Green Days

Greetings from the Amazon.

Not really. It's just so green outside. Green and misty and the grass and weeds are so long they are like alien beings trying to choke us out and take over the planet. So the dinosaurs can return.

I was reading in another blog how, in the mid/southwest, it's been a very wet Spring. Ditto for us in the northeast. Haven't seen much sun the past few weeks and when we do we try to take advantage of it as much as possible.

In addition to the rain, we have been beseiged by ants. Tiny little sugar ants, menacing big black carpenter ants. And moths. Stupid moths. I don't know where they're coming from. Maybe from my open mouth when I'm sleeping (snoring).

I have always tried to live with respect for other life forms. But when they move into your house, get into your cupboards and food, and don't even have the courtesy to pay rent, well... I get more than a little disrespectful for their life and the invasion on mine.

And if the rain and the bugs aren't enough, the allergies to tree pollen are killing us this year. With all the beautiful, lush life unfolding around us, comes the sneezing and the coughing and the undereye bags. My poor little guy has hardly been able to function the past few days. Even with an antihistamine. We finally got him on some serious meds and he's doing much better. Sleeping through the night.

It really is amazing how green everything is out there. The whole indoors is taking on a green cast. My son keeps commenting on how it's like a jungle out there. With all of the bird noise, it certainly sounds it. He might be on to something. Maybe the dinosaurs are making their way back.

I hope not. I can deal with harmless snakes, but I'm not a fan of reptiles.

Mother's Day

Yesterday I spent Mother's Day with family. My Mom likes to say that she feels everyday is Mother's Day.

I have to agree. I don't really go in for these Hallmark holidays. In fact, the commercialism that comes with these holidays annoys the hell out of me. And there's a lot of hell in me to be annoyed.

However, my beautiful little boy made the day special for me. His father is traveling, but they worked together and what I got was something that can only come from an 8 year old.

Breakfast on a tray. My breakfast was a cup of yogurt, corn on the cob and a chocolate carrot (left over from some Easter past). With a huge glass of milk to wash it down. Junior felt this was a healthy breakfast for me. Yum!

Later in the day we went to my brother's for mimosas and too much food. A mutual consensus was reached that next time we'll just have snacks and dessert. Who needs dinner when there's guacamole and brownies?

It was a beautiful day. We spent it outside in the scent of lilacs while trying to keep our wine glasses from blowing away. That seemed to be the primary thing on the table worth saving. And we figured it was unlikely that the shrimp would blow away. The kids were taking turns driving the tractor. They set up the ramp for their bikes, bounced out some energy on the trampoline and threw a few oversized frisbees around.

We got home late and when my husband called we remembered that there was something else the boy was supposed to do for me.

It was a card with a huge purple and pink heart on it. He didn't feel like writing in it, so he used pictograms to write out Happy Mother's Day. Love,

And then we cuddled.

In my house, every day IS Mother's Day.

ps. Check out today's astronomy picture below. It's really cool.

Rainbows

The sun has been noticeably absent the past few weeks here in the northeast. But it has made an appearance today. I was shocked to see it shining in the new leaves on the trees when I looked out of the window first thing. Even without my glasses I could see that it wasn't raining.

It's still humid though. I call this "Bad Hair Season". It's time to pull out the paper bag and put it over my head until sometime in September. I have a collection of summer hats. I wear them to keep the sun off my face. The fact that they cover up my fuzzy head doesn't hurt either.

I was aware of my bad temper the past few days. My alter ego, Cranky Bitch, came to visit for a few days. She, along with her friend Bad Mother, were extremely unpleasant to be around. Especially for the offspring. Guilty Mother has since driven away Bad Mother and has been trying to make amends, be more easygoing, laugh, and say "Yes!" to chocolate milk. Maybe Cranky Bitch just had too much caffeine which turned her into Bad Mother. Can't be sure. It's hard to tell them apart some days.

My office window is hung with my collection of prisms. When the sun comes out, there are dancing rainbows all over the place. I love to watch the dancing rainbows. They transform this drab, cluttered offcie space. And they drive Cranky Bitch right out of the house.

It's dorky, but it's true.

To Boldy Go

We have turned our 8 year old into a Trekkie. Or Trekker depending on what you view as the politically correct Trek terminology.

Last summer we watched the original Star Wars trilogy with him (Episodes 4, 5, and 6 for the purists). Then we moved on to Episodes 1, 2, and the animated Clone Wars. He opted out of watching Episode 3. He knew what Anakin's final outcome would be and I guess he just wasn't willing to watch the carnage. Not that watching the Clone Wars seemed to bother him.

What is it with boys and carnage?

For Christmas, the original Trekkie in the household requested the original series on DVD. Santa delivered, and we've worked our way through season one. Junior really likes it and is already on a first-name basis with the primary characters.

He likes to sit in the bathroom and say things like "I canna hold her together, cap'n", followed up by "that's Scottie."

He also refers to the Enterprise at NC-1701.

I think we may have created a monster. We were hoping for more of a thoughtful outcome. As in "let's solve our problems with ideas" rather than photon torpedos. He likes the ideas. He also likes the torpedos.

I didn't watch the original Star Trek. I was a Lost In Space kinda girl. And Bewitched. Who needs technology when you can just wiggle your nose to get what or want, or talk into the air to communicate, or say a little rhyme to summon someone. Calling Dr. Bombay!

I belatedly discovered Star Trek via the Motion Picture(s) and, of course, Star Trek: TNG, and subsequent iterations. So seeing the original series, mostly for the first time, with my Junior Trekker, is pretty damn cool.

He's already planning a line of costumes. And a life size model of NCC-1701.

I don't think the yard is big enough.

Tequila Days

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I'm already off to a poor start with nothing stronger than coffee. None of my tequila-drinking friends are nearby enough to join for margaritas for breakfast. It's just as well. I have some driving to do today and the weather is not conducive to tequila induced driving. Especially since, in my advanced age, tequila makes me sleepy.

I'm not really that old. I don't feel that old. My husband likes to remind me how old he is, thus how old I am by association. This is where my denial muscle kicks in and I refuse to accept the age thing. You're as young as you feel, right? Well, then I'm 23 and I'll be out until 10pm enjoying Mexico's holiday. I'd stay out later, but there's no place to go around here after 10pm.

We're in the middle of nowhere, remember?

However, if I provide some nuts, I'm sure I could get a group of squirrels together. With enough tequila, I could probably keep up with the conversation.