Graduate #1

B. is officially a high school graduate.

I held it together pretty well. I teared up at my usual places: the National Anthem; when Pomp & Circumstance started; when I first saw B. marching in; and when a firefly hovered right in front of me for quite a few seconds. I choked up pretty badly at that point because I'm sure - positive, really - that it was my mom. And it choked me up to miss her so much and yet be glad she was here to see this round of grand kids start graduating. And I choked up again when B. marched off the field - they made a nice trip around the field and track and when he saw me, he smiled a big smile and kept watching me...which he always does. At every special occasion he's ever had, there is always a moment when it's just me and him - and I blew him a kiss and gave him thumb's up and whooped and hollered like a maniac. He seemed please by my obvious joy.

And even with all the heartache of these past four years - and all the disappointments, I am truly, deeply proud of him. It was a great morning.

We are heading to friends for a BBQ celebration - we all sat together and hollered for our kids. B. and C. have been best friends since 5th grade and it's a great thing to watch them take the next step together. B. sat next to a bunch of kids who are also going to LPC, including some friends he's known for a long time...so that's nice. He will know some people there. And of course, the entire campus is 'on alert' that 'Majah's son is going to be here next year'. One of the advantages of having a mom who works in education and used to work at the college - he has an instant group of adults who care about him and will keep an eye on him...and offer assistance if he ever needs help or advice or a listening ear. He will be fine.

Today is all about celebrating. Work will keep. I am enjoying this milestone - this day of B. realizing just how special your high school years are....all his friends that graduated today that are an important part of his life. He is very happy. And we are very happy for him.

He has a great future ahead of him, full of possibilities....it's a new day. For sure. A new day.

Here are a few pics:


He's the one waving his diploma in the air. He's wearing his AVID medal, his International Baccalaureate (IB) black stole and his Performing Arts Magnet honor cords....which are light pink. He didn't want to wear them but thankfully, the black IB stole and the AVID medal sort of temper the pink a bit....so he did wear them.

Here's B. with his grade-school 'sweetheart' K.:



And finally, B. and his BFF C. at the grad party at C.'s house after the graduation ceremony:


It's been a great day - and we are blessed to have the D. family in our lives - celebrating all these milestones with them over the years is such a blessing and we always have such a great time.

B. just left for the last of his Senior year activities - his all night grad cruise on the San Francisco bay. They depart the school around 10PM tonight (it's 9:15PM here now) and return sometime tomorrow morning.

Congratulations, B....we are truly proud of all you've accomplished and know that your future is bright and full of possibilities.

Kisses

H.'s birthday was low-key but fun for him, I'm reasonably sure. His 'girlfriend' arrived around noon and stayed until late evening. They spent the day upstairs playing video games, looking at My Space pages, etc. on the computer. Took a nap together. Yes, together. He slept with a girl on his 16th birthday which will most certainly make it memorable. J. and B. had left to run an errand and I heard the door upstairs close. I left my PC in the dining room (where I work on work stuff at home) and headed upstairs. Knocked politely (resisting the urge to tear the door off the hinges but wary of what might be going on behind those doors at the same time). He answered 'what?'. I replied 'please open the door'. 'Why'? 'OPEN THE DOOR'. So he did. I said 'no closed doors when there is a lady visiting. Period. End of story'. An 'OK' escaped his lips...and he was clearly irritated and mortified at the same time.

He appeared a few minutes later and allowed me to remind him of the 'absolutely no closed doors when you have a girl over' rule. He said 'she closed the door'. I reminded him this was his house, our rules and he should have said 'we need to leave the door open'.

I know they kissed a lot....but I think that's as far as it went. I didn't want anything else to go on that might be a 'special birthday gift'...and trust me, it could happen. Girls these days are very 'forward' and willing...and I'm a mom of a boy and I say 'no way'. I reminded him of all the things a mom reminds her son when she's trying to protect him and mortify him at the same time.

They took a nap, appearing about an hour later with post-sleep stuffy noses. We had take-out Chinese for dinner (H.'s pick). While she was here, two other girls delivered H. a heart-shaped cake with 'Happy 16, Boo'. Boo is his family nickname that somehow was shared with a teacher in grade school (shared by B.) and has followed H. throughout high school. He sort of secretly likes that girls call him 'Boo', I think.

After his girlfriend left, I said 'H., I have something I need to ask you'. He looked terrified. I said 'how is it kissing her since she had her lip pierced? Doesn't it get in the way? Do you notice it?'. He smiled and said 'it's great. No and no.' End of discussion.

I love to torture my kids.

Sixteen

Sixteen years ago at this time, I was in the downhill stretch....about to deliver my second son. Induced at 6AM, his labor made his brother's 28 hour marathon look like a jog around the park. The night before, the doctor said 'he's just not ready (after inducing me that afternoon) and I said 'I am not leaving this hospital without a baby. No repeat of letting him get HUGE so he tears me to shreds upon his exit. Nope. Not happening'. She must have sensed the manic in my voice...so she kept me overnight and we tried again first thing in the morning. By the time J. arrived around 8ish, I was well 'under way' and H. was officially on his way into the world. It was a breeze of a labor and when he finally popped out around 12:15 PM, I said 'that was great! Let's do it again'. I can't explain the sense of triumph I felt - this was how it was supposed to be. A woman's body knows what to do and it does it - perfectly. His birth was a breeze from start to finish and I was so relieved to have had a 'good birth experience' to replace the horrible birth experience that was B.'s. Not that B. had anything to do with that - and he most certainly was worth all of it. But I felt betrayed at his birth - my body did not just easily 'eject' him from his place just under my heart. H. was just quickly and expediently evicted...and arrived with a lot of hair and the sweetest little face. Upon his arrival, I talked to my mom and said 'he's so, so cute...but he doesn't look anything like B.'. She would agree with me in person a week later when she arrived to help out. He peed all over her the first time she changed his diaper - and that simple act fits him perfectly - he's sweetness incarnate with a bit of spunk mixed in just to keep you on your toes. He had all of us wrapped around his little finger from the moment he was born - and no one more so than my mother. She adored him. She adored B., too - but babies were her thing and H. was a cutie patootie and she doted on him from the minute she set eyes on him.

B. was often referred to as a 'beautiful' baby - and he was. H. was just plain cute - his little nose, his head of thick, dark hair. He was far more stoic than his brother - he rarely smiled for cameras - B. would light up like a fire cracker if you pointed a camera his way. H. would look at you like 'what?' most of the time and it took a lot of cajoling to get him to smile. Most photographers (including us) just gave up and settled for a picture of him looking at you all 'pouty'....like 'can we just get this over with now, please'. It became his trademark...and still fits him. He's pretty shy in many ways - avoids the spotlight. Doesn't like to be in front of a crowd. Even family - he's reserved and quiet and introspective - all in good ways.

It is hard for me to look at him today and see how fast time has passed. He's close to six feet tall already and still growing. Dark, thick hair (like his father's) with the famous [insert our last name] eyebrows - the kind that give Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes a run for their money. H. hates them and wants to have them waxed....and I think 'oh, please don't be the kind of 'Gen-X'r' guy that gets his eyebrows done. It just isn't natural for a guy to WAX his eyebrows. They give H. character...and they fit his face....his lovely, sweet, handsome face. The only thing he got from me are hazel eyes - which change color (like mine) depending on what he's wearing. Some days, steel blue. Other days, pale gray. Sometimes bright green. He says they drive the ladies wild...and I can understand that since he is so incredibly handsome...

My baby is sixteen today. I remember thinking 'when B. graduates from high school, H. will be sixteen and I'll be one year away from being 50'. All those thoughts ran through my head this time sixteen years ago...and fast forward in what seems like a blink of an eye - and here we are. It shocks me....

I'm not melancholy at all today, though this post sure seems like I am. I'm not. He's a wonderful son who makes me proud everyday. He's got a great heart and a kind soul. He wants to enlist in the Marines when he graduates from high school and then go to college after. He feels called to serve - and I'm starting to 'see' that it's something he feels strongly he needs to do. I admire that about him. And I will let him go because like any parent, I want my children to find their bliss in whatever way they feel will bring them satisfaction and joy. That's all I want for them - to find joy in their life and to do good work.

This is my favorite picture of H., taken when he was approaching 2. This is his typical reaction to cameras of any kind - and one of many pictures we have of him as a baby with no smile. I love this one....

Happy 16th, my sweet boy. I love you more than words can express and I am very proud of you.

Races

We spent the day in Anderson, CA yesterday at the 2nd Annual Northern California Vintage Midget races. My sister K. and her husband B. drove their motor home from Arizona for the event.

The drive up was pretty - further North on I-5 than we'd ever been. The last time we drove to Oregon (when H. was an infant and B. was 2 1/2), we lived in the Bay Area and there's a completely different freeway from Hayward that 'meets' I-5'. So this trip, from the central valley, took us straight up I-5. We learned a lot. California is a big rice producer, and north of Sacramento, we saw hundreds of rice paddies. It was incredible...made me want to learn all about the process of growing rice - why the fields are flooded. How long they stay so wet. How is the rice harvested? and cleaned? It was a neat thing to see and I had no idea our state produces so much rice!

The races were a lot of fun....brother-in-law B. drove a sprint car. We met a lot of really great people who travel all over the country to race their vintage cars. It was loads of fun - and even the long drive to/from was pleasant enough. I got a lot of reading done and made it through half of the third Twilight books, Eclipse. It was a fun visit. We left a bit earlier than we'd planned when the boys informed me the 'air-soft' war they were planning to attend on Sunday evening turned out to be scheduled for last evening - so we left around 4. Sorry for the rushed departure, K....the kids had a good time at the air soft war and were really thankful we were able to get home in time. B. doesn't get off work very often on weekends and he'd been looking forward to this for a really long time.

Today is the 9 year anniversary of my mom's death. She has been on my mind all day...and I actually dreamed about her last night. I've had this 'repeating' dream off and on for years - I'm in school, and have never attended a [insert subject here - it changes now and then in the dream] class. The semester is almost over, I'm supposed to graduate and I know that I have not attended any of this class. Not one day. The dream comes now and then, usually when I'm 'stressed' about something. And last night, I had the same dream. Only this time, I sat down with my mom and told her 'I have never attended that class. I will not pass. I will not graduate'. And she didn't get mad or angry. She just smiled and said 'I know. And it's OK.'

It would take (more) years of therapy to figure that dream out - but I think it was just a 'letting go' of a lot of stuff I've held in for nine years. I started to write a post all about the day before she died...but I decided to let it go. Nothing I write will change a single thing about the day before and day of her death...and reliving it all again will just increase the sadness I already feel every anniversary, anyway. So I'm letting it go. I miss her. She knows I miss her. That's enough. Nine years went by in the blink of an eye - and it's really confirming what I've realized recently with the death of Mr. B. - life goes on. People who love you are sad and miss you - but life goes on. Life doesn't stop. It doesn't come to a screeching halt, as your heart thinks it will. It just goes on. There's a lot of comfort in that.

Tomorrow is H.'s 16th birthday - he doesn't want a party. He doesn't want a cake. I'm baking him brownies and cookies from scratch and he's having a friend (girl) over to swim tomorrow. We may go out to dinner, we may not. He's playing it low key. We ordered him an i-Pod touch for his birthday - and I'm dying to get one for my birthday which is in a week. But we're spending a ton of money these days (B.'s graduation present needs to be purchased and then we have his school expenses to pay)....so I'm going to hold off. I think an i-Pod touch for my 50th (next year) will be a good present for that occasion. My 49th doesn't require anything special. I need nothing. I want nothing. I have everything I could possibly want or need.

We have had a Chloe-free weekend. We pick her up tomorrow. It's been very, VERY nice to have the peaceful morning quiet back....but we have missed our constant greeter, entertainer, cuddler, etc. She will come home exhausted and thinner as she always does. She loves the kennel - there were 4 little dogs there on Friday when I dropped her off - and she was so excited to see them, she could hardly wait to get to where they were. She trotted right off and went to play. I don't worry anymore when she's there - I know she's absolutely fine and having a ball. She'll have another week there in July when we're in Cancun. Even Klink has missed her - he keeps coming down here looking for her and meowing a bit plaintively trying to figure out where she's gone.

Looking forward to B.'s graduation - yes, he's graduating. The grades aren't great but they are passing...and at this point, it is what it is and there's no point in wishing it were something different. Time to move on and move forward. College will be a fresh start - and he knows that he has one semester to get it right. A "C" average or better...nothing less. Anything less will mean he's off our dime and will need to begin taking steps to become self supporting. It's a hard line to take - but I know we will take it. We would not be doing him any favors to continue to let him be un-motivated and a slug. Hard lessons ahead, I think. But oh well. No one ever said parenthood is easy....and I know that even with all the things that have happened the past few months, we still have it better than many. It could be so much worse in many ways. And I am truly thankful for that.

Endings

School is winding down. B.'s senior year is almost over. He's spent the last two weeks doing senior activities....last week, Disneyland. Yesterday was 'Beach Day' - they turn the high school pool into a 'beach' and the kids hang out all day and swim, eat, etc. Kind of like our Senior ditch day - only we didn't have a pool at our high school, so we went to Big Surf ('beach' like place with wave machine) for the day. I remember Mr. B. being totally 'upset' that I was actually ditching - me, Ms. Follow All Rules....but I did ditch. And it felt great and I had a great time. B. had a good time, too, except his best friend deciding to skip the pool party and go golfing. With his girlfriend. I think B. was disappointed by that - but it's a life lesson: a guy with a girlfriend is likely to start spending a lot of time with the girlfriend and less time with his best friend. It hurts but it's the truth.

B.'s grades are continuing their downward trend, and it appears there is actually a possibility that he may not graduate....very slight, but possible. He assures us he 'has it under control'. I don't know how that's possible in looking at the grade book - but I'm trying not to think too much about it. It is what it is at this point and no amount of fretting on my part is going to change anything. If he fails a course and they hold his diploma, he'll spend the summer taking an online course to offset the grade...I hope.

I'm sending out his graduation announcements tomorrow (yes, they are late but it can't be helped. Too many things to do and not enough time). [And yes, I have been ruminating about 'well, should I send announcements when there exists the slightest chance he may not actually get his diploma on the 30th?....but he will graduate....and so I'm sending them. It will work out and he will graduate....so I am proceeding as planned. What else can I do?] I was all set to arrive home last night and get right to them - but instead, arrived home and arranged an impromptu pizza party for H. and 4 friends who were in the pool and hot tub when I arrived home. It was 'fun' in a crazy sort of way. Damn dog barks like a maniac CONSTANTLY when there are 'strangers' in the house...but other than that, it was a nice evening.

We are heading to Anderson, CA this weekend to visit my sister and her hubby, who are attending a racing event. My brother-in-law is famous....it's true. If you follow racing, you'd probably know his name...when I asked my sister how we will find her, and she asked her husband, he said 'just have her ask for [insert his name here]'s pit - and they'll know where we are'. And he's right....he's pretty well known. I've found a lot of old racing programs with him on the cover and/or inside - and I bought a few for my sister to use in the 'man-shrine' room they have in their house. A sweeter guy (well, second sweetest since my J. is the sweetest) doesn't exist on the planet and he has not a bit of 'star-stuffiness' about him. We're really excited to be spending the day with them, in a race environment....the boys are stoked. We're taking Chloe to the kennel just so we won't have to worry about her all day and into the late evening. We can do what we want...all weekend. We'll pick her up Monday afternoon.

And Monday is H.'s 16th birthday. I consider the shopping for this occasion pretty much 'done' since there's a 'new' (used) car parked in front of our house. Now, we're definitely not the kind of people that buy their child a car for their birthday...it just happened to be that we found a great deal on a great car and we snapped it up - and it coincided with H.'s birthday. SCORE! No shopping! And now, whenever he asks for money for something, I point to the car parked on the curb in front of our house - and that answers his question. He's going to do some work around here for me this summer (weeds, helping to build raised beds for veggies, etc.) and will be reffing for soccer this summer/fall, too. That's GREAT money for weekend work. He's already scoping out sub-woofers, etc.

Work is hectic as usual. I am heading to Stockton today for a huge budget meeting - none of the measures on the ballot yesterday passed, which means our revenue is being reduced AGAIN for this year (the year that is OVER in six weeks, by the way - so they're cutting revenue for the year that we are currently IN for expenses that we've already INCURRED and cannot 'un-incur'. Pretty damn hard to reduce expenses that have already happened). Not to mention additional reductions next year....our district is very, VERY fortunate but some districts are not so lucky - many will be 'in the red' officially, which is bad in so many ways....it's crazy that our state is unable to balance a budget. It's going to be very challenging to put together the budget that's due to our Board on June 16th with all the changes that will now be needed since the measures didn't pass. Long days ahead...

Time to head upstairs and start the day. Dishwasher humming along. 2nd latte consumed. Have Map Quested my destination and need to find a Starbucks enroute for my daily stop for tea.

Squash

Our veggies are going great guns! Tomatoes a-plenty! The cucumber plants have tripled in size and are putting out their 'viney' things that the cucs grow on. Pepper plants have doubled in size - no 'blossoms' yet but they are doing well. I had all but given up on the squash but went over today just to confirm how pitiful they look ('cuz the last time I checked on them, I was pretty sure they were not going to make it) and they look FANTASTIC! They have blossoms and are growing much better. Fixing the over-watering did the trick and they are officially taking off. We should have squash in a couple weeks! I can't wait....

I had to use insecticidal soap on the plants today as they are getting invaded by aphids. I will buy a bag of lady bugs and/or a praying mantis at Home Depot this weekend and see if that will address the issue. The plants look fine but they are starting to show the 'wear' of being buggy.

I made a new recipe for dinner - and there's no one home to eat it! J. is heading back from Hayward, driving the newest family vehicle. He took the ACE train to Pleasanton, then a bus to the BART station - then took BART back from SF (after working all day) to South Hayward. Met the seller of the car at BART and closed the deal. H. is stoked...only he's not so stoked that he's waiting at home - he's at a friends house. B. is working. I was home 'early' today - worked 1/2 day at home (really got a lot done and wish I had an excuse to do that more often - it is so quiet and the dining room table is the perfect place to spread out my papers, data sets, reports, etc. and just plow through). I find it hard to 'justify' working at home these days, given the 1.7 miles 'commute'. But it sure is nice when I can manage to....

I need to unload the rest of the groceries that I bought when I went to the store for sour cream and lemons and left with $39.49 of 'stuff'. I was hungry. Big mistake. And I'll need to clean out and/or organize the fridge 'cuz there's not a lot of room in there...

I ordered my birthday gift 'early' - a yogurt maker! I have been eating good 'greek-style' (thick and plain) yogurt with honey most mornings for breakfast and decided I could make my own! So I ordered a yogurt maker from King Arthur Flour Company....can't wait for it to arrive. I know it's 'just another gadget' but the last gadget I bought was the LeCube espresso machine and I use it every single day and love, love, love it!!! Sadly, though, my Aeroccino milk frother died yesterday - I think the cleaning crew got the 'power' base wet (or dropped it) 'cuz it won't turn on anymore. So I ordered another one of those, too - and now they make a larger size (good for making lattes for two (which I frequently do) and also has a special coating inside to make it easier to clean). I miss it and am counting the days to when it gets here. Espresso with cold milk is just not the same. Will microwave my milk in the AM to at least get it hot - then I'll just miss the foam.

I'm just reading back that last paragraph and think 'hey, maybe we should get a bee hive and make our own honey'. A 2lb. jar of honey was $8. How many bees would it take to make that much honey and how long would it take? Research..... This 'growing your own food' is sort of cool and pushes me to dream of a different life - simpler. Someday....

But I can't give up my LeCube. Or my Aeroccino. So maybe simple is good....but simple plus some 'extras' is better?

Need to unload the dishwasher and reload (cooking creates a lot of dishes, doesn't it?). Then get a load of laundry going. Then sweep the kitchen floor 'cuz I dropped some dry spaghetti on the floor as I was getting it out of the package....then take the new car for a test drive as soon as J. gets here with it. Then ponder the reduction of our savings balance and plan for how to replenish it as quickly as possible.

And lastly, sleep. I hope. Not sleeping well these days...makes me emotional and 'fragmented' which as anyone who knows me will tell you is a 'bad' combination.

It will pass....all things do.

Skipping

I think I've 'gotten out of' going to the birthday party this weekend by being honest with my husband. Shocking, I know....

The thing is: I have met this couple once...at a wedding. And I finally confessed to J. today 'well, she wasn't really very nice to me that day'....and shockingly, it didn't seem to surprise him. He said 'I guess you enjoyed talking to her husband more'. And I thought 'yes, because he actually TALKED to me. She ignored me most of the time - and the only time she made any effort to talk to me, she asked what I did for a living. So I said 'I'm a Chief Business Officer for a school district'. And she said 'ok, but what do you DO?'. And I explained 'manage budget, purchasing, accounts payable, payroll, etc. for a school district'. 'OK - but WHAT DO YOU DOOOOOO' (emphasis on 'do' with a lot of arrogance thrown in - like that was her 'best' interview question and I'd just lost the job). I said 'I do too many things to list'. And left it at that.

Her husband was a pleasure - he's the 'solar physicist' guy who frankly, fascinates me. And I'd love to spend hours talking to him about all things solar - he was a good conversationalist and friendly and very 'down to earth'. She was the opposite of those things.

I told J. 'really, I'd rather come home from my Lions thing and work on work stuff. I'm starting to freak out a bit about all I have to do and going to SF to spend time with people I barely know (1/2 of whom I'm not sure I like all that much) doesn't sound all that appealing to me. Even IF they have the most adorable 3 year old boy genius on the planet'. Not to mention that she's issued a 'no gift' edict. 'He has all the toys WE think he needs'.

He's THREE. If I can't shop for a little boy, then what's the point?

So I think I don't 'have to' go at this point - J. can go alone and even better - he can now stop by and visit his brother who is convalescing in Oakland and needs J. to bring him some stuff out of storage. J. is also now handling his mail and his finances....

I would love an afternoon in SF with my hubby - but not at a birthday party with people I barely know.

PS - my Lions event happens to be very, VERY near a casino that I frequent.....so there's a small, slight chance I might stop there for lunch after my meeting before heading home. Small. Minutely small....but it could happen.

Thanks, sweets.

Mother's Day

First, I have to state publicly that J. thinks I took 'creative liberties' with the previous post. He's sure the sprinkler wasn't a problem for WEEKS. He's positive my car has been washed at the full service wash as much as his.

All I know is this: I mentioned the sprinkler thing over multiple days over more than one week. By definition, that's WEEKS. And we purchased 'cards' for the car wash Christmas of 2007 - 4 or 5 washes for a flat price. We bought two. Until the car wash he just did for me, my car had not used a single 'punch' on those cards. (And his generous gift to me of getting my car done resulted in him filling the last 'punch' on his 'bonus card' so he now gets a free wash!). SO, it sure seems like 8-10 washes of which my car(s) had ONE of those is a ratio that is pretty fair in terms of 'your car gets washed a heck of a lot more than mine' argument.

Onward.....

Mother's Day was fun - we opened Texas Roadhouse for an early morning brunch. Leftovers for dinner. I took a little nap. I have not worked, which I will regret....but it will be OK. I know everything that needs to get done will get done - it always does and it's me that does it...and I know me. So it's fine......(right?).

I am not at home 3 evenings this week - and then gone 1/2 day Saturday for a Lion's group training - I'm the treasurer of our club starting July 1st....not sure how that happened but it did. And then I'll rush home and we'll head to San Fran for a birthday party. Next Sunday I will likely be working....every spare minute will be spent working between now and June 12th....it's budget time!

Every weekend between now and June is booked solid. Graduations, parties, trips to visit relatives who are in town (driving up to meet them)....it's going to be a hectic few weeks around our house. We're taking Chloe to the puppy spa for Memorial Day weekend just to be sure we have all the flexibility possible.

We made an offer on a car for H. today and it was accepted. The seller cautioned us to get a quote on insurance first - so we're doing that tomorrow. Hoping that won't crush the deal - but the seller said he had a 'deal' before and the buyer backed out when he got quotes on insurance. That may be a deal breaker for us, too.....but we'll keep our fingers crossed. It's a 2005 Scion tC - dark blue (like my old Honda Accord). H. really likes it and it is a very nice car....

B. heads to Disneyland next weekend. He takes his final IB test this week. And he has to stop by the Fine Arts department head's office to pick up his 'honor cord' for the Performing Arts Magnet - his two years of marching band, jazz band and symphonic band qualified him for the cord - to wear around his neck on graduation day....only three weeks away.

Time to get ready for the week. Yesterday was my errand day - Petsmart, haircut, went to the UPS store to FINALLY ship gifts to my sister and niece (should be there Wednesday, K.)....so now I need to color my hair....plan what to wear....etc.

Have a great week. I don't anticipate posting much 'cuz I won't be home much. Hope you enjoyed Mother's Day -

Car Wash

Today, my husband did a very nice thing for me - a mother's day gift in advance, I guess. He cleaned out the inside of my car (meaning he culled all the Starbucks straw wrappers, various odds and ends of papers, etc. - really not many compared to the wreck the van used to ALWAYS be) and then he took my car to the 'full service' car wash - where they vacuum, wash, Armour-All, and otherwise completely detail the car. It has not had a 'full service' car wash since the day we picked it up from the dealer. Mainly because I'm too thrifty to rationalize the expense but also because I lack the time and motivation to drive across town and spend over half an hour sitting around waiting for my car to be done. It has been washed - trust me on that. But usually, I take it through the Chevron drive through car wash. Which is only $5 and a trip down memory lane - I lived with my brother and his wife my 2nd year of college and I introduced my two nephews to the drive-through car wash. They were ASTOUNDED that you could SIT IN THE CAR while it was being washed....and it became a favorite 'let's go with Aunt Majah to the car wash!'. I also used to spoil them rotten by allowing them all kinds of sugary treats from the grocery store bakery. They thought YOGURT was ice cream until I moved in....and introduced them to cookies, cupcakes, etc. I didn't ruin them - but I sure had fun trying.

We have a running joke in our house - my car never gets washed. My car does not receive the same TLC that J.'s car does.

Another example revealed itself this week....our ongoing comedy routine ensued and I realized 'I really could do stand-up' 'cuz this stuff happens everyday.

J. had my car earlier in the week, making trips to Hayward to help his brother move. My 'truck' (small SUV but for some reason I've started calling it a truck - I just like the sound of it) has more room than his Camry - so we traded cars for a couple days this week. Upon returning home, I parked his car in 'my' space in the driveway - closest to the lawn. It's not where the Camry is usually parked - but old habits die hard and I just automatically pulled into 'my' space even though I wasn't driving 'my' car.

The next morning, J.'s car was soaking wet.....covered (every inch) with water. As mine has been for WEEKS. I've been complaining for weeks that we must have some kind of sprinkler problem - the sprinklers go on at 5:00AM out front so we never see it - so my car has been regularly soaked. Like a rainstorm just over MY car. Only now, the rainstorm was over J.'s car....and you know what happened, don't you? He immediately - within less than 7 hours - drove to Orchard Supply and bought a new sprinkler head and fixed it. The problem had existed for OVER A MONTH - but if it's MY CAR getting regularly soaked, water-spotted, it's 'OK, I'll fix it as soon as I can'. When it's HIS CAR getting soaked, it's done that same day.

Men.....

It's fixed now. And to make amends, he took MY CAR to get washed and cleanup up today. For every four full-service washes his car has, mine gets one. If it's lucky.

Felines vs. Canines

My early morning rising, my peaceful mornings of quiet tap-tap-tapping on my laptop, latte in hand listening to the sounds of the morning - garbage truck rumbling down the street; birds waking up; sprinklers coming on - have been anything but quiet lately.

Klink - our huge gray cat who has been an 'indoor' cat all his life - has started coming downstairs regularly in the morning. First it was once in a while. Now, it's daily. And he now ventures outside. Instead of sitting and watching from the safety of the kitchen, one day he jumped through the railing (our family room is two steps 'down' from the kitchen and there's a rail near the sliding door between the kitchen and family room to keep people from falling about a foot and a half) and outside. Just like that. Like he'd been going outside every day - only he hasn't. Ever. It's now a daily thing - he'll hang outside for awhile, exploring the yard. Sniffing everything....

And Chloe 'defers' to the cat - she loves him and so wants to play with him. She tries to get him to play - but he's a cat and he's having none of that 'interspecies interaction'. Chloe turns on her doggy charm and rolls on the floor, wriggles across the carpet and BEGS Klink to play....he's having none of it. He's a cat.....I try to reassure Chloe that it's not personal....So now it's trying to wrestle getting Chloe in and out to do her thing(s) - twice 'cuz she has to have her bite of biscuit to get her ready for #2 - and Chloe will 'wait' for Klink to go outside first. Or 'wait' for Klink to move away from the door. Or 'wait' for Klink to move 2 inches to the left so Chloe can walk by him without bothering him. It's nuts. It's like herding 'cattle' - only it's a cat and a dog.

My peaceful mornings are anything but lately....I'm up at 4:30 for a little 'quiet' time and Chloe immediately wants up and out of her kennel...and then Klink realizes 'yippee, we're going outside again'.....and that's the morning.....herding them in and out; keeping an eye on Klink to make sure he doesn't attempt to make a break over the fence into the neighbors yard or into the front yard. He's done that before, years ago - and spent 2 nights outside stuck under a wire 'plant containment' fence until J. rescued him. I'm hoping he learned his lesson but even if he did, he's a cat and he'll do what he likes, thank you very much.

It's been an hour of this 'orchestrated chaos' and now I'm heading upstairs to shower and dress for work. Never a dull moment around here. Either it's kids or pets making me nuts....

Same stuff, different day.

Oddities

I realized today that for months, I've been putting an extra 1 cent stamp on my letters, etc. for no reason. My Christmas stamps (that I bought to use on the Christmas letter that never happened) were the current first class rate - yet I've been adding a 1 cent stamp to every letter I've mailed with those stamps since Christmas. Bugger! I don't know why.....

We sort of lost a cat last night - but we found him again. Snow - the more quiet, reserved, mellow of the two - the one who rarely ventures anywhere more than one room away from his bowl of food and his favorite sleeping place - was nowhere to be found at his dinner time last night. I searched everywhere. I enlisted help searching - still no sign of him. Got out the treat jar.....shook it. That ALWAYS brings them BOTH running. Still no Snow. I was freaking out....sure he must be gravely ill and has done what cats do - hides. No matter how sick they are, they hide. J. came upstairs to help look - and we checked the closet, which I'd already done. And there he was....apparently locked in there most of the day and not too sure why or what to do? Poor thing. He was so 'freaked'. He came out begrudgingly, barely moving. Sort of slinking. Tail 'down' and under him, basically. I was sure he really was sick - he went straight under the bed. But J. coaxed him out a bit - 'talked' to him and he finally emerged. He went in and ate a bit, then I brushed him and we 'made up'. He was just PISSED and wasn't sure why he'd ended up in the closet all day. Poor baby. He seems fine now - back to his old self. So relieved. They are both long overdue for a vet visit - but it's so impossible to get them into the carrier - and then it's a miserable trip there and back. And I've been out of the office more than in these past few days - so I was worried about missing work AGAIN....but he's fine and we're back to 'cats as usual'.

I've been in a baking craze lately. Latest is the 'Amish Friendship Bread' - got a 'starter' 10 days ago from a friend and realized last night it was the 'baking day'. I was planning to color my hair - but I'd already sort of messed up the 'adding to' steps during the 10 days....and I didn't want to risk 'wrecking' it. So I baked instead of doing my hair and it is DELICIOUS. Now I have 4 starters sitting on my kitchen counter. Anyone reading this who wants one, let me know. The bread is GREAT. I also made a prune cake - and I know you're thinking 'YUCK' and 'it'll give you the runs'. It is FANTASTIC and no, it won't. The kids LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it and it disappeared in record time. B. is not 'happy' that there's all this temptation around....but I'm having fun trying new recipes. And so far, I haven't gained any weight!!

We have three tomatoes! One of the pepper plants is also really taking off and I'm pretty sure one of the squash plants has blossoms close to appearing! Veggies!! in our garden. It's really fun to 'see' the payoff for the work. They seem to be doing pretty well. We're having a hard time getting the water right on the squash - J. adjusted the sprinkler near them - and then it rained for three days..so they're still suffering from too much water. But the weather was a beautiful 78 and clear today so we'll hope the rain is over for now. We're more than ready for some swimming weather.

Our trip to Mexico is 'on hold'. We actually canceled the condo today - there are dozens of other units in that development available (better units for less $ than we were going to pay - they are having a hard time getting people down there so there are some great DEALS at this point) - and we were going to have to make our 'final' payment which was then not refundable...we weren't willing to do that. The airline is currently not flying from SFO to Cancun through June 4th. So we're waiting to see if that situation stays - which would be good for us because they will refund every mile/every penny that we spent on the tickets if it's their issue that's affecting our flight. So we're sort of giving it some time.....and thinking of other options. A beach seems to be the common criteria/theme. Bahamas? Costa Rica? Or the never-not-a-good-decision Hawaii?? I'll keep you posted.....I just need waves, surf, salty-wind and sun...and umbrella drinks....worst case - San Diego for a few days and then possibly another Southern California destination for a few days. We'll see....

Crazies

J. and H. worked in Hayward all day yesterday at the garage sale of J.'s middle brother. His brother is moving into a care facility - his home of 30 years has sold and there's a lot to move out. He will be eventually moving into a 'retirement community' but for now, he is in a care facility in Oakland, getting some physical illness things resolved.

J. returned home late yesterday afternoon with a lot of 'stuff'....things we wanted (a Kirby floor cleaning 'system' which I cannot figure out for the life of me but looks pretty darn powerful; a wine cooler that we will use for both wine and bottles of water and Gatorade - likely in the garage). And things we didn't know we wanted until J. saw them. Various kitchen items, some miscellaneous clothes [sweat shirts and sweat pants because you can never have too many of those; a Cal Berkeley knit scarf; shirts, etc.].

We were able to sell a few of our things at the sale as well - a dog Igloo that our dogs never showed any interest in. A couple old bikes and a GoPed scooter. Didn't make a lot of money but that wasn't really the point of the sale - just getting the stuff out of our home permanently feels good.

This morning, J. showed me one of the 'treasures' he brought home - a meat thermometer. We have a couple - but oh well. He showed it to me, along with a set of cooking shears (which I've been wanting to buy so that was a great find) and other assorted kitchen stuff. I nodded affirmatively and assumed he was taking them into the kitchen. Which I think he did - except I was just upstairs getting showered and the meat thermometer was sitting on the bathroom counter! WHY???? I have no idea - and I can't ask him because he's on his way back to Hayward to make another trip of more 'stuff'. Thus (sort of) defeating the purpose of cleaning out some of our stuff 'cuz he's brought that amount and more back!. Oh well - some of his items include a set of books that he said 'I want to read to my granchildren someday'. Can't really say no to that, right?

But that thermometer thing? How did it end up in the bathroom? I brought it BACK downstairs with me and put it in the sink where it will be washed and then put in the appropriate drawer.

How it ended up there, I have no idea. Those kind of things happen ALL THE TIME AROUND HERE.