What a Difference a Month Makes

It's just a broken pot, not a broken heart

Last month I went to Michigan for my dad’s birthday and a family reunion. While there, my parents received the news that two of their friends, both of whom I’d met and liked, had been diagnosed with cancer. As of August 14th, they’re both gone. What a difference a month makes.

I’m hanging out at home with the kitty cats today, taking a break from the good gub’ment job I’m so friggin’ grateful to have but am not particularly loving at the moment. Doc B’s birthday is tomorrow so we took a couple of days off to honor that great moment in history, get some things done around the house, go to a concert tonight and just plain have some down time. That down time has allowed me to reflect on that “friggin’ gratefulness” that I’ve been feeling of late. The events of the past month have been a huge part of the thrust to keep reminding myself of how good I have it, even when I think it’s a bad day.

In addition to the tearfully sad aforementioned passings, what’s happened over the past month?

• I went to Baltimore unexpectedly for work and enjoyed a night of Maryland crab with newly met co-workers

• I vowed to lose the weight I gained while in Michigan and Baltimore and am already half way there

• Gay marriage laws in California were over-over-over-turned

• A dear friend has come out of the closet and introduced us to many of her dear friends

• A dear friend has come out of incarceration - don't get me started on the topic of our "justice" system as it relates to this dear friend please.

• A dear friend came to town for a sociology conference and brought the best dill pickles ever along with her good stories of the Christian Wrong.

• I have a lot of dear friends don’t I?

• Day-time temperatures have not dropped below the 80’s since I can remember

• The back "deck" we hated and put up with for the past ten years is gone but we still don't have a master bath (No master bath = Maddie is still on this planet - because that's her room!)

• A screened-in porch is soon to be in place just in time for the nice weather

• My hair has been dyed twice and cut once

• The aura of my hair salon has significantly improved (thanks hair salon boss for getting rid of the crazy hair stylist that operated the booth next to my beloved Pam)

• My best buds Mr. and Mrs. T had their house broken into and robbed – thankfully they were not in their home at the time

• Two new babies were born (to my yoga teacher and to a fellow yogi)

• I went to see "Salt" with Tequila (who doesn’t love salt with their Tequila? Add Angelina Jolie to the combo and for sure, what's not to love?)

• A co-worker was in a car accident but is okay

• More people than ever think Obama’s a Muslim

• Millions are homeless in Pakistan because of the floods and I still don’t have a clue how many people are homeless in America on any given day

• BP continues to sop up oil and SP continues to sop up losses for the candidates she endorses

The list is much longer I'm certain.  Like I'm already forgetting to include that we're going to go see "Eat, Pray, Love" with Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem.  But I guess you have to draw the line somewhere.  Shoot, I didn't even mention Lindsay Lohan once in my list.  To all of you...I'm grateful to have you in my life - the old friends, the new ones, my immediate family and my extended family.  Thanks for making my days overwhelmingly good even when I think they're bad.

Mosquito Protection Plan in Progress

Porch progression photographs 

Yeah!  The work started on Tuesday, August 10th and the half hip roof is going up right now!  Only a couple of snags so far:
1. a potted shrub near the driveway got broken by a delivery truck,
2. a gutter downspout got dented by a dump truck
3. the City of Decatur Inspector initially failed the holes that were dug for the footings.  The reason? The dirt was too soft.  Hello!  We're in Georgia!  It's red clay!

After a soil engineer (who knew there was such a job?) used a static cone penetrometer (huh?) to determine that the ground was okay (and charged us of course), the work continued and it's been without a hitch since then.  It's a pleasure to have Small Carpenters at Large back at the ranch!

We Now Return to our Regularly Scheduled Programming

First Haircut!

From my first haircut with the Wright Beauty Academy of Battle Creek, Michigan (pictured above) to the one I had last night with Pam from Novi, Michigan (she says she’s from Union Lake, Michigan but whatever), some things never change.

This is exactly how I looked last night when Pam plopped a bean bag ashtray on the work station in front of me, stuck a roller (not a joint) in my hand to keep me occupied, and safety-pinned a towel around my formerly chubby (now double-chinned) neck to keep hair clippings (and now Ms. Clairol) off of my t-shirt.

The traveling crew from Wright Beauty Academy had their work "cut" out for them back then and Pam sure has been earning her money with me over the past ten years. Back at age one, it took a Ritz cracker to entertain me. Now it takes a combination of cheap wine, groaning humor delivered with a strong Michigan accent and salon drama.

Seriously, Pam does a great job with what she has to work with and whether she knows it or not, she’s like a part of my family (Pam, if you are reading this, Doc. B. and I send out hugs to you and your hubby on the passing of your beloved dog who had the same name as my beloved mother...).

And speaking of family, I just returned from a trip to Michigan to celebrate my dad’s 70th b-day and attend a family reunion (paternal grandmother's side of the gang). The entire week and a half there was just what I needed to regroup and recharge. Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, The Boyfriend at the Franke Center for Performing Arts (my mom played Hortense, the French Maid, in her senior high school production), the Welcome to my Garden Tour, a tour of all of my former Michigan residences, an olive burger at the Stage Coach, a meal at Winston’s, time at the Lake Cottage, a ride on the new boat to the Willows, Lake Michigan, time with Doc. B., and much overdue time with my sisters, brother, mom, dad, extended family and family friends. A special thanks to our best bud and pet/house sitter who made it easy to leave the kitties at home without worries (you know who you are but I haven’t thought up a nickname for you yet – help me out!)

Hope you are all finding ways to regroup and recharge in this summer heat and that you have a hair salon just like the one on Steel Magnolias!