Because next year there might not be as many

I guilted myself into going to the family reunion today – and it was ALL FOR YOU, LawyerMom! Well, not really. It was also for my great-aunt Ernestine, who turned 90 over Labor Day weekend.

And it was for Daddy and his sister:

And it was for Cathy and Burt and Frank and Mack and Marie and Michael and all the Mollies and all the Cindys. (There are more than you might think.)

And even though the crowd was smaller, and even though the food wasn’t as homemade as last year (we’re all too old and exhausted to cook anymore), and even though not all my favorites showed up, I did not have to suppress the urge to tell an old wrinkled person to fuck off, NOT ONE TIME. Incidentally, I noticed at the park this afternoon that the leaves are starting to turn. I also noticed last night that it’s dark at 7:30 now.

You know what this means? This means that the universe has given me reprieve! This means that the air is changing! The heat – DEAR GOD THE HEAT THAT TRIES TO KILL ME EVERY SINGLE DAY – is dissipating! I would marry the fall season if I could. I would even buy it a ring and plan a big fussy wedding with a ball gown and a 30-piece orchestra. And I am so not exaggerating.

Big Rigs & Air Conditioners

8:38 am, BB: WTF? How did we sleep in until 8:30? This is nuts!

9:15 am, Me: Yes, I know he set up his tuition through the payment plan but apparently THE PAYMENT PLAN DIDN’T PAY. So do we owe back tuition or not? Oh. No m’am, we’ll pay it right away. It’s not necessary to report us to THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL for collections. Honestly. I have to go now, there’s a murder that needs committing right fast.

10:27 am, Drew: Hey, so I almost ran over a kitten on the bypass this morning. I went back and picked him up but he was right on the white line in between the two lanes and these two tractor trailers came by at the same time and they seriously missed him on both sides. Like for real. Can you and Mom take him to the vet at 12:40?

11:08 am, BB: You’re gonna run errands? Is it because you’re mad at me? I know you’re mad at me. I can’t help it. I didn’t KNOW I didn’t pay my tuition! I swear!

12:30 pm, Mom: Don’t let that cat get pink eye on you. And make sure it doesn’t shit on my backseat.

1:05 pm, Vet Tech: Well, he’s negative for FIV and feline leukemia. And we’re calling him Big Rig back there, because of how he was saved.

2:12 pm, Me: BB, why is it so hot in here? WTF…WHY IS THE THERMOSTAT ON 78?

2:53 pm, Me: Mr. Fred, please call us back ASAP. This thing is still under warranty and IT SHOULD BE FUCKING COOL OFF THIS FUCKING HOT HOUSE. Sorry about that…it’s been kind of a long day. And it’s not even three o’clock.

Where I’ve been

Remember the farm? The one whose house was broken into two weekends ago? Yeah, that one. It came to life Saturday night, as kind of a “screw you” to the folks who stole from us. We had a little party, and we burned a little fire.

We roasted oysters and marshmallows and made s’mores and listened to some good music and promised to do it again sometime soon. Sunday afternoon I got a nice little visit from a smart little girl, who at almost two years old, knows a crescent moon and how to pose for a camera.

Today at work, I keep checking weather.com and wishing that the weekend would just hurry up and get here already. I haven’t seen Gena in months and I’ve really been doing good, if you ask me, but that pesky anxiety is starting to creep up on me again. I can’t decide whether I just need a vacation, or whether there are bigger things at work, but my plan in the next week is to get a lot of rest and see where that leaves me.

I finished a book last night written by Jen Lancaster and I have to say that there’s hope for me, yet. She’s 40 (ish?) now and after a giant layoff saga, she took to the blogosphere and consequently wrote some books. Do I reek of desperation yet? No? Take a bigger whiff. It’s there.

Spring has sprung…for about a week

I read in the paper today that the weather in NC “has more ups and downs than a recession-plagued stock market.” I would not disagree with that. In fact, it was so pretty this weekend that I worked in the yard, cleaned off the patio, painted some stuff and took some pictures.

My tulip tree makes a showy first appearance

Making friends

This weekend was a far cry from last week when we had snow delays and gray flake-filled clouds. My daffodils survived the chill, however, and have lived to see another day.

Wintery clouds behind springtime flowers

Alright, that’s enough of my foray into nature photography. Had I not been so lazy yesterday, I might have been inclined to snap a picture or two of the pear tree blossoming over my driveway, but I was ensconced in a book about the beach and I couldn’t be bothered.

Yesterday it was 83 degrees on my way home (early) from work, so I took full advantage and spread out on the patio in my summer clothes and attempted to un-whiten my pasty self. Two and a half hours and one book later, my arms were a little pink and I was as content as my cats seem to be every single day. The problem, see, was that all I could think about was being at the beach, when I can get to the beach next, who’s got a house I can invite myself to, the favors I can promise someone so long as they’ll give me a weekend – A DAY! – at their place on the water. (Are you listening, AP? I’ll make you gluten-free cakes from now until eternity! I promise!)

Talk about a stress-buster. And then! THEN! Melissa Rycroft turned up on Dancing With The Stars. You are so very clever, ABC. I really wasn’t expecting that one. Also this week, Idol is back tonight with the hometown fave, Anoop Desai, and then Thursday is the start of the ACC tourney.

Do you REALLY have to ask why I love Spring Break?

Rejoicing…

…in the fact that at 4pm on Monday, I know that I can sleep in until 8am on Tuesday. This is good because see, The Bachelor chooses His Woman tonight and I need to be available to scream at the TV when he chooses Molly instead of Melissa like he should. Man, I love a good snow and ice delay.