Maybe the Light at the End of the Tunnel ISN'T a Freight Train

For the first time in recent memory; I can't complain about Daylight saving Time. I know, I'm shocked, too. But, really, this year the change didn't kick me in the ass like it has in past years. In fact, when I woke up yesterday, I was happy to greet the sunshine, and, having an extra hour of sunlight went a long way in pulling me out of the godawful funk that the winter had sucked me down into.

I took advantage of the sunlight by cleaning out my flowerbeds (Tulips! Daffodils! Peony shoots!) and, by checking my compost to see how it fared over the winter (Not well. Adjustments were made). I also mentally tilled, fertilized and planted my vegetable garden. Actual tilling, fertilizing and planting won't take place for another month or so, but; a girl can dream.

I came thisclose to power-washing the porch but realized that it would be difficult to do without a power-washer, so; that will have to wait as well, but, not for long since I want the porch in top-notch shape before prom happens at the end of April.

The weather has also gotten the memo that spring has arrived and we are expecting temperatures in the high 60's for the duration of the week. That means I will be back to walking in the park. I've missed my walks and my ass will thank me for the exercise.

Speaking of exercise, the Man-Cub got in quite a workout this weekend, at his wrestling tournament in Pixler. He won four-out of six of his matches, placing 5th out of 16 teams. That's not too shabby. And, he looked good doing it.

We are quite proud of him.

When I wasn't watching the Cub wrestle or soaking in the sunshine, I was cleaning the house; vacuuming up the equivalent of a small dog. Happily, with the nicer weather also comes the opportunity to leave the real dog outside at night. My allergies will delight in the change.

Also delightful; Finnigan is back to his old self. The hellcat reigns supreme.

And, The Teenager's recent acquisition of her driver's license has freed me from driving her to and from volleyball practices. I'm really starting to appreciate this "growing up" nonsense.

Just a little.

In Which I Never Complain About the School Drop-Off Lane Again

The Teenager drove herself to school this morning; making today the first school day in over a decade that I have not battled inept drivers in the drop-off lane. You would think that I would be thrilled with this turn of events and, I am. I'm just...processing the change. That's it; I'm processing.

The Teenager also drove herself to Hooterville to watch a soccer game last night and I only made her call to check in when she arrived at the soccer field. And, you know, when she left the soccer field. I don't plan to continue this Helicopter-Mom business for the long term, but, for now; one could grow dizzy from watching my blades spin. I own that.

In my defense, the Man-Cub walks to school every morning because he likes to get there early for open-gym time. I don't supervise the walk nor do I require him to call me upon arriving at the school (you know, anymore), so, I am less helicoptery than some parents.

SpellCheck refuses to recognize helicoptery as a word. Clearly, SpellCheck has no children over which to hover.

In news unrelated to my offspring, or, to my paranoid parenting of such; I think I have finally managed to kick my cold to the curb, at least, I am able to breathe without coughing, today.

This begs the question of whether or not I was actually allergic to the school drop-off lane. I'm going to go with yes.

Milestones: Can The Stress Lead to Kidney Stones in Parents? Discuss

The Teenager got her first car on her fifth birthday. At the time it was both fashionable and affordable. It topped out of a speed of 5 MPH, cornered like it was on rails, and; the child was in heaven when she drove it. Unfortunately, she had a bit of a lead-foot back then but, lucky for her, she had an "in" with the local police department.

I'm going to issue you a warning, today, miss. Please sign, here. Press hard; five copies.

With any luck, she has outgrown the need for speed and the remainder of her driving career will be without incident, because, today; she got her driver's license.

Her newest car goes a bit faster than 5 MPH.

Hold me.

It's all good, Mom.

No, really, someone hold me. Please.

At Least She Didn't Pass Out

The Teenager's good intentions came to naught, yesterday, when the staff of the Blood Mobile denied her donation due to the fact that she weighed one pound under their minimum weight. Girlfriend was bummed. I encouraged her to eat a sandwich and to try again next time.

Part of me wonders if her insistence on donating has something to do with her wanting to stock up on good Karma prior to taking her driving test at the Department of Motor Vehicles tomorrow; she may have seen doing a good deed as a way of a gaining Universal Karmic Insurance for a passing grade and the acquisition of her license.

I'm not sure it works that way, but then, what do I know?

One thing I do know is that I will be sworn in as Club Secretary for my women's club come the end of May and, I know this because I got a sneak peek at the ballots and, despite what I was promised when I agreed to run for the office; I am the only candidate on the ballot. This precludes me from campaigning for my competition and ensures a "win" for me despite my fervent wish for exactly the opposite outcome.

Well played, Nominating Committee. Well played.

On the other hand, it isn't the office of First Vice President, which guarantees a three-year sentence commitment so; there's that.

Also, if I take certain liberties with the official meeting Minutes, the position could prove quite entertaining. Not that I would do that; I'm just saying.

But, if I did do it, I would be sure to donate some blood to make up for it. And, I guarantee they would not turn me away for being underweight. Unfortunately.

I Bet You Believe in the Easter Bunny, Too

One of our High School's numerous clubs is hosting a blood drive today, and, The Teenager is donating for the first time. I'm really hoping it goes better for her than it usually goes for me. Or, in the event that is doesn't; I really hope the club is stocked up on orange juice and sugar cookies.

Speaking of sugar cookies, it is day 14 of Lent and, in a totally unexpected turn of events; I have craved not one ounce of chocolate. Or, any other candy, for that matter. I have also had no difficulty refraining from a potato chip binge or from stuffing myself to the gills with donuts, cookies or other assorted pastries. And, we had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory while in Denver this weekend. Pre-Lent me would have totally snarfed down several slices of that cheesecake, I assure you. Lent me? Totally above the need for sugar. Totally.

Granted, I have been sick but; I am going to credit my willpower for this stellar Lenten performance while relegating the inability to take a deep breath without coughing and the fact that my throat is too sore to swallow all the way back to the end of the line in reasons for this accomplishment.

You believe me, right?

And, you also believe that, once Lent is over; I will refrain from executing a Cadbury Egg raid on the children's Easter baskets, right?

Right.

Best Laid Plans and All That

This weekend was supposed to be a relaxing series of days during which I would rest and, hopefully, recover from whatever demon had invaded my sinus cavities. I had planned to take the Man-Cub to his wrestling tournament on Saturday and, as a reward for what I knew would be his hard work and demonstration of good sportsmanship, to a favorite restaurant for breakfast on Sunday. I had already finished my housework, freeing myself to sleep in, and, I was really looking forward to chilling on the couch with mug upon mug of hot tea with lemon and honey; knowing that my sore throat would thank me for the effort. The weekend was totally planned.

You know what they say about best-laid plans, right?

Thursday, the brand new computers at the store decided to shit the bed. Hugh was on the phone with our advice line from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. with no end to the problem in sight. Since he was supposed to leave the house for The Teenager's volleyball tournament in Denver at 3:30, this was a problem.

I am not tech-savvy enough to talk the advice line through the issues that we were experiencing and it became rapidly apparent that I was going to have to take the girls to Denver (we had already committed to giving one of The Teenager's team mates a ride), which, I did. In a snowstorm. In the dark.

Have I mentioned that I am not the most confident driver in the snow? Or, that my night vision sucks under the best of circumstances? Yeah.

The trip took six and a half hours; we arrived at our hotel at almost 11:00, exhausted, hungry and, in my case, with a fever and a throat so sore and swollen, the simple act of swallowing had become too painful to contemplate.

At 6:00 the following morning, we hit the ground running and we didn't stop for the next three days.

Three days of early mornings, late nights, city driving (which, with the exception of a particularly hazardous journey through a horrifyingly vertical parking garage, I surprised myself with being quite good at; who knew?), numerous hours spent sitting on a cold concrete floor, waiting for games to begin followed by eight volleyball games to cheer through.

The girls did ok. We lost all but one game and, I blame the coach, with whom Hugh will probably have words again before this season is (thankfully) over. But, they got to experience something different, due to the sheer size of the tournament.

And, I felt like pounded dog shit through the entire thing.

On the bright side, The Teenager did find a prom dress, we had a lot of laughs with her and her team mate (who is a doll and to whom I would offer a ride, anywhere, anytime) and, I got to visit my dad in the hospital, where he has been since his surgeries in February (he's doing great).

We finally got home a little before 8:00 last night and, while I would love to say that I got to finally relax and drink those mugs of hot tea; that would be a lie.

Instead, I got to do three days worth of dishes, because, apparently; I am the only adult in my household capable of placing dishes in the dishwasher or of running a sink full of soapy water. I would make a joke about job security at this point but, I'm still too exhausted to do so.

After work this afternoon, I plan to crawl into my bed and I'm not planning to come out again until tomorrow morning. Of course, we all know how well planning actually works out for me, so...yeah...that's not going to happen.

Hello, Gorgeous!

March! March! March! The first official day of spring!

Shut up, it is in my house.

And, it's finally here! We'll see slightly longer days which means more hours of sunlight which means I will be able to get outside in the fresh air and will finally be able to shake off this godawful funk; making me ten times less likely to start shooting random strangers with a Nerf Gun from the roof of our house, yay!

Oh, March, how I love you! I'm even willing to overlook the wind that you inevitably bring to the party, in fact, I'll make the best of it; I'll fly a kite or something.

Kites, wow. I haven't thought about flying kites in years; my day is already so much brighter just thinking about that.

And, speaking of brighter things, The Teenager had a big day yesterday; she got her braces off. She went from this....

to this....

...and she could not be more pleased. Her new smile brightens my day almost as much as the coming of spring.

Almost.

To add to my happiness; Finnigan continues to show improvement. He is back to jumping and running and launching himself from great heights. Do I worry that such activity could be bad for a cat with a suspected heart defect? Sure. Am I going to do anything to curtail his normal feistiness? Not on your life; he's happy. And, that'll do.

Also, Spellcheck does not recognize feistiness in any way, shape or form. Spellcheck needs to get out more.

And, speaking of getting out, I went to a get-together with the Porch Night Ladies last night. We gathered at the home of one of the ladies for a Mexican feast, sangria and good conversation. I have missed the Ladies and we are all looking forward to the coming of summer and a re-opening of the porch, which, will happen so much sooner now that spring has arrived.

Shut up, it has in my house.