Friday, January 20, 2006

Gretchen and her sister Joanne are making a clean living. They are on the web with SUDS: Soaps Unlimited By Dirty Sisters.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006


I love boxes. Max loves boxes.
We love that a box can be anything the imagination wants it to be. Max's box is a rocket ship and inside he has his pillow and red blanket for "rough landings."


Maria loves boxes too.
She likes to open and shut the door on Max's viewport.

Geoff asked me to call Bob today and get him to agree on our move out date. I kept thinking we had until October, but Geoff reminded me that last month Bob said they want to start their remodel in 8 months, which means July or August, right? You may be thinking that summer is a long way off and that we have plenty of time. I know better than to underestimate the swift passage of time. July will be here soon, trust me. Picture me looking a little stunned, making gagging, pitiful little sputters of shock and confusion... I need a plan. I need a destiny. I need the big picture, blue prints, flow charts, maps. I need a big box, some tape and magic markers. I'll make a boat, or a yacht, or a barn with a hay loft and a swing hung from the rafters. Each stall of the barn could be layed out as a room and we could open up the barn doors to let in the morning. We'll live all together with cutout windows and a clawfoot tub, a woodburning stove will keep us warm at night, and we can lay awake listening to the barn owl call to his love and the moon.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Maybe I am underestimating the cold. My cold is making my body ache, and my eyes feel heavy, light sensitive. Maria does not have a fever any more, so I feel some relief about that. Actually none of the children have complained recently. I guess I am the last whiner. Just a thought: Maybe I should go to sleep at 9 or 10 tonight and stay clear of the Scrabble game.

Did I ever mention that I have joined the George Foreman Grilling ranks? Yup. I am a lean, mean, fat reducing, grilling, machine master. I saw Anne has one and she likes hers, except for clean up time, because the unit can't sit in water. For my birthday my mommy sent me an online shopping certificate. I shopped around, considered my needs, interests and deepest dreams... I thought the grill could come in handy in case I were moving to an Island, living in a garage and building a house. And this particular model has cooking plates that come out, so clean up is a snap! I never say *clean up is a snap,* but there's a first time for everything. I like my grill. It cooks evenly. It doesn't manage a huge quantity of food, but it's efficient enough to compensate.

On the menu tonight: Chicken teriyaki, brown rice and steamed vegetables.
Dinner is cooking right now, as I write. Thank you mom and Ron. Thank you George.