The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (1961)

One of my all-time favorite jazz pieces. The 5/4 time, the lovely saxophone. Sigh. Take off your shoes, pop in the music, have a glass of wine... Mmmmm. Delicious.

The Cookie Lady

There is a little lady who stops by my office frequently and delivers a bag of Neiman Marcus cookies, a dozen or so, stuffed into a ziploc bag, labeled "For Melinda" or "For Melinda's family". Is there anything that could brighten a day more than getting cookies delivered... with your name on them, no less? She is elderly, and of late, her memory is failing. Sometimes the cookies are a little too crisp on bottom or a little too salty. But it makes my day nonetheless.

Holy Hell, What a Day

Overslept.
Burnt the toast.
Twice.
Boy comes home with bad grades. Didn't follow the directions.
Someone else's screw-up takes over the day.
Mind whirling, trying to figure out how to unscrew the screw-up.
Late delivery. Late leaving for home.
Homework. Dishes. Supper. Baths. Bed.
Still whirling.
Wine.
Bread.
Bed.

Repeat tomorrow.

The Care and Feeding of Roses

It is the Labor Day holiday weekend, no work on Monday. In homage to the "labor" bit of Labor Day, I got up early to do sheet washing, cabinet wipe downs, followed by supervising the kids in the pool.

My rose bushes are mere feet from the pool, and in classic feminine multi-tasking syndrome, I thought to dead-head them, pull weeds from around their bases, and clip out any bad/diseased places.

They are Knock-out Roses. Lovely shade of hyper pink that bloom 8 months out of the year. As I worked I reflected on the fact that rose bushes, and their care, are a metaphor for life. Dead heads that are removed, fading older blooms replaced continually by new, tightly wrapped buds. Unseen thorns that prick and scratch at soft flesh. They grow better each new season with a bit of pruning and one must keep vigilant for pests and fungus while providing the right amount of water and fertilizer. But the end result is worth all the effort and work.

Pause

It's been a crazy week. There are days when I swear I attract crazy like a right wing television host. I'm closing my eyes and imagining a pause button for life, where I could just get off the treadmill and everything stays frozen while I breathe.

In and out.

The laundry pile isn't growing, homework doesn't need to be checked, the dishes aren't threatening to overflow the sink, no one is squabbling or complaining about the bread on the grilled cheese being "too mushy" and I can just. breathe. All of the obligations and duties are on hold. No one's happiness or needs are dependent on what I get done. Or don't get done.

Exhale.

Some mood music please.

The One with the Re-enactment

My children informed me today of an adversarial sibling interaction in which the female was subjected to a dodge ball type attack with a flattened soccer ball at close range.

They cheerfully re-enacted the entire scenario for me in slow motion. The boy was undoubtedly guilty.

He was thanked for so readily assisting in his own prosecution. The judge waived incarceration in favor of time served as the injured party was both not injured (it was a deflated ball and really, he just set it on her and didn't throw it)and might have poked the bear with a stick in order to illicit the encounter.

Note that SHE did not volunteer to incriminate herself. Now we sing: "Girls go to Mars to get more cars, boys go to Jupiter...."

Did You Miss Me?

Two weeks with no news here. Really, there has been no TIME to construct a blog post. The kids started school last week which means we had to sort out our routine after 9 weeks of lazy summer days.

It hasn't been a seamless transition. Abby started dance lessons today and J.T. continues with guitar. Add in homework and chores, playtime and supper, all to be accomplished in the few hours between end of school/work and bedtime and you see that we are busy. I prefer to be busy and in a routine, so in an odd way, I feel a little more relaxed as we are finding our groove.

Rob and I have also been finishing the upstairs project. The painting, apart from a few touchups, is done and the carpet was put down today. Dust is EVERYWHERE, and there are lots of small things to tackle, so we aren't at the finish line yet. But the big stuff is done. It feels nice.

Stomper Girl is looking for happy things and it has inspired me to focus on the ups instead of the downs. I'm a big believer in the fact that some days you have to make your own happy. Find it. Reach for it. Turn blue into sunny yellow.

Here is my happy for today: