Jimmy Got Soul

I just put a casserole in the oven. Now I’m on my laptop returning e-mails, editing a direct mail piece and sending out an estimate for writing a brochure. Suddenly, I realize… I have kids. My head jerked up from the screen and I started the room scan. Then I spotted kid number one. The one who needs the most eagle eye. And, low and behold, the Bean has opened the cabinet and taken out all of the cups. They are now spread out into the dining room. She has also begun the daunting task of shredding our Food & Wine magazines. And then eating them. (At least they’re gourmet.) But instead of stopping her from ingesting magazine ink and the rocks from inside the coffee tree pot and the leaves that have blown in from the back deck, I’m blogging. The potatoes may burn. The Bean may throw up one of those annual cooking magazine compilations from ingesting the full year's worth of issues. Miss 6 may have brain rot from TV — she’s already decided to be Clifford for Halloween after many such marathon sessions. But, by god, I’ll have a blog…

And so it goes…

That was all on Thursday. Now it’s Sunday. And I’m just getting back to this entry. I didn’t work on Friday, but I did spend the day trying (futilely) to interpret what clenched fists and voice eruptions mean in Bean-speak. She was obviously p***ed off by every one of my actions on Friday. The food wasn’t being shoveled into the mouth fast enough. The socks (as always) were a nagging nuisance. The picking up was for putting down was for picking up. And neither one was right. Sleep was awake and awake was asleep. I decided to call it backwards day and have a glass of wine early.

I rely on the old vine to unwind. And since my family lineage is rife with alcoholics on both sides, it can be a cause for alarm. But since my one glass never turns into 10 (or even 5), we can all relax. I just pretend I’m European. ☺

Since this has now become a blog in phases over the course of two weeks, I guess that pretty much speaks for itself. Why just yesterday as I loaded the crew into the loaner car… (The actual car is in the shop. It decided – precisely on the day we made the last payment – that it wasn’t going to be quite as cooperative as it had been under warranty. Now due to the fact that we own a Volvo model that is no longer made, it is less than convenient to have it repaired. Oh joy. I guess the upside is that we are pretty original in car choice – going against the rest of the state which is rife with Suby Outbacks – the Colorado state car. ☺) But anyway, Neighbor Jane and I happened to be in the driveway at the same time so I said, “Off to the last leg of today’s marathon!” This was at 5:30 pm and we had just gotten back from the earliest dinner in history to avoid school cafeteria pizza at the elementary school’s Fall Fest. Before that we went to the ATM to get cash for dinner and the event. (Remember, the hubby insists that we go to our own bank for these transactions to avoid the $3 fee. So this is a cross-town trip.) Before that was a quick call with my new artist friend in SC on our upcoming creative collaboration. Before that was pick up from after school Spanish. Before that was, “Bean! Wake up! Time to get Tee-ta!” Before that was e-mail catch up. Before that it was Bean nap time. Before that was Bean wrangling (No eating rocks! No leaves! No books!) Before that it was a lengthy meeting with our web development team regarding a new project. Before that – a quick work out. Before that the morning pre-school rush. (You get the picture.)

So, in summary, life is the same. Full-to-overflowing. The good news is that the money from all of that summer work is finally trickling in. Which means, NEW SHOES! I got the cutest Uggs in history and don’t even care if they are out according to the fashion-istas. I also bought a shirt that I love, but have trouble wearing because everyone comments on it. I am really stupid like that. I find something unique that I love and must have, but hate it when it calls attention to me. I’m a freak.

So yesterday, Miss 6 didn’t have school and we decided to go on a bike ride. I had already worked out on the elliptical (pretty intensely, I might add) thinking that a bike ride with Miss 6 and the Bean would be nothing less than a 10-minute stroll. It started out mellow enough. A quick outing to have lunch at the nearby café. Miss 6 on her bike, Bean in the burley. No biggie. Then we hit the trail. I told Miss 6 to let me know when she wanted to turn around and it seems that she never did. An hour out, she gives the signal. I was shocked. And proud. So we head back (which is the uphill part) and she starts to complain. “This is hard.” “My legs hurt.” I stifled the urge to shout a very loud, “I TOLD you we should have turned sooner!” And then stifled the overly adrenaline-charged Boulder parental instinct to say, “Tough it out!” Instead I came up with a plan. “So what you do,” I say over my shoulder, over the now asleep Bean whose head was touching her chest due to the weight of her little helmet, “is think about how fun this is. How we’re out on a beautiful fall day. Because if you tell yourself it’s hard, it will be.” To my complete and utter amazement, it worked. She started a song, “This is so fun. Today is so beautiful.” And didn’t ask to stop again.

>>SIDE NOTE: As we round the last curve towards the trailhead, we see a helicopter crash land in the field ahead. I had just called out, “Look! A helicopter!” And then realized — too late — said helicopter was flying a bit too low. It reminded me of the time we were in a restaurant with TVs on and I said, “Oh look! An elk!” Just as Miss 6 lifted her eyes to the screen, someone shot it. It was a hunting show. (Yea. Like that.)

We wouldn’t have stopped except that when we hit the very steep hill close to home, my bike malfunctioned. I had just had it tuned, so imagine my surprise when I shifted to granny gear and I hear all sorts of protesting pops and suddenly realize, “I’m on a very steep hill, pulling the baby and I have no chain.” Sh**! The bad news is that I am not very coordinated, so trying to extract my feet from the pedal clips in an emergency is not always foolproof. (I once wrecked while standing still at a stoplight — falling into and knocking over the hubby because of this same issue.) I had a moment or so of, “I’m going down” before I suddenly had a free foot and made contact with the ground. The thing is that I’m not always apt to have remembered to use my brake because I’m panicked. Luckily I did this time. Miss 6 said, “Mommy? What are you doing?”

It took a little bit before I remembered how to put the chain back on. (Another of my many brain farts that happen much more frequently now.) Chain re-engaged, but certain gears ceasing their function, we finish the hill and round the corner to home. We search for and find the third seed in the quartet we must put together by Monday for Miss 6’s homework and make it home. Unscathed, but covered in bike grease. As we pull into the drive, Miss 6 says, “Can we ride our bikes to soccer practice?” Huh?

But we did and lived even though the route to soccer practice is 100% uphill too. It was a full, fun day. Topped off by girls’ night at AV’s. (I wore the new shirt and survived that too. Even though there were many comments. ☺) I crawled into bed around 11:30 pm, legs aching and nether regions completely bike-sore since I forgot to wear bike shorts. (At least I earned that piece of cake.)

TODAY’S THEME SONG: Jackson. Johnny Cash. I just bought The Essential Johnny Cash and this one’s my fav…