Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Sick kid, and snow trip.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Sick kid, and snow trip.
Current mood: sympathetic

Poor Littleman is sick again- can't keep anything down. He's miserable, and though he's a real little trooper about it, of course taking care of him is taking most of my attention these past couple days. Thank goodness Billy was available to help us all through the worst of it! Today I've been juggling Littleman's needs and a trip to the pediatrician with also taking care of Sweetcheeks and trying to keep up with the rapidly replensihing piles of dirty laundry.

Of course the worst initial vomit of this episode happened in the car, on a road trip, with sub-freezing temperatures outside. Not pretty. I guess this is the stuff that family reminiscences are made of! One day, we will tell this tale so we can shake our heads and laugh at our past misfortunes. Right now however, I just feel very, very sympathetic of my Littleman.

Before all this began however, we were all having a blast in the snow. Yes, my fellow Atlantans, snow! We finally decided that we will probably not get enough snow this year for Billy to take his boys sledding. (Looking like we may get no snow at all) Billy has been wanting to play in the snow with them every year, and it never quite works out. So this year, we decided we would go where the snow is- without flying, anyway. We went to Beech Mtn. NC, because the Chamber of Commerce there manufactures snow on a hill set aside for sledding. (That way, if we missed out on natural snow, we'd still get to sled). We had beautiful weather and frigid temperatures, and the boys all had a great time. (Littleman definitely enjoyed it more than Sweetcheeks though- a couple of sleds, and Sweetcheeks was ready to go warm up!)

Anyway I am very tired, and still have a few things to do before bed. I hope we all sleep well tonight. I will try to blog again soon, so I can write something more interesting. :)

Monday, February 12, 2007

Dust in a sunbeam

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Dust in a sunbeam
Current mood: calm

Today the house was quiet for a good couple of hours. It was wonderful.

Billy took Littleman with him to a couple casual meetings, so when Sweetcheeks was napping I had the house all to myself. The radio was off, the dogs were outside and the most pressing chores were done. After tidying the kitchen a little I took a shower, read and cuddled under the blankets. For some reason I couldn't quite sleep, but just relaxing there and listening to the relative silence was very nice.

It's only in these rare moments of quiet contemplation that the normally hidden sounds around me reenter my conciousness- birdsong outside, the creaking of the walls as the wind blows, some voices next door, the highway far off. Though the sun was pouring exuberantly through the bedroom windows, pooling and dripping light from every surface it touched, it's honey warmth was mere illusion- the air was crisp and quite cold, and I wrapped my blankets tighter around me. The birds made a riot of cheerful sound, and it made me happy to hear it because that means Spring is not really so far off now.

Lying there, I was thinking about awareness- about really seeing, about being in a place. So much of the time I am consumed with concerns that are abstract, with realities in the future and with the mundane physical aspects of my environment. So much of my life is spent this way, trying to keep up with my responsibilities and conform to a schedule of sorts. So much needs to get done each day, that there is no time left to just be in the day. No time to recharge my soul in quietude. No time to while away with my boys, focusing on what they have to say to me or what little games they want to play. No time to watch the sunlight filter through the leaves, or quietly spend an hour watching the birds come and go at the feeder. No time to inspect acorns or make detailed analyses of dirt, no time to mentally catalogue the curve of Littleman's cheekbones or the shining curl of Sweetcheeks' hair. If it were not for photographs, I'd have no memory at all of huge chunks of the last few years. I feel like these things are slipping through my fingers, yet I am struggling to keep up with all the "real" things I must get done. I try to stop once in awhile to focus, to listen, but it is far, far from enough. I know things will improve as the boys continue to grow, as they get more self-sufficient. But until then, what? Am I losing precious treasure to the bank accounts, meal preparation, endless cleaning, dishes, laundry, running errands, damn tax preparation? To wiping dog feet, sweeping up cereal, folding diapers, brushing the teeth of a screaming struggling toddler? I don't know. I'm not sure it matters much, because this stuff has to be done. What am I to do?

The enlightened thing, I suppose, would be to find transcendence in these mundane necessary tasks. Ideally I should find the zen in the everyday. But I'm sorry- it's just not there for me. If I try, I can find it in theory. I can understand the zen of picking up megablocks. But that's sort of an oxymoron isn't it? Transcendence is not about understanding. It is a state of being. Transcendence IS. Transcendence can be found in the dust motes dancing in a sunbeam, but only if you really see them. These days, I don't have time to see. My soul shrivels in blindness.

OK, that sounds very bleak. It's not as bad as all that! Luckily, it doesn't take much for me to get a glimpse, if you will. After all, dust is pretty easy to come by in my house! And I seem to have a naturally cheerful disposition that resurfaces easily, like a cork. I have been feeling down for a few days, and I'm sure it's not totally over. But this afternoon, for a little while at least, I watched dust in a sunbeam, and I listened to the birds calling.

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

egg salad, speechless and the things they say

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

egg salad, speechless and the things they say
Current mood: drained

I made some excellent egg salad tonight. It all started when I accidentally put honey mustard in rather than dijon. I just went with it, and based my seasonings on what I had going. Turned out quite delicious! Here's what I used, in order of most to least:
- hard boiled eggs, mashed up
- mayo
- honey mustard
- grated carrot
- sweet relish
- minced garlic
- lemon pepper
- dill
- coriander and cumin
- sea salt
If I'd had it, I might have added minced fresh celery or minced sweet onion.

I almost hesitate to mention this, but it still has me speechless. Yesterday morning this was said to me: "I just don't understand what you could possibly be doing all day." (This comment in relation to all the assorted housework chores that don't get done from day to day). Um, EXCUSE ME?? Really, I just don't know what else to say.
In their defense, the party in question has been helping out more the last couple days. But it's still awfully depressing. Sigh.

However much time they take, the boys do offer little rewards to keep me going. The things they say and do. . . for instance,
Driving along, we pass a motel. Littleman exclaims, "A hotel!!"
"Yes, that was a hotel." I agree.
He informs me, "A hotel is where you sleep if you're not camping."
LOL!

He'd better be cute, when his favorite phrase right now (I think it even surpasses "Why" at this point) is "I don't want to". Repeat ad infinitum. AAAAARRRGGH!!

I just remembered that tomorrow morning is trash/recycling pick up, and I CANNOT forget to put it out tonight. So I'm going to do that right now. Let me know if you try the egg salad!

Saturday, February 3, 2007

"my brain feels better"

Saturday, February 03, 2007

"my brain feels better"
Current mood: busy


"When I wake up from a nap, my brain feels better."

Me too, Littleman. Me too.