As I get older, I increasingly appreciate the idea that on occasion I can be the inadvertent vehicle through which someone receives a blessing or has a need met. Makes me feel like I am giving a little back to the universe that has provided for me so abundantly, I think. A karma thing more than a religious one.
Thing Two had a soccer game this afternoon. It was a beautiful warm sunny day in a summer and fall that have been overly cursed with rain in these parts, and it occurred to me that I should probably bring the dog along and walk her at the park where the game was being held while the boys were warming up. I loaded her and her standard array of dog supplies into the back of my SUV alongside Thing Two’s soccer paraphernalia when we left the house.
Because she happened to be with me, I had a half-empty liter bottle of water (untouched by human or dog lips; I pour from it into her portable bowl when she gets thirsty) in the car fifty feet from the field when the woman next to me on the sideline started getting a migraine and needed water with which to take her medicine. I was the only person on the sideline who had any. By the time the game ended, her vision had cleared and she was feeling much better.
I didn’t do anything special. I just happened to have water with me when she needed it, but it was a small thing that made a big difference to her. My contribution to the forces of good in the universe for the day.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Saturday, September 29, 2018
On Getting Old
Two nights ago, I went to my second Back To School night in a week, this time for Thing One. I emerged from it with several take-home thoughts, many having to do with the ridiculous cross-enormous-campus sprints he has to do several times a day (it’s a good thing he’s fit) but others relating to the fact that at least three of the seven teachers I met that night could theoretically be my children too. They can’t be much past their mid-20s, which is looking pretty young to me these days.
The other day, I talked to a friend whose teenaged son had recently come across a phone booth for the first time and asked her to show him how it worked. After she obliged, he said, “Now I finally get why you tell me to “hang up” the phone when you want me to get off a call!”
Then, this afternoon, Thing One and Petunia were in the car with me as I drove to taekwondo class. The song, “Hey Ya” by OutKast came on the satellite radio, and since both kids like it, they were cheerfully singing along. In the middle of a lyric, Thing One broke off singing to ask me what “Shake it like a Polaroid picture” means. Ye gods. Of course, he’s never seen a Polaroid camera or shaken its film to develop it, so how would he know??
Has someone asked a question recently that made you feel old too? Hoping it’s not just me. Please tell me your stories!
The other day, I talked to a friend whose teenaged son had recently come across a phone booth for the first time and asked her to show him how it worked. After she obliged, he said, “Now I finally get why you tell me to “hang up” the phone when you want me to get off a call!”
Then, this afternoon, Thing One and Petunia were in the car with me as I drove to taekwondo class. The song, “Hey Ya” by OutKast came on the satellite radio, and since both kids like it, they were cheerfully singing along. In the middle of a lyric, Thing One broke off singing to ask me what “Shake it like a Polaroid picture” means. Ye gods. Of course, he’s never seen a Polaroid camera or shaken its film to develop it, so how would he know??
Has someone asked a question recently that made you feel old too? Hoping it’s not just me. Please tell me your stories!
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Back To School
Back To School Night for the middle school two days ago: I attended, while Himself dealt with the soccer practice taxi runs. The usual division of labor. It will be repeated later this week for the same occasion at Thing One’s high school.
Unfortunately, there being two middle schoolers in this family these days and only one of me, I could only follow the schedule of one child. In practice, an easy decision. I am now on my third sixth grader at this school, so I’m pretty familiar with the logistics and demands of that grade; she has neither of the new teachers and in general, sails through school like a Sunfish in a stiff breeze anyway, so I told her ahead of time that I would be seeing her brother’s teachers. She understands. I did take the opportunity over the evening to stop in and say hello to her math, science, and LA/SS teachers, though, so I don’t feel that I entirely neglected her.
The procedure is that you follow your child’s Monday schedule in its entirety from class to class. Each teacher has about 10 minutes to give you an overview of who they are and what they plan to teach that year. As veteran parents, most of this we’ve heard several times before. We know the drill courtesy of Thing One, our ‘trial balloon’ through the system. My goal for the evening was twofold: unusually for us, we have two new teachers this year, whom I wanted to meet, and secondly, I wanted to have a talk with Thing Two’s language arts teacher and get a bead on the aide who will be with her this year, since she plays an important role in his IEP.
I walked away feeling very good about the two new teachers. Granted, I also felt very old, since the new math teacher looks like she’s 12. I understand that she’s in her early 20s: like I said, I’m just old. The new Spanish teacher is actually one of the very few minority teachers we have, in addition to one of the few males. I love his enthusiasm and I think he’s going to be a great role model as well as a good teacher. These evenings are always very stressful. The teachers frequently mention the homework they assigned for tomorrow and the tests that were today or are tomorrow or next week and of course I haven’t heard about any of these things. This is by choice because I want to see how much Thing Two can handle on his own, but I couldn’t resist texting my husband and asking: did he study for that test? Did he do that homework? The answers were invariably reassuring. But I think in general, as long as he is able to manage his own affairs, I am better off just not asking those questions.
I have to say though: the best part of the night was a conversation with another parent that I had while I was walking into the science classroom and she was walking out of it. It was almost at the end of the evening, I was tired and overwhelmed and I wasn’t paying attention to who was walking by me. All of a sudden, I heard my name called and I turned to see a woman whom I know well. Her sons are a year older and a year younger than Thing Two, so I’ve seen a lot of her over the years.
What she wanted to tell me was that her sixth grade son had had a tough time in band that day. He made a couple of mistakes and he was upset with himself. Thing Two, who plays the same instrument, apparently told him that it was OK and that everybody makes mistakes and not to worry about it, which made him feel a lot better. Not a big interaction, but apparently it meant enough to her son for him to go home and tell his mother about it, and then for her to turn around and tell me about it at school. Absolutely made my evening. He’s a good kid.
Unfortunately, there being two middle schoolers in this family these days and only one of me, I could only follow the schedule of one child. In practice, an easy decision. I am now on my third sixth grader at this school, so I’m pretty familiar with the logistics and demands of that grade; she has neither of the new teachers and in general, sails through school like a Sunfish in a stiff breeze anyway, so I told her ahead of time that I would be seeing her brother’s teachers. She understands. I did take the opportunity over the evening to stop in and say hello to her math, science, and LA/SS teachers, though, so I don’t feel that I entirely neglected her.
The procedure is that you follow your child’s Monday schedule in its entirety from class to class. Each teacher has about 10 minutes to give you an overview of who they are and what they plan to teach that year. As veteran parents, most of this we’ve heard several times before. We know the drill courtesy of Thing One, our ‘trial balloon’ through the system. My goal for the evening was twofold: unusually for us, we have two new teachers this year, whom I wanted to meet, and secondly, I wanted to have a talk with Thing Two’s language arts teacher and get a bead on the aide who will be with her this year, since she plays an important role in his IEP.
I walked away feeling very good about the two new teachers. Granted, I also felt very old, since the new math teacher looks like she’s 12. I understand that she’s in her early 20s: like I said, I’m just old. The new Spanish teacher is actually one of the very few minority teachers we have, in addition to one of the few males. I love his enthusiasm and I think he’s going to be a great role model as well as a good teacher. These evenings are always very stressful. The teachers frequently mention the homework they assigned for tomorrow and the tests that were today or are tomorrow or next week and of course I haven’t heard about any of these things. This is by choice because I want to see how much Thing Two can handle on his own, but I couldn’t resist texting my husband and asking: did he study for that test? Did he do that homework? The answers were invariably reassuring. But I think in general, as long as he is able to manage his own affairs, I am better off just not asking those questions.
I have to say though: the best part of the night was a conversation with another parent that I had while I was walking into the science classroom and she was walking out of it. It was almost at the end of the evening, I was tired and overwhelmed and I wasn’t paying attention to who was walking by me. All of a sudden, I heard my name called and I turned to see a woman whom I know well. Her sons are a year older and a year younger than Thing Two, so I’ve seen a lot of her over the years.
What she wanted to tell me was that her sixth grade son had had a tough time in band that day. He made a couple of mistakes and he was upset with himself. Thing Two, who plays the same instrument, apparently told him that it was OK and that everybody makes mistakes and not to worry about it, which made him feel a lot better. Not a big interaction, but apparently it meant enough to her son for him to go home and tell his mother about it, and then for her to turn around and tell me about it at school. Absolutely made my evening. He’s a good kid.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Mutually Exclusive
Passed on the road today: a midsized sedan driven by a sixtyish white woman. Left side of the bumper: a Trump sticker. Right side of the bumper: a “Just be nice.” sticker. I’m going to bet she doesn’t realize that they are totally contradictory.
Friday, September 21, 2018
This Sign Made Me Laugh So Hard
Seen on the front door of a friend of Petunia's, who legit does have two very weird yippy rat-dogs. I think I need one of those signs. Yes, for this dog.
Such a sweet face. So loving. So smart. She just wants to be with the family, go for hikes in the woods and lie in the sun.
Also, she's needy beyond description these days. She hasn't recovered emotionally from the arrival of the cats a year ago...if she could talk, a lot of what she would say is, "Mom, you still love me, right??????" Even though I absolutely do and she knows it.
Luckily, she gets along with the cats. She never had an issue with them, just with the time and attention that they take away from her by existing. Did I mention that she's needy?
I love pictures like this, where I can capture the three of them interacting. She's seven and they aren't even two yet, but she doesn't act like an old-lady dog (or middle-aged one.) She just wants to play with them.
Just waiting for it to stop freaking raining here so I can take her out with me! That's all she wants. It's so simple. Amazing how much joy she has brought to us over the past almost-seven years. My sweet rescued mutt-girl.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Speaking Of Beasts...
...it’s been a while since I posted anything about the cats. This is Bingley, aka “Bingbat.” A classic literary name (from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice) spoiled, but the nickname fits him. He's slightly over twelve pounds of goofy part-Maine-coon fluff, as far as we can tell. Yes, both of our current cats are male, but this pink bed originally belonged to our prior female cat, and it makes me very happy to see the boys using it. Bingley in particular loves this bed, which sits on the desk to the right of the big computer in our office.
He’s an interesting critter. Most of his eccentricities stem from the fact that he gets along extremely well with the dog, to the point where we wonder sometimes if he actually understands that he’s a cat. Case in point: he begs for food whenever the dog does, no matter what she’s begging for. Despite the fact that cats are obligate carnivores, he has been known to eat small pieces of goldfish crackers, chips and bread and he absolutely LOVES marshmallows. He materializes underfoot every time the marshmallow bag is opened, yowling his fool head off for a treat. Go figure. Like I said, he’s a weird cat.
He also serves as the the dog’s alarm system, I kid you not! There’s a Christmas bell hanging from the doorknob on the inside of the back door, which she gently rings with her nose when she wants to be let out. (No dumb on her...it took her about thirty seconds to learn that trick.) Bingley, from his favorite cat perch near the door, watches this with interest. When he sees her return to the back door through the glass, he meows persistently and loudly until we let her in. She doesn’t even need to ‘knock’ anymore.
Bingley’s buddy Darcy (and supposed littermate, although they look nothing alike) on the other hand, has absolutely no doubt that he’s a cat. He turns his nose up at everything that isn’t either meat or cat kibble, and peacefully coexists with the dog but that’s about it. Try giving him a bit of marshmallow and he will give you a look of disdain that could curl your eyelashes! All he wants is a warm spot in which to sleep, which often results in his full thirteen pounds of weight landing solidly on my chest at about 4AM.
His new habit is crawling under the quilt on our bed (after he wakes me up) and rolling himself up like a sausage.
He's lucky he's so cute.
We adopted them together from a shelter when they were about three months old. They are close to eighteen months old now, so pretty much full-size. We actually met the shelter volunteer who trapped them in a barn as tiny kittens, and she said she trapped them together on the same day, so maybe they are actually brothers, although for all I know there was more than one litter in the barn at the time. They have been together all their lives, anyway, and get along very well. They certainly provide us with hours of entertainment, too! Lively little critters.
Next up, the dog!!
 |
| Catly bliss |
He’s an interesting critter. Most of his eccentricities stem from the fact that he gets along extremely well with the dog, to the point where we wonder sometimes if he actually understands that he’s a cat. Case in point: he begs for food whenever the dog does, no matter what she’s begging for. Despite the fact that cats are obligate carnivores, he has been known to eat small pieces of goldfish crackers, chips and bread and he absolutely LOVES marshmallows. He materializes underfoot every time the marshmallow bag is opened, yowling his fool head off for a treat. Go figure. Like I said, he’s a weird cat.
 |
| Not a great picture but that white thing is a marshmallow. Now a very ex-marshmallow. |
He also serves as the the dog’s alarm system, I kid you not! There’s a Christmas bell hanging from the doorknob on the inside of the back door, which she gently rings with her nose when she wants to be let out. (No dumb on her...it took her about thirty seconds to learn that trick.) Bingley, from his favorite cat perch near the door, watches this with interest. When he sees her return to the back door through the glass, he meows persistently and loudly until we let her in. She doesn’t even need to ‘knock’ anymore.
 |
| The perch overlooking the door |
Bingley’s buddy Darcy (and supposed littermate, although they look nothing alike) on the other hand, has absolutely no doubt that he’s a cat. He turns his nose up at everything that isn’t either meat or cat kibble, and peacefully coexists with the dog but that’s about it. Try giving him a bit of marshmallow and he will give you a look of disdain that could curl your eyelashes! All he wants is a warm spot in which to sleep, which often results in his full thirteen pounds of weight landing solidly on my chest at about 4AM.
 |
| "Who, me...disturb your sleep??" |
He's lucky he's so cute.
We adopted them together from a shelter when they were about three months old. They are close to eighteen months old now, so pretty much full-size. We actually met the shelter volunteer who trapped them in a barn as tiny kittens, and she said she trapped them together on the same day, so maybe they are actually brothers, although for all I know there was more than one litter in the barn at the time. They have been together all their lives, anyway, and get along very well. They certainly provide us with hours of entertainment, too! Lively little critters.
Next up, the dog!!
Monday, September 17, 2018
Beast Of Burden
I took this picture of Thing One (who is wearing a soccer jersey to school, because of course he is) just before he walked out to the school bus this morning. This is what he carries every day.
 |
| Standard morning load |
Starting from the front, the red pack on his chest is his soccer pack. All his gear for his JV practice after school today: cleats, practice clothes, shinguards, etc. The navy blue pack on his back is all his school gear: binders, Chromebook, textbooks. It's hard to tell, because it's the same color, but he's also carrying a *third* bag over his shoulders, hanging atop the school pack. That's his gym bag. They have to bring a change of clothes for gym class.
When he gets to school, he can drop the soccer pack in a locker room, but the rest he has to carry around with him all day. That would include a coat if it were cold enough to need one. There are lockers, but he doesn't have one: his school is so ridiculously enormous that he wouldn't have time to get to a locker between classes anyway so he told me not to bother getting him one. Very few kids actually use them for that reason. Back to school night is next week and he told me to wear sneakers again! Last year I clocked about three high-speed miles on my FitBit that night just crossing and re-crossing campus between his classrooms. I was tired afterward and all I was carrying was my purse.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Here We Go
Yeah. It’s been a while. I have to admit, the thought of trying to catch up got intimidating! I miss writing though, so I’m back. Thanks to Joan for providing the necessary kick in the butt that got me going again. :)
To summarize the downtime, briefly: several more soccer camps, soccer practice out the ears for everybody, high school soccer tryouts. JV team for Thing One! My parents’ 50th anniversary and a long weekend away with that whole side of the family. A week at the beach with the other side of the family. A quick trip to the San Diego area with Himself for a Change of Command ceremony at Camp Pendleton. We are so very proud of his longtime best friend the Colonel, a Marine pilot, and luckily we got out of there the day before the area caught on fire. It was great to see some dear friends who used to live near us who are now out there, too. Great progress for Thing Two in his annual checkup with the neurodevelopmental pediatrician. Run-up to school: no more elementary schoolers in the house after all these years! Wow. The kids are sixth, seventh and tenth graders this year...we’ve started PSAT prep and serious consideration of colleges with the big one. Oh, and the house water tank needed replaced, also both furnaces (ugh) and on top of that we've been working with an architect and contractor on plans to completely upgrade the backyard. Whew. It’s been a busy summer!!
Deep breath.
Happily for me, the kids are back in school and the year seems to have started well for all three. Petunia is making the biggest adjustment with the transition from elementary to middle school. Her first middle school dance is this Friday, may the gods give her father the strength to accept that. :) I am now teaching two taekwondo classes a week and making every effort to see the friends I don’t see over the summer, including two who are having significant health issues. The one real downside of having friends who are substantially older than I am. If it ever stops raining and cools off, I will be trying to get out hiking with the dog again, too. I passed the 8000 geocache finds mark a couple of months ago, but darned if I’m going back out in the woods around here till they become less of a muggy swamp. Last time I tried I ended up stepping in a tick nest, which was just as much fun as you’d imagine it being. Thank goodness for antibiotics.
How’s that for a CliffsNotes version? I’ll be better going forward, I promise. I’ve learned my lesson on trying to play catch-up!
To summarize the downtime, briefly: several more soccer camps, soccer practice out the ears for everybody, high school soccer tryouts. JV team for Thing One! My parents’ 50th anniversary and a long weekend away with that whole side of the family. A week at the beach with the other side of the family. A quick trip to the San Diego area with Himself for a Change of Command ceremony at Camp Pendleton. We are so very proud of his longtime best friend the Colonel, a Marine pilot, and luckily we got out of there the day before the area caught on fire. It was great to see some dear friends who used to live near us who are now out there, too. Great progress for Thing Two in his annual checkup with the neurodevelopmental pediatrician. Run-up to school: no more elementary schoolers in the house after all these years! Wow. The kids are sixth, seventh and tenth graders this year...we’ve started PSAT prep and serious consideration of colleges with the big one. Oh, and the house water tank needed replaced, also both furnaces (ugh) and on top of that we've been working with an architect and contractor on plans to completely upgrade the backyard. Whew. It’s been a busy summer!!
Deep breath.
Happily for me, the kids are back in school and the year seems to have started well for all three. Petunia is making the biggest adjustment with the transition from elementary to middle school. Her first middle school dance is this Friday, may the gods give her father the strength to accept that. :) I am now teaching two taekwondo classes a week and making every effort to see the friends I don’t see over the summer, including two who are having significant health issues. The one real downside of having friends who are substantially older than I am. If it ever stops raining and cools off, I will be trying to get out hiking with the dog again, too. I passed the 8000 geocache finds mark a couple of months ago, but darned if I’m going back out in the woods around here till they become less of a muggy swamp. Last time I tried I ended up stepping in a tick nest, which was just as much fun as you’d imagine it being. Thank goodness for antibiotics.
How’s that for a CliffsNotes version? I’ll be better going forward, I promise. I’ve learned my lesson on trying to play catch-up!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
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That expression always makes me think of either Marvin the Martian or Wile E. Coyote--two of my all-time favorite cartoon characters. T...
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Too funny...had to share. #6 is my favorite! 1. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear the...
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Just took one of the evening taekwondo classes at the dojo, which I rarely do because they don't fit the family schedule very well. Was...
