Weekend Wrap Up

The last of the lovely weather has left, and it's considerably cooler and we're about to get a lot of very much needed rain. I'm fine with that, because vacation is over and we're about to head into the last 8 weeks of school. The rain will help the grass and the plants green up, and as my raking/yard clean up is finished, it can rain all it wants. (sorry for those of you on the other side of the state who have vacation this week)

Yesterday turned out to be much warmer than they called for, and we had a lovely afternoon to throw a wedding for my friend and her beloved. It was beautiful, and wonderful and awful and heartbreaking and a million other emotions all wrapped into one afternoon.

Please Come to Boston in the Springtime.....

Yesterday we left early and spent the whole day in Boston. I love Boston.. but I particularly love it in the spring.. when all the trees are flowering and the city is clean and fresh again and full of new life. We decided to take advantage of the nice weather and walk the Freedom Trail from one end to the other (well, and then we walked it back again.. whew was I tired!). I've been to many of the places along the trail, or walked by them or seen them etc.. but never in one planned trip specifically focused on absorbing the history of it. My children have been to very few and not in a while so it was a whole new thing for them. Ms. Thang just finished studying the Revolutionary War in school so she particularly enjoyed it.

Love Your Mother , Earth

Dear Children,
As I see you every day (whether you want me to or not), I am a little immune to your growing up. Every once in a while it takes me by surprise how big you are both getting. Like when I realize that your shoes are bigger than mine, or when you move up into "ladies" sizes and have feet as big as your aunt. I was taken back the day that I stood next to one of you, and realized that you are just "that much" bigger than I am. It makes me feel old, and a little sad.

Sunday, as I hung out the clothes on the line (YAY for warm days in April), I had another one of those moments. I used to be able to fit a lot more items on each line on the inside part of the clothes line. Until I got to some of the longer lines, most sections had one or two items. I realized that Mr. Man and I wear the same size in men's clothes. Not that I would want to share clothes with him, but I totally could. I also realized that my baby girl is in her last "girls" size (well, sort of)... and soon will move into Juniors.

I am not ready yet for all of this. I am not ready for you to be staying up until 10pm, and going away for retreats with your youth group(glad you had fun) or calling to tell me where you are after school and asking when I want you home. I'm not ready for school dances and crushes and what was your father thinking when he bought that razor and shaving cream. How can I be old enough to have a son who is going to have his first shave this week?

Slow down a little. Stop giving me so much hormonal driven attitude and be nice to your sister. Don't leave "I love _______ (boy of the week)" notes lying around so I can read them. Stop driving each other crazy and for the love of god cut me some slack will you? I'm doing the best I can.

Love, Mom

Time For a Change....

Spring is a time for new beginnings. Yesterday we bought a new table/chair set for our back yard. I commented to "The Boy" that we must be grown ups now. We've had a plastic table/chair combo that we at Wal-Mart in our back yard since the summer after we bought our house. It was cheap and practical and it served us well. However, it didn't fit us anymore. Or more so, we didn't fit it. It was nice to just sit at, but if we wanted to have dinner outside, or friends over there wasn't enough room.

Welcome To Spring Break

Halle-effing-leiah. One whole glorious week off from school. The only solid plans I have for the whole week.. are to get my teeth cleaned on Wed. afternoon and go with the kids to get our haircut. YAY for no plans. I think we might head into Boston Thursday. Ms. Thang is going on a field trip with the Girl Scouts on Tuesday to the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium.. so Thursday looks like it will have the best weather to go to Boston. Although, they said the high for today would be 73 and it was 81 at my house and 86 in Keene when I was there doing errands. Lovely spring day.

I managed to get my back yard all raked up... leaves, pine needles, dog debris etc. I hung my tree swing (all by myself!), and we got a new outdoor table set for the back yard. I hope to post more about that tomorrow so I'll be quiet about it now... but I'm wicked excited.

My Heart is Breaking

My heart breaks more with each day that passes. I'm afraid that when this is over, there might be nothing left.

Long Day Is Over

Ms. Thang went on a field trip to Boston to the Museum of Science today. She took my little point and shoot digital camera and snapped this pic of the harbor. I think she was aiming to get a pic of the gulls, but I love the skyline and water and am glad she shared her day with me.

My friend is back in the hospital. We were going to go visit her Sunday afternoon, as they released her to go home on Saturday.. but Sunday morning they took her by ambulance to the ER in respiratory distress.

I Don't Know What It Is... But It Just Won't Quit

If you are here looking for wit, and humor, I suggest you turn around now. I seem to have a short supply of both at the moment. Life and I aren't quite getting along at the moment and I don't know when we will be on speaking terms again.

You might remember that I told you about my friend that has breast cancer that returned in her lungs. The one who has been so worried these past few years every time she got really sick, convinced that it had come back.

Can't Get It Right.... Ever

just can't seem to get it right today

Sometimes, no matter what you do.. you are wrong. If you bitch because someone might be spending a LOT of fucking time at work, you're wrong. If you bitch because someone stays up until stupid fucking hours doing more work, you're wrong. If you bitch because some people bitch at you for working from home, and then turn around and do it themselves, you're wrong. And god fucking forbid, you bitch because someone told you they'd be home "shortly" at 4:15, and when asked what "shortly" meant, they said maybe an hour.. and so you left for a meeting at 6, and when you got home at 8:15 and someone still wasn't home, you called them and maybe were pissy. You're still wrong. And when someone says "shortly" at 8:15 and maybe you cop an attitude, you're more wrong.

A Spring Sonnet

outside the window buds begin to bloom
melting snow gives way to soggy, wet ground
pecking robins hop around and around
pushing away the long, cold winter's gloom
sunshine, forgotten, peeks through dusty rooms
people emerge, walking about the town
listening gently, to not miss a sound
as winter is swept away with a broom

the smell of warm earth floats in on a breeze
dancing across the room like a fairy
flowers burst up all around in the grass
bring with them also a sniffle and sneeze
spring warms a soul, so tired and weary
farewell winter, you can kiss my pale ass

Where there's life, there's hope

Things I Have Learned This Week: (in no particular order)

1. Eventually, winter will end. So we've gotten over 115 inches of snow this winter, beaten the 100 year old record (not the snowiest winter ever yet... 6 inches away I think)... and we are do do get more snow/ice/crap tomorrow. Big Deal. Today, I walked around the front of my house to check out some fallen branches from our last wind storm the other night, and discovered the first blooming flower of the year. This lonely little crocus was open and shining in all it's glory. It's actually a bit deeper purple than the photo shows, but the late afternoon sun thwarted my photo attempts. The snow is finally melting.