Pulled in Every Direction

Can we keep him, Mom?

Have you ever heard the old saw, "If you want to get something done, ask a busy person"? Yeah? Apparently so has everyone else in Texas, and I am the busy person they tend to ask.

The whirlwind visit with my brother Wednesday was great. The Girl got permission to skip band rehearsals by calling her squad leader and saying that she wasn't going to be there because the Feds showed up at our house, then abruptly ended the conversation. Smart ass...she's just like her mom, heehee. She later called her band director to give him the real details. We kidnapped my mom and went to Fort Worth to Mi Cocina for lunch, then to Central Market to pick up something lovely for dinner. Like his big sister he's a hardcore foodie so he wanted steak, porcini tortellini with pesto, salad & creme brulee, so who am I to argue? We cooked the steaks over an open pecan wood fire in the fire pit on the magic patio and ohhhhh man, they were good. It was great to spend some time with him, even if it was only for one day. He is planning to come take advantage of our RV hookups down at the barn sometime this fall though.

The Man's mother's house has been sold and closes today. Thursday he informed me that his step brothers would be coming from Georgia on Friday to pick up their dad's stuff since she was too mean to give it to them when he died ten years ago. He asked me if I'd make dinner for the family and, never one to give up an opportunity to show off my culinary skills, I agreed. So Friday between shuttling The Girl to & from band, I gather up all the stuff and bust my ass to make lasagne, salad & dressing and bread for 20 people. The Girl made brownies when she got home from band. 6:15, the phone rings and it's The Man, letting me know he's on the way home and asking me what I'm doing. I tell him I'd been cooking all day, just put the lasagne in the oven and was about to take a shower, then I asked what time the people were supposed to be attending this dinner party. He says, "They're not coming for dinner until tomorrow. They just left Georgia today." Well gee...thanks for the clarification, pal. At least lasagne is always better the second day.

Saturday wasn't so bad. I spent an inordinate amount of time cleaning what I think was frog guts out of the pool. With all the rain we've had, there is a bumper crop of frogs and toads this year. The Man mowed the yard from the time he got home Friday until after dark. That can be the only explanation for the mysterious chunks of what looks like chicken meat I vacuumed into the basket leading to the pool filter. Eww.

The people got there around 8pm after retrieving their dad's things and they ate like they'd been fasting for a week. Of course they did. We wouldn't expect anything different since I'm the little Italian grandma they never had. Mama mia! You're too skinny! Mangiate!

Sunday, a friend asked me to help her with some academic stuff she's working on because she's unclear about the psychological assessment component, which is my area of expertise. In the afternoon, The Girl and I actually were able to do some serious pool time for only about the second or third time this summer. I have never been this catfish belly white in my life. Hell, I was born with a better tan than this, and I'd been indoors for 9 months! With all the rain and all the busy, I haven't had time to do much more than stare longingly at it between vacuumings & chemical applications. Sigh. Sunday evening, I found out that a dear friend of mine with whom I clocked countless volunteer hours when The Girl was in elementary school passed away Saturday, leaving behind a daughter just a few months older than The Girl and a husband, step son and grandchildren who will be lost without her. She was a true friend to everyone she met and will be sorely missed.

Yesterday, The Girl & I ran some errands in town before she went to band. While we were out, Mom called me in a panic stating that she needed my help on the computer. She's about to have her first book published and needed help formatting the poems from 75 individual documents into one long document. Sounds simple enough to you & me but she didn't know how to copy/paste. What she struggled with for hours I was able to accomplish in about 20 minutes, then I proofread it for good measure. When I got back home, all I wanted was a nap but Suz called me in a panic needing me to go to her custody hearing Wednesday 100 miles away from here at 9am. I was planning to go to my other friend's funeral but Suz was there for me when I needed her for my seemingly neverending custody crap the ex dragged me through, so it's the least I can do for her. Last night I went to the band hall to meet with some of the moms to organize uniforms, sew on buttons et cetera. The Man was asleep on the sofa when I got home at 9pm. He told me this morning that he tried to wait up for me. Riiiiiiight.

I know I'm overlooking something but the dogs are raising hell outside this morning. Greeeeaaaat! There's a stray donkey in my driveway. People in town get stray dogs & cats - we get stray livestock. Whatthefuckever am I to do with a donkey?! Shit. It's a wonder I ever get anything accomplished. Is it too early to start drinking yet?