February 6, 2009

Beautiful rain. I love it. And finally we are getting some more. When it rains, though, all I want to do is sit around under a blanket reading and drinking hot chocolate. Or is it just that I really want to do that all the time? It truly is an imposition on my leisure time to do laundry, supervise school work, clean bathrooms, parent, run errands, attend meetings, clean house at all, etc. Truly, look at this view. With this outside my windows, how can I help but be a lotus eater? Sigh. My life is hard. But I manage.





So, this has been a big family week. My sister came to stay so she and her kids could spend time with Carmen. Her youngest spent a great deal of her time at Dorothy's carrying around their little foster dog, Spice. Notice the tucked in tail. Poor Spice. Adorable Payton. Anyway, we had a lot of fun hanging out together. I can't believe how many people come to visit Carmen. Every day I was there this week there were visitors and callers. And no one comes without a gift of some sort. People are so good! It warms my heart and makes me see the beauty amid the tragedy that is Carmen's illness.


So, here is maybe the last picture of Chase's car that I'll post on this site. Despite a light flirtation with a 3000GT that he met online, Chase seems to be back in love with his slightly damaged car. I can't currently write about Chase without writing about this car. It still needs, I am told, a new seal for the transmission fluid, some possible frame work, and then the previously mentioned body work and paint job. Red skirts are sought. Yes, this is an education for all of us and you, dear reader, are not to be left out. Aside from the car thing, Chase is finding that, after a lifetime of having no job, having a part time minimum wage job is not quite as lucrative as one might hope. Is there a change in his future? We'll all have to wait and see.


As for Rayne, you should know that I am not allowed to say much about her. These white thigh-high boots (I beleive the term is "domanitrix boots, or something like that. ahem.), however, are hers and are enjoying cavorting about without her (Doesn't my friend Dianna look cute?). While the cat's away.....
Rayne is busy writing poetry and prose and reading like crazy and delighting my heart by calling now and then to ask advice or to share a thought. She is a much better poet than I am. Yes, despite my years of honing this skill with rhyming treasure hunt clues and birthday card original poems, I have not reached any degree of competence. At all. It's too bad. Especially since I have not discontinued my practice of writing bad poetry for special occasions. Anyway, Rayne comes home next weekend and I am looking forward to it. She's bringing me a haiku book that I REALLY want. And of course I'm looking forward to spending time time with her too. Of course.

My Allegra has discovered she's a mean and aggressive hockey player. Who knew? She's all sunshine and light usually. This week she and her brother Isaiah have been very good students, voluntarily completing their schoolwork with very little prompting from me. I love this. Unfortunately, it does encourage a little slothfulness on my part. After all, if I'm not needed in the schoolroom, why should I even stir out of bed in the mornings? Ally is the best babysitter ever. Have I mentioned this before? She truly is.



Zay spent 4 days of the last week at his cousin's house and that was not enough for him. He was sorely disappointed when I refused to let him spend the weekend there. He and James are such good friends and I am so grateful for that. Isaiah is the nicest 10-year-old ever, I think. He is a champion at checking every item off his school list every day. He cleans when I ask him to. He is not averse to maternal kisses. I really like my kids.

And yeah. If you saw my facebook at all last week you'll know that we went to the beach. It was so nice. I think I was all wound up because when I got there I felt everything unwind. There were only a few others there. It was totally calm--no wind. The seals (or are they sea lions) were close into shore, their sleek heads popping up now and then to check things out. A school of dolphins followed a lone man standing up in some sort of outrigger way out past the surf. The kids dug holes in search of water, they beachcombed in search of beach glass and cool rocks and shells. They body surfed. They buried their feet in the sand. I go to the beach quite often. I don't know what set this day apart. Perhaps this day was particularly good for me because I needed the recharge that a natural setting can often provide. Or something. All I know is that it was an especially precious day.

And the next week the kids made soap and put their soft pieces of beach glass in the colored glycerine beach shapes they chose for their soap. I know. You're surprised that I actually got out project stuff for them. A craft even. I don't know what came over me. I was having a mom moment. It was fun. Good clean fun even (I couldn't resist that one.)

So. A good week. One of my favorite Cheri Call songs talks about a broken heart having more space inside it. This is how I'm beginning to feel about Carmen. It breaks my heart wide open to contemplate her death. But those open spaces seem to invite me to feel the good things more keenly. The truly beautiful things I encounter from day to day just seem to sink into my heart. It's a blessing amid the stress and worry and I am grateful for it.