption, plus it means making two stops on the way home instead of one (dropping off Michelle) when I am super tired, and it also means potentially being fussed for waking people up, and it WILL mean waking my kids up from their sleep and carrying them out to the car.  And I will be alone with two dogs and two kids for three days.  Are you starting to see just how sweet and docile I have been regarding this trip? Well, I did sort of threaten his life when he first told me...but since then, I swear I've been cooperative. 

Shrinking all his underwear was an accident, I swear!!! 

Just kidding.  No laundry accidents....yet.

So, did I tell you that I actually got an email from my brother?  The title was Japanese for "HELP!"  Turns out he wanted recipes.  His new roommate, it turns out, is a great cook, and now Brother must improve to remain competitive.  *sigh*  Men...

I am crossing my fingers that the weather is similarly pleasant during both of my approaching taiko weekends.  It would really REALLY be a help.