Unmitigated

The Waterworks Begin

The children have set a date.

I'll just let that sink in a moment...

My daughter, Partly Cloudy, and her finace, Lovely Young Man, have set a date for their wedding. A hall has been reserved, and plans for flowers, food, music, and photography are in the works. They have been engaged since June of 2007, so even though she is very young, they are not rushing into anything. Actually, she'll be the same age when she gets married as I was the day I got married: 22. (Yes, that means she was engaged at 17. They bought the ring before we even had her graduation party. Eep.)

Buddy and I were driving home from the movies the other night (The Fighter. The acting was incredible, the script was kind of all over the place. Christian Bale deserves an Oscar for this work. So does Melissa Leo.) and, as usual, Buddy has his iTouch attached to the car stereo. Sometimes, when I can figure out how the damn thing works, I select songs I want to hear. We had been listening to some Joni Mitchell on the way to the theater, Woodstock, and then the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young version, both of which have their merits. Then I selected this one, Circle Game, my favorite by Joni Mitchell, which started the waterworks...

Yesterday, a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Then, the child moved ten times 'round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, "When you're older", must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town
And they tell him, "Take your time. It won't be long now.
'Til you drag your feet to slow the circles down"

And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through.

And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and 'round and 'round
In the circle game
And go 'round and 'round and 'round in the circle game.

A Peek Into My World

If you were on Twitter Sunday night, and you are a follower of mine, you already know that we spent nearly all of Sunday night/Monday morning at the emergency room with my daughter who, thankfully, did not have a kidney stone, but did have pylonephritis (kidney infection). It was my job to keep her distracted while we waited hours for lab and CT scan results.

Any time is a good time to Live Long and Prosper.

BY the time I got to sleep Monday morning, it was Monday morning. 4:45 a.m. Ish. So I didn't go to work Monday, just did a bit from home between restorative naps.

When I arrived Tuesday morning, I found this:

Not the messy desk, the NAME TAG for my part of the cube farm!

Yes, I started this job on May 27th, doesn't it always take six months to get business cards and a cubicle sign? No? Just me, then. Huh. And now that I have the business cards, I haven't had a chance to hand any out. Maybe I should start sending them as holiday cards. Do they make envelopes that small?

I haven't given one to Buddy yet. He usually uses them to extract food particles from between his teeth. Back off, ladies. I saw him first.

I am participating again this year in Jen on the Edge's Holiday Homes Tour, but instead of showing you all the same decorations I had last year (which is what I have every year), I will be submitting pictures of the holiday decorations at the Henry Ford Museum, which includes two huge train sets and a giant Christmas tree among other things.

One of these days, I'll have an actual lunch break during which I can wander over with my camera. Not today, though. Today is my boss' last day before she takes a two-week trip, so today will be filled with meetings and lists. I have many of those.

Hope you have a great day today...Chin up, the weekend is approaching!

Ed: Although I am employed by The Henry Ford, this post, in no way, reflects the opinions of The Henry Ford.

Spin Cycle:First in Line for the Throne

 
 Sprite's Keeper runs this show. 

Twenty-one years ago today, I had my first, and relatively simple, foray into chilbirth. My daughter arrived, on her due date, after a textbook labor and delivery. Textbook, really. I remember thinking, as I tossed up the Raisin Bran cereal my mother told me it would be fine to eat, "Oh, so this must be transition. Almost there, then."

At 9:01 am on Sunday, October 22, 1989, I had my first contraction. At 9:03, I had my second. And they stayed steady. And at 6:01 pm, little miss Marie Elise arrived. My husband's boss had said to be sure to take pictures right away, so the memory would be captured forever. WHen he shared the first set of gooey-baby pictures with said boss, the reaction was, "I didn't mean THAT soon."

I remember bringing her home from the hospital and putting her in her crib, as she was asleep, and thinking, "Now what?"

Stevie Wonder said it best, "Isn't she lovely?"

Little miss was a wonderfully easy baby and toddler. She ate well and slept easily. She talked (very) early and walked (very) late. She used to come with me from 18 months to about two years of age, as I babysat for a friend. Their daughter called her The Girl Who Walks on Her Knees. She never did a regular crawl, but scooted around on her belly and elbows. We called her Commando Baby. The, instead of cruising up on her toes, she did it on her knees. See mom? No falling!

The early talking? Was both fun and amazing. Little Miss had (and has) many opinions, and was never afraid to share. I recall her walking up to an elderly woman on a bench at the mall, and touching the lady's hair and asking why it was that color (bluish)? Nobody was out-of-bounds, as far as she was concerned. It made for a few anxious moments.

Did I mention she still talks? Oh, yes. And rather a lot, really. I have asked, on more than one occasion, "Wait! Take a BREATH!" At which I learn of her champion eye-rolling skills.

This is from six or seven years ago. Other children had tiger faces.
Young Miss asked for Cirque de Soleil.

Today, she is twenty-one. She has been engaged to the same young man for over three years. Likely they will marry next year (just waiting for the date). She has escaped the nest, but not too far. About 100 feet, across the street, which makes for frequent visits in both directions. (Speaking of direction, she is notoriously bad with them. I'll use states to illustrate my point. Imagine Young Miss setting out from Michigan to Massachusetts...then calling to ask, "I just passed Nebraska. Am I almost there?" Head, meet desk.)

That's my girl. Happy Twenty-first birthday, Miss! I love you very much.

This Post

This is what I know: I am feeling extremely motivated this (Sunday) morning. More so than I have in ages.

This is what I think: I think that this is what the beginning of a bipolar upswing must feel like.

This is what I’m wearing: Painting clothes. Part of the motivation is to finish painting the back stairs at 20-year-old-Girl's new-to-her house. I completely forgot about it, so it's been waiting for me for at least two months. More like three.

This is what could change my life: If I could feel like this everyday. Am I supposed to? Or is this some weird thing? I've been medicated for pain and depression for so long, I don't know what "normal" is anymore. If something caused this, I want to know what it was, so I can keep doing it!

This is what I’m eating: Dannon Activia yogurt in blueberry. I also love the peach and the strawberry. When one reaches a certain age, one worries about one's 'regularity.' Pain meds compound the issue. Activia has a 'Guaranteed to work!' label. And it does work. I eat it twice a day. I don't recommend that for normal people.

You can thank Grace, Poppy, and Blackbird for inspiring me to write all these things you probably didn't want to know.

Today, We Paint

I got an email yesterday from my boss, as did two others, that because of the heavy rain predicted for today, or shifts had been canceled. So, I will not have to see how I do working shifts on two consecutive days.

Instead I will see how I do tomorrow after painting all day today! Partly Cloudy and her fiance have ordered appliances that will be delivered on Saturday, so we really need to get the kitchen done today. I already have some "Before" pictures, so I will post them with the results later today or tomorrow morning, depending on whether I am still able to move.

Here's the trick: I am a great painter of rooms. But I hate the masking and other prep. So I get PC to do all the crap stuff, and I get to do the very satisfying painting part! Lucky me!

Off, now, to work my little fingers to the bone. Please send chocolate...