June 10, 2004

• Vehicular Homicide (Or ... Does Anyone Know Where I Can Buy a Used Tank ... Cheap?)

  
  

  Remember how it was that after the big storm on May 29 I was driving home and the tree fell across the road and then there was this van that rear-ended me?  The appraiser for the Insurance Company of the other driver made it out to see my car.  And - he says that it's totaled.  Okaaaaaaaaay.  In January, my car was a Ford Windstar mini-van.  After the divorce negotiation, my car was a Mercury Sable.  The Sable had a meltdown on the Interstate in Maryland.  Then I got a Ford Focus.  I've had the Ford Focus SIX weeks, and it's totaled.  I'm six months into the year and I'm looking to own my fourth vehicle. 

  
  

  I noticed something as I was typing up the list of vehicles ... they were all in the Ford family.  Maybe, this is a part of my problem?  Maybe Fords and I should not be joined in holey drivemony?

  
  

  The job at Waldenbooks is going well.  I like it, I get to putter around a bookstore and talk to the people who wander in about the books they want to read.  What's not to like?  My birthday is next Friday, so when I was being taught about the computer system and the ordering processes, I picked out a book I wanted to have and I'm giving it to myself with my handy dandy employee discount.  It will be HARD to resist spending unreasonable amounts of money on books while I'm there.  But I'm determined to try.  (Plus, I'm shopping for a CAR all over again!)  Ay yi yi!

  
  

  I'm staying busy (See the previous blog where I compare my mother to the Angel of Death).  I knew when I came here that she had a list of things that she wanted me to "help" her do over the course of my six week stay.  I'm mostly through that list now.  And I'm beginning to feel a little tired.  My brother is supposed to get here in the next half hour and he's going to help me move and set up two bedrooms.  After that, the single remaining chore on the list is "wash the windows inside and out".

  
  

  While I'm doing the Spring Cleaning, I also have the charge of four boys, and I'm taking care of the daily housekeeping and cooking chores.  There are only five people actually living in the house, but I have found that more often than not I'm cooking for ten.  My sister's family finds it convenient to dine here because they have such a narrow window between the time the parents get off work and they have to be back to the park for baseball games.  My brother is here about 4 out of 7 nights because that's more convenient than driving the hour and a half back to his house after his classes (summer school to get that Master's in Education).  No problem, I have the whole hee haw gang eating lo-carb menus from the South Beach Diet. 

  
  

  Yesterday, Cheryl and I took the kids to the water park for the afternoon.  I used sunscreen, but I wore a different suit that exposed very white skin and now I have some bright red stripes where those tan lines used to be.  After I baked (and napped) beside the pool, I offered to buy the kids an ice cream cone on the way home.  My nephew, Jared, looked a little worried about this, "Aunt Terri, do you think if I get an ice cream cone, it could have ice cream in it?"

  
  

  I'm really enjoying the Water Park.  There is an amusement park attached to it with roller coasters and the whole nine yards, summer concert series with a different group in every Saturday night.  Leeanne Rimes was there last week, I don't remember who's on the slate this week.  The one I'm the most interested in is next weekend when Rebecca St. James will perform.  I'm thinking that would be a great way to celebrate my birthday. 

  
  

  We've been to the park often enough now that the kids are getting familiar with the facility and I've been able to relax my guard a bit.  I find a comfortable chair in a central location where I have a full view of the pool that the smaller kids like best.  Then I just more or less snooze while they play.  There are life guards stationed every six feet around the edges of the pool and they have yet to let a parent beat them to a kid in trouble.  In fact there's one lifeguard I'm particularly impressed with.  I've already seen her rescue three little ones who wanted to try the walk across the lilypads even though that pool is pretty deep and they can't swim. 

  
  

  Tucker is finally tall enough to play on the big water slides and he's loving it.  For the kids who want to do that, my rule is that they have to come and check in with me between each trip down so if I haven't seen one in about 15 minutes, I know to go looking.  (But they also know that if they "forget" they are grounded to the kiddie pool, so I haven't had to hunt one down yet.)  Aaaaaah, life is good. 

  
  

  Now I just need to find that used tank and all will be perfect.

  
  

   

  • 6:13 pm
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