Re-evaluating

I've been re-evaluating. Not hard when you have hours of empty time stretching ahead of you with no plan, no agenda and no air conditioning.

My evaluations have been focused on me. My home. My clutter. My life. My savings account.

What have I learned? What indeed. I have learned that I can have a good attitude, that I can focus on what's important when I'm not focused on the daily bullshit, that my son is better adjusted when I'm calm. I suppose that goes without saying.

I recently spent a prolonged weekend with some family members, my sister-the-martyr among them. You see where I'm going with this? She's one of the most negative people I've ever known. She complains about everything but is also passive-agressive so that everyone else suffers in the shadow of her suffering.

As she is my sister, it's in my contract that I must humbly admit that I was once like this. I may still be, but I am attempting to turn in my martyrdom for some peace and possitivity in my life.

And you know what? It's working!

Oh sure, there are lots of great things about being a martyr, llike watching everyone around you walk on pins and needles, and the satisfaction of constant complaining. But, at the end of the day, you're dead.

I'm so thankful to not be that person anymore. I'm grateful to the powers-that-be that have helped me grow as a person. Especially since I may be in the midst of a mid-life crisis.

How would you handle a mid-life crisis - sport car or motorcycle. Personally, I'm leaning toward the motorcycle. It might be easier to borrow.

Days of Yore

That's a big pickle.

One of the advantages to being a little further off the beaten path, but still within spitting distance of civilization, is the abundance of open space (i.e. "fairgrounds") that make it possible for things like a local Renaissance Faire to crop up within easy driving distance.

I'm talking 20 minutes from home.

Same with the local agricultural fairs. They're all within 10 to 40 minutes from our house. "All" being the ones we are inclined to go to. There are more. But we don't have to go to them because we have some closer to home.

With the exception of the New York State Fair in Syracuse. Sometimes we go to that one too, on the pretext of visiting family. But I digress.

This weekend we attended the geographically close Ren Faire. We still needed the Garmin, but when we got there we were so surprised. The fairgrounds were in the middle of a middle-class suburban neighborhood. Seriously, smack-dab in the middle.

My son, who loves the whole concept of dressing like a knight (pronounced K-Ni-Git), complete with "armor," sword, belt, helmet, gauntlets, etc, couldn't wait to get there. If you get there when the faire opens for the day, as we did, entering the grounds is a bit like running the gauntlet. All of the actors are lined up on either side to greet and welcome.

The boy, as he was dressed as knight, almost immediately found himself surrounded by the king, the prince and their knights.

Freaked him out and he couldn't face them. They let us pass without further molestation, as it were.

As we have discovered in previous visits to Ren Faires, the fun is in the games. We practiced throwing axe heads (I was pretty freakin' good!), knives and axes, and shooting crossbows and longbows. But the boy's favorite part was taunting a knight. The game is called "Smite the Knight" and is pretty much what it sounds like.

You try to hit a knight with a bopper sword while he tries to hit you.

The knight's rules: no hitting in the face or the "pouch". He wore a pouch as a codpiece. My guy got him in the pouch at least once. I had no problem with that. This particular knight was a bit of "too much cocky" as it was.

We watched some horsemen practice their skills with a lance. We watched players do terrible things to Shakespeare (for fun), we listened to musicians play the dulcimer and the celtic harp, and heard strains of bagpipes. We stood in line for far too long waiting for a freakin' hot dog. We made some purchases and got too much sun.

When it was time to leave, it took only 20 minutes to get home. And we got there before dinnertime.

In the fall, we'll have to drive farther for our Ren Faire fix. And we'll have to stop for dinner on the way home. But that's part of the fun too.

And in the fall, I will go in costume, because I realized that my fears about being seen in costume yesterday by people I might know and don't like were unfounded. Those people would probably never be caught dead at a Ren Faire. I guess it is good for me that they are so narrow minded. Also, in the fall, chances of running into anyone I know are even slimmer than they were yesterday.

Pollen Green Day

I can't get over how green it is outside. Most of the trees have sprung their leaves and they're all the bright green of new leaf life. Add to that the vibrant blue of the sky and it's blinding out there in its brightness.

I am eternally grateful to the gods of nasal passages that I do not have allergies related to nature's coming out party. Although I suppose the requisite drugs might make it enjoyable, I don't think it's worth it.

Case in point, last night my son had his first evening of "track camp". He was outside after an early dinner, running the 100, throwing the discus, and tackling the long jump. This revelry lasted about an hour and a half. Later, after a snack, shower, and some reading, while trying to sleep, he started coughing this awful, barking, full body cough that sounded as though all of his insides were being expelled.

Needless to say (or is it?) that none of us got any sleep last night. He couldn't get comfortable in his bed so he slept in ours for awhile. Then back to his. Then back to ours. The night dragged on and the cough kept us all awake.

It was so bad that he stayed home from school today and is currently napping. Something I should be doing as well. But alas, I have forgotten laundry that needs attention. As well as general cleaning because I have company coming tomorrow.

I have to make an effort to clean out all of the spiders who have moved in to the various corners and window sills of the house. They're everywhere, dropping on you without a word of warning.

I think it's too green for them outside too. Unless they just feel like they're less of target for all of the hungry birds out there. We have a veritable food chain around here.

What's for dinner, Mom?

Rotisseri chimpmunk. YUM!

(Oh, please. You don't think I skewer tiny rodents and cook them on a rotisseri, do you?)

Yes, I know this is a cardinal and not a chipmunk. I may be blonde, but I'm not an idiot.

Most of the time.