Hot, Sticky Summer Is Here

Ugh! I finally gave in & turned on the air conditioning Tuesday night. It's cooler than outside, but still hotter than it should be. I am hoping I remember correctly that it usually takes it a few days, but I am worried that we'll have to have it serviced. More money going out...

I haven't gotten a lot accomplished over the past couple of days. Feeling overwhelmed always slows my wheels. Tuesday, J unexpectedly came home for lunch. The day was not going well & I guess she just needed a hit of real life. I fed her a ham sandwich & a Coke & let her know how much I love her. I guess that enabled her to make it through the rest of the day. She was still a bit teary when she got home, but Boot cheered her up by playing Scene It with her. I fed her a batch of good tricolor cheese tortellini mixed with chicken & garlic ravioli, with plenty of marinara sauce.

We had a fun after-dinner sighting of a big raccoon...same raccoon later got into the garage & ate some bubble gum after leaving little hand prints all over J's car. J plans not to wash the car & says she'll be sad when it rains. The little prints are adorable.

I have been talking on the phone a lot more than usual, actually talking to people I think about a lot. My mom called Tuesday night with her portion of the new dream list (and advice not to agree to stay with the rocks in our geode dream no matter how sweetly they ask). We had a great talk & I can't wait to see her next weekend. We probably won't get much of a visit with the whole family swarming around, but it's better than nothing & we have a week in July coming up.

Yesterday, my cousin John called me back about the house. He can't buy anything more until he sells the really nice house on our grandparents' road. He wants me to come look at it Friday. Corian countertops, bamboo hardwood floors, jacuzzi tub in the master suite. Man, do I want that house!!! It's got a little lake. But, we don't have the money to do that kind of thing, unless he's willing to rent to own. LOL! Last night, J said, "That's the kind of house I should be living in". Not that we don't love our house...it's a wonderful place...but we don't have the cash to do those kinds of updates & they would be nice. Anyway, John said that he & Nola just work all the time. His crew is working on Charlie & Ann's bathroom redo now...how the hell do my cousins get the money to do all this stuff? I know they're not drug dealers. John & Nola will be at the family reunion, but I doubt Charlie & Ann will.

Then, I called my aunt Jeanie, who was in the middle of filling out her son Aaron's college application. I don't really get why she's doing it & not him. Anyway, we had a good talk. Despite our political differences, it's always really good to talk to her. When she moves down here, I hope she'll be part of the book group. Jeanie will be done with her Master's in August. I'm really proud of her. Can't wait to see her & Aaron & Leah next weekend!

Other doings have mostly been errands & my usual Wednesday stuff. Bible study was a lot of fun. We talked about the announcement that Sarah will bear a child & about her laughing over the idea of having sexual pleasure when she was so old. Brendan was saying how very earthy the Hebrew is & had us read several different translations to see the way they all dance around the sexual reference. He pointed out how great it is that this passage is so earthy & funny & very human. We also talked a lot about how so many stories in Genesis are repeated, and differently. People seem to have a really hard time remembering that we are dealing with very old oral tradition here. I'm looking forward to my OT class next fall.

After Bible study, Brendan took us upstairs to see the new LCD projector. All kinds of possibilities with that! I hope he'll do his Tolkien lecture series next fall. Sounds like Laura has a lot of interesting adult ed ideas, too. Brendan also took me aside to give me some tips on what kinds of things to study in seminary to make myself more attractive to congregations when I get out. He told me that even if I'm not a fully ordained Minister of the Word & Sacrament, there is much I can do, from counseling to academia to chaplaincy to other church leadership positions like CE.

The grands & I had lunch at The Bob. The little boys didn't want to get dressed & go out, so I allowed them to stay, since we were not going far & not going to be gone long. Of course, they are old enough to stay home, but I am overprotective. My grands marvel at how strict John & I both are with kids, when we had very lax upbringings. J had a not at all lax upbringing & she is pretty strict, too...not so much as I am, but enough.

After lunch, I took the boys to the bookstore to get a gift for Boot's friend's birthday. Then, we went to the rental house to do a final inspection. Against my most fervent hopes, not only did they not repair anything at all, but they didn't even clean & left all kinds of crap everywhere. There was old food on the counter (which I should go toss out) & in pans, a dirty catbox, a broken recliner, a full waterbed...I can't believe the squalor in which those people lived. I am not cut out to be a landlord & I hope we can sell the house fast & easy. The boys were horrified...it had once been their home, after all. They also can't believe how people could be so trashy. Good! I never want them to think that kind of thing is acceptable.

Brendan called me yesterday evening to berate me for not turning in receipts earlier & to let me know that everything I do at church is very much appreciated. He told me not to worry about the bulletin boards & said I worry too much. He also told me that studying at seminary is equally important work & I should never downplay it or feel like I'm not doing anything of worth. It was really good to talk to him, to the point where I just wanted to run over to the church & fling myself, sobbing, into his arms. He would make a good big brother.

I made steak for Pie's choice for dinner. I put Paula Deen's lemon butter on it (luscious) & made Pie's requested peas & sweet cooked carrots. J was rhapsodizing over the carrots, saying they were perfect. I didn't even try them...I think they're an abomination! But, the people who like such things really liked them.

Today, I am trying to keep myself in "Everything will be okay" mode. It's been decided that I probably shouldn't, for money's sake, go to California with J in a couple weeks. I don't think my mom will even be home while J is gone, so I can't go down & visit her. Sigh. Now, I need to get to work on getting rid of that monkey of a house that rests so heavily on our backs.