'Tis the season to be swept away on a wave of annoyances. I'm prone to agonizing over minutiae, anyway, and I don't think anyone could or does fault me for the things that often aggravate me these days---the kids' health, various family matters, work, school... you name it, there's stress attached. And whether it's a "good" reason to get upset or not, the fact remains that I fret. Endlessly. I want to take care of everyone. That's what I do. I want to soothe the savage hormone beast, make school a happy place again, and hear Otto talk about work without a multitude of heavy sighs. I want my...
Once upon a time there was a kind, beautiful, talented, and extremely mentally ill woman who said to a few friends, "Do you know what we need? We need to start one of those group blogs and do a weight loss challenge, because it will keep us accountable and honest and I am rabidly competitive and I will mop up the floor with you. Doesn't that sound FUN?" I am pretty sure I was eating some cookies and didn't really hear her clearly when I said, "Sure! Great idea!" Oh, well. I'm stuck, now---I've committed to actually diet and exercise in the new year, and be publicly accountable for it, and...
You know your vacation was just the right length when you've had an absolute blast, but are starting to daydream about sleeping at home in your own bed. (Not that the camper bed isn't also our own bed. But it's just not the same. At home, there are hardly ever screaming children or motorcycle dudes with mullets directly under our window at 10:00 at night.) I plan to fall backwards onto our bed later today after we arrive home and make a snow angel. Er, blanket angel. The camping itself has been hugely entertaining, but I was not prepared for how interesting I would find Gettysburg. Otto is a...
As predicted, I remained in Colorado just long enough to get adjusted to Mountain Time and then come home and be really tired. I couldn't seem to get to bed at a reasonable time last night, but had to get up to the alarm this morning, and the net result is that I am now typing this while face-down in a very large cup of coffee. That's just as well, because it's good nasal irrigation. I don't know if you know this, but Georgia is just a WEE BIT more humid than Colorado. It's true! And as a result, if you take southern nasal membranes up into the Rockies, it's only a matter of days before all...
The invaders on my tomatoes were so horrible, I decided to run away from home. Actually, I'd decided to go before that particular discovery, but nonetheless, yesterday afternoon I got myself to the airport and got on a plane and crossed the country to check out the Rockies. Oh, and also to hang out with my darling Kira. And snoogle her baby. And pick up all three of her boys and tuck them into my pockets. (Note to self: Get bigger pockets.) Shortly before I left, we received word that Otto's mom had been taken into transplant surgery overnight; when my plane took off, she'd already gotten a...
I tend to think of myself as somewhat friendship disordered. I have never had a big crowd of friends, and even the ones I've had tend to be intense relationships that burn out over time. In my younger days, when difficulties in friendships cropped up, I---ever bullheaded straightforward---would bring up the issue and demand resolution (yeah, that works about as well as it sounds like it would, in case you were wondering), and if things weren't resolved to my liking, that would more or less be the end of the friendship. Why yes, I definitely AM a delight to have in your corner. Line forms to...
This Love Thursday, I invite you to take a deep breath, hug your children, and then go read about Madeline Spohr. Her life was too short, but her legacy is (already) a swell of love and support that restores my faith in the human race. My thoughts are with the Spohr family, today.
I honestly don't remember how or when it started, but I know that it was not too long after I began blogging, so about five years ago. Somehow, Kira and I found each other. We read each other's blogs, we emailed, and---eventually---started chatting via Instant Messenger. Every night. There I was on the East coast, and Kira in Colorado. By the time she would get her boys into bed, I'd be thinking about going to sleep, myself. But she'd appear online and I'd vow to just chat with her for a few minutes, and three hours later---stomach sore from laughing or crying or (often) both---I would tell...
Whoops! Was yesterday Love Thursday and I missed it? It's not because I was without love, I assure you. I was OVERFLOWING with love, yesterday! Inbetween the curse words! Um. Sometimes I curse when I'm especially overflowing with love. Or especially overflowing with cake batter. Yes. A few days back Otto told me he was having a colleague come to town for the week, and then he laid out their schedule of events and asked if it would be okay with me if we had him come to dinner on Thursday night. And we're having kind of a busy week, here, so I may have looked... less than thrilled... and he...
