Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

Well, the weather is warm and lovely wherever Patrice lives.  I woke up to snow this morning.  And darkness because of miserable Daylight Savings.  I like Daylight Savings in the fall, but not in the spring.  Obviously.

1.  If you are in the US, does the time change mess you up?

A little.  It makes me sad because, just when it was starting to be light out when I leave the house at 7 AM to take the kids to school...we are back to evil darkness.

2.  Do you usually drink a beverage with meals?  

Yes, and it is generally alcoholic:  wine, beer, hard cider, etc...  Lately ,though, I am trying to drink more water, rather than my usual hydration routine:  coffee, coffee, tea, booze, booze, tea with booze.  I am sitting here with a nice big water bottle at my elbow, feeling virtuous.  And hydration reform includes drinking water at supper time.  [gleaming halo!]

3.  How often do you iron clothes?  

Whenever I get three things or more that need ironing.  Otherwise, I will wait.  I love to iron, to be honest.  It's so fulfilling!  Wrinkles get eliminated!  How many other things in life can be smoothed over so easily?

4.  When was the last time you took an enjoyable walk?  

Almost any walk is enjoyable.  Yesterday, I went to see Rosa, one of my former colleagues / students, who lives a few blocks from my school.  She is sidelined by chemotherapy and wants a bit of company.  It was warm and breezy out so, thoroughly pleasant for walking.  I screwed up a bit:  I know where she lives more or less; but not the exact house.  I realized when I had already walked a couple of blocks that I had left the house number on my desk and didn't k now which place was hers.  I walked up and down the sidewalk like Winnie-the-Pooh when he says, "Tut, tut.  It looks like rain" for a while, hoping she would see me from her window.  No luck.  After a bit, I saw a Vietnamese lady closing her garden gate and went up to her.  I asked her about Rosa R.  Does she know a Rosa R.?  Does she live near here?  "Rosa R.?  Live far!  Very far!"  She gestured broadly to the south.  "Not near here?"  "No!  Very far."  Hum.  Then she glanced at my hands, holding ginger tea and some other goodies.  Her eyebrows went up.  "Oh!  Rosy!  You go see Rosy, huh?"  She directed me to the kitchen door of the house next door.

Let's see... Patrice asked for another little something.  Here's a sexy little tale of middle-aged romance.  We were watching a movie last night and I went to nuzzle Chuck's ear while we were flopped on the sofa.  I kissed him gently and he asked, "How does that feel?"
"What?"
"Kissing my ear plug?"
He has been sticking plugs in his right ear lately, hoping it will help his tinnitus.    Truth to tell, I hadn't noticed.  His ear is a little bit fuzzy-feeling, anyway!  So I leaned in again, used my teeth to dislodge it, and spat it across the room:  "PHUH!"  Ooo-la-la!

Infestation

We have been having problems with ants this week.  We live in the forest, and they are supposed to live in the forest with us.  But maybe not...WITH...us.  Right now, the ants want more intimacy than I would like. 

Daylight savings today, so I wandered around, changing clocks.  I grabbed the clock here on my desk to change it, only to recoil in horror, as it was covered, swarming, with ants.  Uuuuugh!  What the fuck?  Why here, in my office, on my desk? 

Then, my eye fell upon my Day of the Dead sugar skull from last fall.  You do not want to know what I found when I picked it up and looked into the cranial cavity. 

So much for that little item of decor. 

There is still a bunch of ants here, crawling aimlessly and hungrily around on my desk. 

Six Word Saturday

Lucky me!

Silk skirt from Thailand!

March Begins in Pictures

Why is the kitchen always such a mess?

I'll show you two reasons.

Anybody there?  The kids' dad had surgery yesterday, so he is resting at home.  We stopped by to check on him (and get Nathan's soccer bag, which he had forgotten).

I'll let you guess:  did his team win or lose?

We are starting to get sun in the house for an hour or so each day.  This futon is placed in a handy sunbeam especially for my relaxation purposes.

I had to get a new phone.  I'm joining Chuck's family plan - the ultimate in marital commitment.  This is my first smart phone.  Good thing the phone is smart.  Too bad it likes to make a fool out of me.

Simon wanted one of those donut shaped pillows, but this store was closed.  Found one at Walgreen's.

Our first liquor store run in many months.  Nathan thought it would be very daring and inappropriate to pose with the booze.

Sara told me that I should take this pillow out of the box before giving it to Simon, so he wouldn't see the old man on the front.  I scoffed that Si was feeling too under-the-weather to notice the picture on the front of the box.  Guess what was the first thing he noticed?

Oh, God.  It does everything.  How do I just make a fucking phone call?!?

I had forgotten that Tortilla Soup requires straining the tomato solids through a sieve to make a clear broth.  I made a rule a few years ago that, if a recipe called for sieves or cheesecloth, I was going to just say no.  Problem is, this is Sara's favorite supper in the world...

Cocoa, popcorn and a movie.  Those pillows propped against the wall are for Chuck and me.  Happy March everyone!

Facing My Old Coffee Mugs

For all you you NPR listeners out there, it's time for the Listener Limerick Challenge.

There once was a woman named (let's say) Maisie;
And people would say she was crazy;
Cuz the workout she'd planned
She'd reject out of hand.
The truth was that Maisie was ...lazy!

BING  BING  BING!
Yay!  You win!

I did not go to the weight room today, as planned.  I should have.  

I am still very unhappy and feel that there is something troubling in my relationship since last weekend's police incident.  I'm trying not to dwell on it, because Chuck appears not to sense anything wrong.  It is probably just me, over-thinking.

We woke to find the hot water heater had died.  Fortunately, we have three:  one for bathing; two for heating the house.  Chuck just re purposed one of the heating ones to it would be for bathing, and we are good to go.  A least unless it gets really cold again. 

I spent the day with my former husband, who needed minor sugary.  I picked him up, took him to the hospital, was with him in recovery, took him home and got him comfy there before a friend came to spell me.  We have not spent more than three minutes in each other's company since we divorced three years ago.  It was very odd to pull his pants on and tie his shoes; odder yet to sit and chat with him about inconsequential things.  The oddest thing, though, was being back in my old home.  I took off his socks and knew exactly where the laundry hamper was.  Same kettle, same pillow cases.  No need to ask where the mugs were. I opened the cupboard, and there were a bunch of my old coffee cups staring back at me.

Struggling

Today the rain is pouring down; but yesterday was beautiful!  A false spring for Utah.
There is a lot to be happy about in my life, but I am struggling.

Chuck is on an inventive streak:  he's building dining chairs for his daughter; and in the process, learning a lot about bending wood.  He uses my electric roaster as a steamer.  He's building a new frame for his river raft that has integral dry boxes made of balsa and fiberglass.  He has started doing home inspections with his friend Pat again.  It requires an app; so he bought himself a smart phone, which makes a WiFi hot spot and so our pathetic Internet is vastly improved.  He customized a roof rack for my car.  He is taking Spanish classes and loves playing with DuoLingo.  We have been going out, meeting new people, drinking, dancing, having fun.

The kids are happy and doing great in school.  I have been working hard in preparation for Guadalupe School's move to our new building.  I've been asked to serve on a couple of high-level committees, including one for the Center for Applied Linguistics.

And spring is coming!  So, what's not to celebrate?

Yet, my confidence in our happiness is wobbly.

I don't suffer from depression.  I do get swept up in event-related turbulence.  We had a home invasion situation last Saturday (right after I posted my Six Word Saturday about the joys of an uneventful day!) that was horrifying to me.  I can't tell the details of it at this time, but the police had to be called and it was very scary.  Since then, I haven't slept through the night.

Last night, I went for a long run around Cottonwood Heights after work.  It felt so great to be outdoors after the long winter of running on the track.  I ran hard and dominated the hills!  At the top of the biggest one, I stopped to catch my breath and thought, "I'm a bad-ass!  I even spit like a bad-ass!  And I blow my nose on the sidewalk like a bad-ass!"  I went home feeling like I was getting myself back together emotionally.  I had a hot shower and went out for supper with friends.  But as I lay waiting for sleep, I thought about the future in light of what happened.  I woke up with a start at 2:30 AM, my mind racing and my legs SCREAMING!  I took a bunch of Ibuprofen, but could not get back to sleep.  Finally I left the bed and went to sleep on the sofa, where I could squirm and be miserable without waking Chuck.

In the morning, Chuck came to kneel beside the sofa and ask if I was OK.  I went back to bed, he lay down next to me and I dropped off again for a couple of hours.  But I am exhausted, uncertain about our future happiness in the Canyon and fighting hard to stave off sadness.

Six Word Saturday

Finally!  A day with no commitments!