The Sandwich Life

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1.  Had someone out to my mother's house and they couldn't find the possum but they did find two nests in the basement.  He couldn't figure out how it got in.  He said usually possums come in low but he could have gotten into the attic and come down through the walls.  EEEUUUUUGH!  I don't know....possums in the basement don't freak me out....possums crawling in my walls DO.  Oh....and he also saw raccoon footprints on a drain pipe near where he thinks they could have gotten in the attic....turns out raccoons can  shimmy up drain pipes.  Who knew? He's coming back today with traps.

2.  Ernie and I were driving past the old Collegiate Cap and Gown yesterday evening and we saw a badger scurry across the road.  What is going on?

3.  We can't seem to keep our pool water from turning green this year.  Something to work on when we get back from Maine.

4.  I have an incredible sinking tree in my yard.  There's a big tree in our front yard----well, actually it seems to be half on our land and half on the land of our, uh, interesting neighbor.  Branches don't break on this tree....they just sag to the ground and the other day a huge branch that is over our yard did the sag thing.  We're going to have to get it taken care of---I don't think we can do it ourselves and the tree is going to look odder than ever but God knows we can't afford to take the whole thing down.  sigh.

5.  We take off for Maine on Thursday morning and we'll be going with three boys not two.  Our beloved neighbor Ricky is going to come with us.  The boys are WAY excited....as we are!

6.  I'll miss you while we're gone little blog but I decided it would be good for me NOT to take my laptop.  That way I won't obsess about redesigning my blog and spend useless hours trying to teach myself photoshop in order to create a new banner and trying to find internet access so I can post....

7.  Ernie and I went to Barnes and Noble last night and picked out some summer reading.  One of the few times we indulge in buying books rather than going to the library is before vacation.  I was uninspired looking at fiction but got another Ruth Reichl book as well as the Barbara Kingsolver one about local eating.  Last year I read The United States of Arugula on the beach and loved it....always meant to post about it but never did....  Ernie got a book on Tom Petty.  He's kind of going through a Tom Petty phase....

8.  A bit of my borage, my pineapple mint and my thyme....

Whiskey, Tequila and Beer, oh my!

No, that's not what I drank but it is the chorus to a Dale Watson song called Honky Tonk Wizard of Oz.  Yup....Dale Watson last night at the Rose Bowl in Urbana. It's been many a night since I had quite so many of these: 

Yes, that's a champagne flute and a little bottle of Gallo wine----that's what you get when you order a glass of chardonnay at the Rose Bowl.  I like to drink wine but I don't particularly care for drinking TOO much wine and luckily I have this little switch that tells me when I should stop and it generally works quite well when I'm at home or in a bar or restaurant......unless there is live music that I'm enjoying....and then all bets are off.

Had a good weekend.  We took my mother out to lunch yesterday.  We haven't been to Fries and Peanuts with her alone since Dad died and it did make me a little sad that we fit at a smaller table now.  And I missed him playing pool with the boys....but it was a nice time despite that and then afterward we went over to West Side Park and enjoyed the sun and watching the boys race around on their bikes. Oh and by the way....we got over to my mom's house early to do shopping, etc.  I asked Ernie to look in their basement for something I wanted to borrow.  A few minutes later he popped up out of the basement rather more emphatically than usual and  closed the door quite firmly....  A possum is living in their basement.  Geesh...one more thing to take care of....

Leo with a friend from school. They look so grown UP....sigh.

 

Anyway......after bringing my  mother home I came back and took a nap.  Yes, I am becoming quite the devotee of naps.  I woke up and wondered if I really wanted to go out but then the doorbell rang and the babysitter was there.  Whoops.....guess I'm going....  

I'm glad I did as Dale Watson was great....the Rose Bowl is a wonderful place to see shows.....

Nice jacket, huh?

Ernie needing a shave and hunching down to get to Dale's height.  Dale had had quite a few drinks himself and somehow managed to kiss my hand.  I'm really not the hand kissing kind of girl but if he thought so that's fine by me:

There's more to write but that's all I have time for now....

Sunday again....geesh.

You know, some days just go more smoothly than others.  I went to bed last night relatively cross and tired.  The damn hormones Ernie takes can make his temper flare sometimes in new and interesting ways.  Now mind you…the man has a temper of his own so I don’t blame the hormones for everything but as any woman knows….hormones can push you over the edge sometimes. And when he gets irrational---insisting the meat from the grill had been on long enough and the fire was very hot when the meat was still half raw…..I mean, did he have some new and rare heat-impervious meat?......I blame it on the hormones and he should count himself lucky that I do so.  Anyway  I woke up and reminded Owen that we were going to church to see Father Joe wear the vestments that Debbie gave him and he gave me an “I KNOWWWW” and thus the mood for the morning was set.  Getting Owen to get ready in the morning is a one of mankind’s major challenges.  Eventually I dragged a remorseful Owen off to church, racing my little minivan down University Avenue so we wouldn’t be late.  Church was fine although all I could do was sit and think about how I could escape from the whole household that afternoon.  Halfway through the mass Owen asks where the bathroom is.  Groan.  I asked him if he could hold it and he nodded and said very earnestly, “for another minute or so.”  So we took off looking for a bathroom, finally found it and managed to get back to our pew right before communion.  I got a picture of Owen with Father Joe but it doesn’t show the vestment off too well-----sorry Debbie.

We went over to the parish center for coffee and doughnuts although I don’t know why I say that---my father was the only one that had coffee.  Owen had a doughnut and chocolate milk and I had the big cream filled doughnut type thing that Owen had suggested for me because he had put his hand all over it---and a glass of milk.  Owen drove me crazy and wasn’t quite as charming as I would have liked when someone I knew came over to chat.  Ah well.  We headed off to my mother’s house to do her grocery shopping.  We walked in and the place reeked of the cats’ litterbox.  Evidently her homecare person hadn’t gotten to it this week.  So I went into the kitchen and my mother told me there was a bird in the house.  This is not what I was in the mood for.  Mom suggested I use a plastic grocery bag to catch it.  Huh?  Eventually I did try that because I couldn’t find a damn thing else to use.  Of course the bird just flew at me and I screamed and the poor bird was terrified.  Then I found a wicker trash can and tried to scoop it up in that---it managed to get away but flew towards the door I had propped open. O-kaaaaaay.  Cleaned the litterbox and started going over the shopping list with my mother.  I was feeling mildly irritable so when she started telling me that she couldn’t afford hummus I tried to say that she HAD to have food and food costs money….all of a sudden Owen yelled, “HEY…she’s your mother.”  “Yeah?  I know,” I said and then he continued, “well she’s your mother so she’s the boss of you and the boss of her house and you were using a voice like you were the boss of her.”   I was struck silent.  Owen and my mother both gave me pleased smiles so I said, “o.k…..I’m going to the store and the pharmacy and left.”  He was right.  He was definitely right.

Finished running around, said good bye and Owen and I went home.  I was exhausted and needed awhile to recover.  Poor Ernie tried to get me into a good mood to no avail.  Finally we wrestled the guys into the car and went and got paint samples at Lowe’s.  I hate Lowe’s.  The paint guy was patently stupid and not even amusingly stupid enough to recount here.  I got confused by the pool chemicals and the boys were being less than enthusiastic.  We got home and put some samples of Indiana Clay and Ripe Persimmons on the wall.  We’re sitting outside now and I think my mood is finally lightening.  Tomorrow is a busy day at work with my boss back for the first time in a month.  Maine is not far off…our van needs work….the boys are pissed at me for not letting them watch tv or play on the computer right now.  Eh well. Another Sunday.

Here's my first harvest of my pole beans....they were AMAZINGLY beany!!  So all is not bad.....

a couple of old pictures....

Then again not so old.....but from 2002-2003...

This is my parents on their 50th wedding anniversary in 2002 (a not very good scan of a snapshot but just the same....).

This is my Dad and Owen....Owen Joseph, that is. Owen has always loved firetruck so that Christmas my mother send my father out to buy a firetruck for Owen.  He returned with the biggest firetruck they had in the store---it even shoots water out.  Owen loved it so much that he insisted on sleeping with it in his crib. It was almost as big as him.  My father was rather pleased with himself.

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1.  Man, I was out of sorts last night.  Don't know why.  I got home and wanted to treat myself to some time to figure out a new banner for my blog.  I don't like any of the standard templates and I assumed I could figure it out.  I was wrong.  I hated all the pictures I had, got hung up because my damn connection is so fucked up and couldn't figure it out after all.  And it's really not important but it drove me crazy. All the kids playing in the yard were irritating me even though they weren't doing a thing wrong.  I wasn't upset with anyone or about anything but I just felt frustrated and headachy and grumpy.  Ernie tried to be helpful and sympathetic but when he saw our neighbor Rob he brightened up at the thought of friendly company and scurried outside.  I sat inside by myself (!) and watched Hell's Kitchen.  Every so often the Lego playing creatures infiltrated but I couldn't complain as they were so damn cute.  Honest to God, Linda has one of the cutest families I've ever seen in my life and of course I happen to think mine are pretty damn cute too. When Owen saw what he was watching he wailed "Oh, I LOVE this show....can I watch it with you?" and he curled up next me and let me sniff him and kiss the top of his head every so often.

Watching bad tv and having a glass of wine (as well as snuggling with Owen) finally eased me somewhat. I'm worried about my mother and feel like I'm not doing enough for her.  I get in these states and the future scares me. Instead of thinking how good most of the present is I get hung up on the future. STOP DOING THAT CYNTHIA.

2.  My doctor is increasing my blood pressure medication.  Maybe that will stop the headaches I've been getting too.  I'll cross my fingers as they sure as hell don't help anything.

3. So what do you think my blog banner should look like?  What  do you think would represent this blog?  Even though I put pictures of the guys up all the time somehow I don't want them on my banner.  I haven't been able to bring myself to change my tagline about having elderly parents....I think I'll have to leave it that way.  A week from today it will be two months since my father died.

4.  Another question to put to a vote:  Should Ernie agree to paint the dining room orange?  I guess if I were a really good blogger embed a little voting thing.  Oh well. Another time....

Not a bad evening but then again....

The evening started out fine. I left work fifteen minutes early, swung by the grocery store for something for dinner. I left almost $40 lighter.  How did that happen? I was just getting stuff for dinner....

O.K...I did get a 12-pack of beer
4 ears of corn
2 packages of thin pork chops....one would probably be enough but not if Owen is really hungry...
4 heads of garlic just because we were out
a package of hummus....I usually make my own but it looked good
some pita bread

How on earth does that add up to almost $40? Idon't know how I'm going to be able to afford these guys when they are teenagers. I was planning to throw the pork chops on the grill, steam the corn and have it with some of my swiss chard thinnings but right now it's after 7:00 and I haven't started anything and I'm
cross. Tired and cross. Owen slept with us last night and reminded mef why I don't want him sleeping with us. He's a noisy and active dreamer...of course that's true of him during the daytime too.

The boys were in major disgrace because of not sharing their damn playstation Indiana Jones game nicely. I turned it off and of course they acted as though I had shot them. Owen eventually cheered up after he went and apologized to Parker and Dema. Leo continues to look like a pained andsullen teenager. I was trying to sit outside and have a nice time RELAXING but between Leo's grumpiness and Owen whining because I
wouldn't get in the pool with him I gave up and came back inside feeling kind of like Leo. It's just one of those evenings that I wish my children would go away. Not too far mind you and I want them safe and moderately happy and all that....I just would like them to remove themselves from the premises until they are ready to happily fall asleep---and take all their Lego with them while they're at it.

Then I tried to figure out the fucking blood pressure machine because I'm supposed to be checking it three times a week and calling my doctor if it's over a certain number.  Checked it today at the pharmacy when I ran over to pick up my mother's new insulin.  It read 155/91 and I was rather embarrassed to leave that reading on the machine but nothing happened when I hit clear so I scurried out. Anyway so I got frustrated with the blood pressure thingy so Ernie picked it up, figured it out immediately and said his blood pressure was 107/63. I said fuck you but I think I did it lovingly.....kinda.

I gave up on dinner and tossed some macaroni and cheese at my children.  Now here I sit trying to force myself back into a good mood. It's not like anything bad happened....sometimes daily life just takes the oomph out of you. Then Ernie and I got into a discussion about whether we could manage to have my mother live with us. It's not a fun discussion.

Not a bad evening but then again not one of our best....

Random Summertime Notes from the Sandwich Life

1.  When we got Owen glasses last year before he started kindergarten we decided to splurge and get two pairs in case one went missing. This was VERY wise as he takes them off to play and was always misplacing a pair or leaving it at someone's house. 

Now....however....he has lost BOTH pair.  geesh.

2.  I think the whole family is bleary this morning.  The boys were up WAY too late but we had the loveliest evening, sitting in the yard and eating dinner with our dear friends Ann and Bob, watching Sophie, the guys and a gaggle of neighborhood kids dive in the pool, chase each other through the field and catch fireflies, listening to music (David Olney and lots of Kane Welch Kaplin), getting bitten by mosquitoes and watching the candles flicker.  I guess it truly is officially summer.

3.  T-ball game tonight for Owen....can't decide whether I want it rained out or not.

4.  Talked to my mother yesterday afternoon and she'd had a very hard day and was in tears. I torture myself sometimes trying to figure out whether we could fit her into our house.  I just don't know if I can make it work on a number of different levels.  One worry subsides and another is there waiting to take its place, huh?

5. Talked to Judi and ordered her to stay away from all things to do with cancer on the internet.  You can drive yourself crazy that way.  I totally understand because I have done it too....

6.  The Vertebrats radio clip from WGN is online....listen to them play the wrong song and hear from Kenny...oh and Ernie after a whiskey or two (to keep him up late)....

A song for Dad and me

There was a little storage/work area off the back of my parents' old house.  It was my father's domain,,,,he would putter around in there wearing his khaki colored work pants.  I don't think I ever saw my father in a pair of jeans.  When we got a 'new' stereo he put the old record player in there.  I can still smell the slightly musty smell in there and see the old fold out phonograph...

The other night Ernie was playing various cds in the kitchen while he was getting ready to put something on the grill.  I walked in the room just as he put this one on, saying "this is for you Cynthia" and I promptly burst into tears.  My father loved this song and I can still hear it echoing from the storage room....

T-ball, Pounding Hearts and Pop Songs

After work I went to Owen's first t-ball game and smirked myself silly.  I have rarely been so continually entertained for a solid hour.  Now if it had gone much longer it might have worn off but honest to god it was amusing.  We've got to figure out how to have Owen not play so hard all day on his t-ball days as yesterday he was damn tired by the time he got there....little yawns through the whole thing and his running was a somewhat sleepy lope for him.  He was incredibly happy throughout though.

He's bursting through all his clothes....he looked as though he could have eaten some of the other kids for a snack. I swear I'm going shopping this weekend. I had innocently figured that having two boys two years apart would give me hand-me-downs for the younger one.  Ha.

Leo chose to hang out at Grandma's house.  I don't mind as I think it's nice for them so have some time one on one. 

Just talked to my mother and she didn't sound so hot...she woke in the night with a pounding heart. Hmmmm.  I am taking her to see her doctor tomorrow so I guess if she seems o.k. we'll wait until then.

sigh.

Well, since I'm in popster kind of mood here's some more Phil Seymour---this time looking much cooler while playing drums for Dwight Twilley.  Notice a skinny little Tom Petty back there playing as well.  Ahhhhh......sweet babyfaced popsters....

Random Mildly Crappy Things

1.  I have a freaking cold.  How did this happen?  It's not horrendous although I felt somewhat rotten yesterday but I'm stuffed up, have a scratchy throat and feel ughish.  I hate colds in the summer.  DAMN.

2.  Yesterday the boys were obsessively playing their Indiana Jones Lego Playstation game (is that a bizarre concept or what?).  Ernie went to my mother's house (more on that later) and I was feeling pretty bad so I went to lay down upstairs and read.  I heard the boys scurrying about but didn't really think twice about it.  I was kind of amazed that they left me in peace but I wasn't going to question it.  I heard Ernie come in and went downstairs only to hear "THERE SHE IS."   The poor guys didn't know I was upstairs and thought they'd been left alone.  Talk about making a mother feel TERRIBLE.  Leo of course didn't say much but did look relieved. Owen however said it was very scary.  He told me it was o.k. but please to tell him next time when I went upstairs. He said he'd tried to take care of everything---that he got Leo two glasses of water and some waffles (God forbid Leo do something for himself) and that he was thinking maybe they should go over to Ricky's house since they were alone.  They were really shaken up.  They thought we'd left them all ALONE. My babies.  Even at bedtime Owen was reminding me to tell him next time I went upstairs. sigh.

3.  My mother lives in a little old Victorian cottage.  When they moved in about 7 years ago a couple of the ceiling were not in good shape and we had them replaced---I think it was part of the purchase negotiation.  When Debbie was here recently my mother pointed out to us a couple of cracks in the kitchen ceiling.  I sighed and said as soon as everything calms down we'll have someone out to look at it.

Yesterday Judi came over to visit.  After she left the phone rang. It was my mother.

dramatic pause.....

....part of the kitchen ceiling had fallen in.  Could we get a fucking break here?  She was o.k. but very, very shaken.  Ernie was dispatched and went over and helped Judi clean it up, pull down anything that still seemed loose.  Today they'll have to call and get someone over. 

Geesh.

4.  Other than that things are o.k.  I'm going to go lay down and read again.....but I'll tell the boys first.