Out of Order

You would think I brought my newborn home last night the way that I received THE CALL while at the check out counter at Walmart informing me that my computer was finally ready to be picked up. Even though I had spent the past 8 hours in San Antonio (30 minutes of them in the very store where my computer was waiting for me) I was just about to head home after grabbing some much needed groceries. I hesitated all of 7 seconds and then took off in the opposite direction of home and rushed to pick up my special delivery. So what if I had meat and dairy products in the back seat of my car...in the 103 degree temperature...I was not going to let something as trivial as botulism stand in my way of contact with the rest of the world. When the transaction was completed I was asked if I needed help carrying my cpu to my car I politely declined and teetered on my wobbly heels out the door and into the parking lot. I gingerly rested my 'baby' on the backseat and grinned the entire ride home.

This morning I plugged her in and as she came to life the endless hours, days, and weeks without the internet or a computer mattered no more. My life felt complete! No more rushing off to the public library where I was tormented by the digital timer counting down the minutes atop my screen...no more wifi drive-bys. Now I can empty my camera's bulging memory card and start fresh. Yes, we can survive while our life feels "out of order" but it's a heck of a lot more fun when everything is in working order! (And, even though we're in the middle of a drought I will now be shutting down, turning off, and unplugging my baby so she and I can sleep soundly at night).

Meanwhile...Back at the Ranch...

I woke up this morning with 42 minutes to spare before needing to rush out the door. In those 42 minutes I needed to wash my hair, put on makeup, fix coffee, eat breakfast, let the chickens out of the coop, feed the chickens, clean out the chickens' water containers, make sure the cat had enough fresh water for the day, and drive for an hour to a bridal shower. I made it to the shower at exactly 10:00 on the dot...right on time. Here's how I did it: I took care of all of the creatures first (I'd rather be late than have pets die on my watch). I probably still have shampoo residue in my hair, but I washed and rinsed as fast as one can with very little water pressure. I managed to locate the single, shiny, silver packet of Pop-Tarts hiding behind a box of pasta in the pantry--along with two travel thermoses--and had me a literal breakfast to-go! I had on enough facial bronzer to give the illusion of a restful and carefree lifestyle and enough lycra to hold in the midsection to give the illusion of a fit and firm existence. I was able to rummage through one of my many junk drawers and find a Crayola marker (unfortuntely it was the washable kind) in the exact shade of brown I needed to color in the exposed white plasticky portion of a broken heel on my single pair of brown strappy sandals. As long as I remembered to cross my legs left over right I would be able to keep up my charade as a put-together person.

Adios to Them...Hello to Me!

My kids are on vacation with their grandparents...this translates as I AM ON VACATION!! I think I am supposed to miss them...but I don't. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they have NEVER been away for any extended period of time in 14 years! IT'S TIME PEOPLE!!! For me, I would much rather "vacation" AT HOME...ALONE!!! Therefore, I must say, this past week has been simply glorious. First of all I can relax in their absence knowing that they are old enough to fend for themselves, they are so darn excited, and they are in good hands. Secondly, not since the birth of my first child have I had so much time on my hands. Since my husband is gone during the daytime I have been free to lounge around and be lazy and I have been able to split town at a moment's notice if for no other reason than just because.

With the use of our amazing technology I have been able to keep up with the kids and their travels. They are enjoying sending texts and pictures electronically...and I am enjoying receiving them. I have still had to balance out my days trying to ensure that I fit in enough of everything and nothing before the clock strikes twelve. Take right now for example...I am sitting in the public library checking my emails and typing away. Earlier this morning I woke up, shuffled to the couch, and then fell back asleep for another two hours. Yesterday I watched an entire movie before 10:00 a.m. and then I went shopping...all by myself! The day before that I went shopping with my best friend and had a great day. Last night I had dinner with my husband. I have painted my toenails three different colors, finished one book and started another, and actually cooked a meal. I am extremely grateful for this sneak peek into the possibilites that lie before me in my not so distant future. I don't want to come across as a selfish person who wants to quit her job as mother...it's just that some times I need to recharge and reconnect with myself...and this week I am doing just that...and it is all good!

In Between

I am still computer-less. This means that I am frantically typing away on a borrowed computer at the public library. So far this summer has me killing scorpions on a daily basis and, maybe it's the drought, but I am starting to feel the urge to clean. It better rain soon! There is so much I want to say but being disconnected, literally, from my home computer has me all out of whack. The words just aren't flowing. Everything seems so disjointed and erratic. Come to think of it...that is how life can be sometimes. It seems that people and nature are dehydrated. We are starting to wither and droop. We are all in need of some sustenance that can't be bought. We are digging into reserves that are drying up. Even still we press on. Despite the scorching heat of the 100+ degree temperatures we keep growing because we know that we must. We are grateful for breezes and shade. We enjoy visiting with the strangers we meet inside air conditioned shops. We double up on outdoor duties and activities trying to cram them all in utilizing the "coolness" of the dawn and dusk hours that bookend our days. Deep down we all know that the rains will come. We all know that we will eventually curse the flooding that is sure to follow. But it is the time in between the drought and the flood that we must live our lives...finding our own sense of balance between want and plenty.

Book 'Em!

I slunk into the public library this morning after dropping off my daughter at volleyball camp. If I had a pair of glasses...the kind with the fake nose attached to them I would have worn them...beneath a baseball cap and wig. I would have done this because I was basically kicked out of the library yesterday morning after exceeding the time limit on the computer. I really wasn't sure how to respond when I felt a tapping on my left shoulder and essentially remprimanded for my crime. Of course...I was guilty and I knew it. I quickly logged off and high-tailed it out of there. I have been visiting a couple of public libraries these past two weeks while my kids have been in sports camps in an effort to tweak this blog. I finally imported all of my past entries into one complete blog and feel great relief at doing so. It is as if all of my eggs are back in my nest. Now I am ready to sit on them until something beautiful grows from it all. I feel so much more complete when I am able to produce and having been at the mercy of others' computers has had me feeling a little scattered. I finally got a call from The Geek Squad just the other day informing me that they were able to backup 94 gigs from my electrocuted computer. They then sent my computer off to Hewlett Packard for it to get serviced. This could take two to three weeks!!! So please bear with me as my posts will be sporadic and I will not be able to dowload any of my pictures until then. Now...I have to go before the alarms sound and I am whisked away to library jail!

In The Good Old Summertime

Oh to be able to be home! The other morning, day 2 of my "freedom from work" time, found me actually cleaning up the kitchen AFTER actually MAKING something other than cereal for breakfast! See people...I CAN keep a clean house...well...a cleanER house than when I am a frenetic mess. Therein lies the eternal domestic conundrum...do I stay home and thus keep a clean home or do I keep working and never clean again? Tough one I know!
During the second week of his summer break my son has been attending a 4-day long football camp. After the very first day he came home happy and pumped. He had a good friend come home with him to spend the night before day 2 of said camp. That evening my son tripped over some errant chicken wire and somehow ended up breaking his big toe. While I was concerned about his toe, truth be told my first thought went to the $75.00 camp fee I had just plunked down. The next morning I stopped at Walgreens to purchase a pair of unisex slides for a child who only wears boots, tennis shoes, and socks. He must have really been hurting because he put those fake plastic shower shoes on without complaint and hobbled out onto the football field where he proceeded to throb and grimmace as his peers ran, caught, and passed around him. Go team!
My son sat out day 3 of camp with the hopes that he'll feel a great deal better by the last day of camp. I feel so bad for him. He is such a dedicated and hard worker who wants to make a good impression on the coaches. At least this was just a fun camp and not the beginning of two-a-days. I suppose it can be viewed as a good lesson on injury prevention and how vital it is to stay in good condition for the upcoming season. It has me feeling such empathy and sympathy for all of the players (and for their parents) who have ever been sidelined by injury ... what utter heartbreak.
On the flip side my daughter will start her very first foray into volleyball next week as she will attend a 4-day camp. I am anxious to see how she fares. I'll have to make sure she has some shorts and a pair of tennis shoes before Monday!
Two mornings ago, as I was venturing outside to let out the chickens I stumbled upon a furry tarantula making his way through the grass and onto our sidewalk (insert heebie jeebies here). Good Morning! He definitely creeped me out more than the mating walking sticks dangling above our front door yesterday morning! This made this morning's discovery of the overly plump and excessively long scorpion struggling to climb up and out of the cat's food dish a less than excitable event than it normally would have been. I didn't even shiver nor hesitate when I grabbed the bowl, dumped the scorpion onto the porch, and squash him beneath my sandal.
Yes, a lot has been happening in a short amount of time...hopefully I'll be able to remember it all to share...that is if I don't choke on an earplug or go into anaphylactic shock anytime soon!

UnHeard Of

Have you ever dreamt about eating tiny marshmallows in your bed? I did...only it turns out it wasn't a dream...sort of. Allow me...just the other night I "dreamt" that I had found a marshmallow in my bed, and not being able to turn down a fluffy ball of sweetness, I popped it into my mouth and began to chew. I can recall, in great sensory detail, the texture, the chewiness, and the weird realization that there was no flavor to be had-AT ALL! I think that is when I awoke straight away. I had immediately, thank heavens, realized that I was, in fact, chewing on one of the earplugs I wear at night to drown out all of the little noises that try to undermine my attempts at slumber. I shutter to think at what the outcome would have been had I actually digested the hot pink "marshmallow." I've been "plugged up" before...but...yikes!

May the Force Be With You

Can it really be that I have not written in over two weeks? There must be some good reason for this...uh...yup...there definitely is. On Memorial Day my family and I came home from an overnight stay at the lake. We were all worn out and ready for a good night's sleep before having to report to school/work in the morning. At approximately 12:20 a.m. a loud crash of thunder/lightning jolted me awake. My husband sat up and declared that our house had been struck by lightning. You know, sometimes it really does feel like that when lightning strikes so close the windows of your house actually rattle; except that this time it was actually true. Our chimney was struck near its top on its south side. Thick and heavy blocks of limestone were strewn out and across our backyard. While we were fortunate that a hole was not created in our roof and extra blessed that a fire had not started, there was still the not so small aftermath of fried electronics to be dealt with. Case in point: my computer was most definitely affected and as a result I have been unable to write or download any of my pictures. I am praying that everything is able to be recovered. Since this happend the last week of school I have been extra busy and distracted. I hate to post without a picture, but I have decided that something is better than nothing at all. Thus I am sitting in a public library frantically typing away whilst the "Time Remaining" clock at the top of my screen counts down--rapidly!) We went without a television for a little over a week. Our satelite source was lost so we could only watch dvds. I suppose that is fine if you actually have a collection of them...as for us...we had to go to a galaxy far far away...again, and again, and again. While our chimney was definitely struck by "The Force"- "The Force" was definitely not with us. Our clothes dryer no longer shuts off...this means that the first night since the strike that I decided to wash a load of clothes I did so at my normal washing time...bedtime. I transferred the clothes to the dryer a little after 9:30 at night and went on to bed. The next morning the clothes were still tumbling around. Now I have to set the kitchen timer every time I dry clothes. I know...I know...things could be worse. Nevertheless it's the being out of touch with my computer that has me feeling the most upset.
The TV repair man was suppose to call me between 8:00 and 10:00 to let me know when he was going to come out to my house...it is 12:32 and I have not heard from the guy...you don't think there is a magnetic forcefield hovering near my front gate that is keeping him from entering do you? And so begins my summer "vacation."