June 2007 Archives

After a few nutty crazy weeks of getting ready for the end of school, and then the actual end of school, the parties for the end of school, seeing friends I won't see for a while because school is out, etc. I am finally at long last at my sister's house in IL. Where the humidity is many many times what it is where I live in Southern California. On the way, we had a layover at O'hare. Thing 1 asked for some water, which is going for a king's ransom these days on the happy side of security. So I told him maybe we could slice off a hunk of air and twirl it around to get the water out. He didn't get it, so I bought him some freakishly expensive water that probably came from a tap three miles away. At least my skin will be all soft and happy for a while all on its own.

So anyway, I'm at my sister Cricket's house. We're actually blogging simultaneously (she has pictures ), sitting next to each other, even sharing a power supply. Kinky. (Is there a name for passing around a power supply?) She lives in a subdivision that got lost and wound up in the middle of farm fields way out of town. It works out nicely for my kids, there's a place for them to play in the woods and not get into too much danger, or trouble. At least no trouble we didn't get into ourselves in similar woods as kids. As one might expect, they don't get to do that too much in the greater LA metropolitan area.

This evening, I was bathing Thing 1 and Thing 2, which at this point means sitting on the toilet next to the shower and making sure they don't A. Kill each other; or B. Forget why they're in the shower in the first place. Actual bathing can take a distant second place to various forms of water play that involve experiments with shampoo and other liquids one finds in showers and should keep one's mitts off of. Thing 1 gets out of the shower first, I do a token dry-off—he can totally do that himself, I just like to pester him. While he's all snuggled up in the towel, he divulges the most interesting secret to me. It seems his cousin, Scooter, has discovered a new force, and I do mean a magical force of nature. And now I will tell you!

Did you know, if you lick your palm and then put it really close to someone else's face, it will make them back away from you? That's how the little guys know its a true force, because they've tried it, and it works on just about everyone.

Check it out, its amazing!

What I want to know is how do other people do it? I mean, its been almost a month since I posted here. I did intend to, but time just got away from me. I mean, I didn't even do much knitting in that time. Sheesh!

Well, the boys room is painted, though I have decided that the trim paint, Glidden something or other, is a joke, and will be putting yet another coat of real trim paint on in August. Which is the next time I'll be home with any time to start something like that. In true lackadasical fashion, the room still does not have doorknobs or window latches (which is why I'm glad you don't know my address. Unless you do—there's pointy things planted under the window.) Anyway, I managed to complete the room but for these details.

Finishing, not coincidentally, happened just in time for a two-week visit from an old friend and her younger son, both of whom hail from France. Marie-Pascale is the same age as me (ok, she's a wee bit older, and boy does it show! Hee hee!), her son Jean-Lou is 2.5 and already showing signs of being extremely suave with the ladies. Sheesh, that little man can work a room! We had a delightful visit with our amies, but I did not get any blogging done. I sent away for Pascale from an ad in the newspaper when I was 17. It was a good investment in a stamp. She's become another member of my family, and has won lots of points for providing my parents with more photos of her kids than I have sent them of mine. Pbthththt!

Once the kids got used to each other and realized that the language for running through the house and driving your mom nuts was the same everywhere, I drug them off to the usual tourist traps, Disneyland, the beach, my backyard. It was great. I got someone to travel from France to help weed my garden. How cool is that?! She did a good job, too! It was nice to have someone make use of the whole California outdoor living backyard pool thing, 'cause we sure as hell don't have time for that stuff. She spent so much time in the sun, she left looking very much like mahogany. Jean-Lou, however, was sunscreened to within an inch of his life. And then he was lotioned to a measurable depth every night. The kid is plush and juicy. We miss them.

So, they went home about four days ago, and I am just now finishing the eden print sweater. Incredibly slow knitting for me. Yoikes! But worth it!!