Random Notes from the Sandwich Life
1. I am so focused on the trip to Maine that when I woke up this morning I was somewhat amazed that I actually still had to go to work today. I did though....so I begrudgingly pulled on a new dress that I bought yesterday during my hated annual clothes shopping and my first bra shopping in God knows when. Owen stared at me in shock and said, "Mommy, is that dress new? It looks BEAUTIFUL....I love the colors" and kissed and hugged me, patting my back. Honest to God, I should just rent him out.....
2. Ernie, evidently to break me out of my recent Texas Tornados obsession (during which I played Adios Mexico SEVEN times in a row on the way to work one day---it just sounded SO good), had left a Replacements cd in the car and man oh man can those boys do longing like nobody else.....lots of other things too but it's the longing that gets me these days....
This clip of them at a soundcheck in Maxwell's in Hoboken in '86 isn't the greatest quality but I really love it.....
3. The Champaign Taste/Frozen Yogurt contest ends at noon tomorrow (Tuesday, June 16) so you still have time to count your syllables and get in an entry....
4. We broke the news to the guys that we won't have tv in Maine. They took it pretty well but I've since realized that we still need to tell them about the internet....
5. We harvested our first kale of the season this evening....I also have a ton of organic onions that I should use up before Maine....a couple of potatoes as well.....hmmmmm......and some pork steaks for the grill....we'll see how this turns out.....maybe the onions and potatoes together and then the kale with....mmmm....gotta think about this.....
6. Sometimes I worry about how tired Ernie is. This weekend our dear neighbor Rob gifted us with some extra dirt that he had from a load of dirt he'd gotten for his garden. As he wheeled wheelbarrows of dirt down the block I fussed, telling Ernie I felt guilty we weren't doing that (not that I think Rob minded--he's one of the kindest guys in the world)...and he just looked at me and said, "I don't think I could." Ernie's great, he looks good, he does amazing amounts of work and then he says something like that and I totally freak out. God I love him. Even though he thinks he does----he has no idea how much really. And I know, I know....I could have done it myself.....
6. When I got home from work today Owen was waiting on his bike on the corner of Church Street. He raced me down the block and met me as I got out saying, "will you take me to the library?" or actually, more accurately, "WILL YOU TAKE ME TO THE LIBRARY?" Eventually it turned into the whole vacation group going----Ernie, me, Leo, Owen and Ricky. This is what is amazing about being a parent....that going to the public library with three boys could be so damn fun.....makes up for those other times I guess. I got six novels and three cookbooks, Leo, who wasn't sure he even wanted to get anything, was delighted with his haul of seven Star Wars books......not sure what Ricky and Ernie got but I do know that Owen got several books---his favorite with the title of WEAPONS. He said he needs it for his D Day reenactment. Life really is good.
7. As we were waiting for Ernie to get ready for the library I showed the boys the joys of a raindrop in a nasturtium leaf. It IS amazing and I was happy to see when we got home that Leo stood there rolling the drops around. I told them that whenever it rains they should look at the nasturtiums....words to live by you know.....
8. And on a final note.....here is my beloved friend Kathleen's grackle that she has raised since its nest and tree were destroyed.....he's now living in the trees although I think he misses Kathleen....