Watching the Grass Grow: Saturday Six-Pack

I feel as though this week went by in a flash. I'm not complaining, because every week that flies by like this one did gets me one step closer to summer vacation. But, sheesh! This one was fast enough to give me a good case of whiplash. Speaking of whiplash, one of my non-highlights of the week was trying (and maybe succeeding) to give myself a concussion. As graceful as always, I slammed my eyebrow/forehead into the top of the car door earlier this week...not on the roof, as I usually do, but smashed my head right into the damn door as I was lowering myself into the car. As I continue to have visions of dying a la Natasha Richardson, my head reminds me every day that I. am. a. moron. Here are some of my better, and not-so-hot, moments of the week.

1. I can not tell you how excited I am that we bought a riding mower this week. Okay, so it clashes with my flip-flops, but then so does my nail polish. Mowing the grass was one of my favorite chores as a kid, and today I remembered why. Except now my legs and hips hurt from holding myself on the mower all the times I thought I'd slide right out of the seat.

2. My brother is finally making moves to get my old car running. I "gave" it to him months ago when his car bit the dust, but he's just now gotten around to putting a battery in it and cleaning it up. I got sad for it and started missing it as soon as I saw it running, but I'm glad he's going to be able to use it, and I hope it lasts a while. I mean, it's a 1990 Chevy Corsica, and it's seen some wear and tear, but it's a great car. Because my brother was here last night and today working on the car, my niece Lilly got to come hang out with Andrew. They had a great time swinging, playing in the sandbox, playing soccer, just running (did that used to be FUN?), and blowing bubbles at each other. Ahhh, to be a kid.

So the swing we built two weeks ago WILL support two kids. Yippee!

A wicked big bubble.

3. I have spent the last three days nursing a sick goldfish. And if one more person tells me to just flush him, I'm going to go off. Jiggah, of the golfish duo Booty and Jiggah, Grandpop's ingenius Christmas present to Andrew, has swim bladder disease. So, he's clearly a little over-inflated, or the air is all on one side, or something, and the poor guy is practically upside down and unable to really steer himself anywhere. We are on day two of antibiotics in the water and feeding the fish the insides of thawed green peas. They both get the same treatment even though only one's sick. I spent thirty minutes this afternoon scooping Jiggah up in a small glass so that I could make sure he ate some of the pea, which is supposedly a sure-fire treatment for this affliction. I really hope it works...

Jiggah in his original home, the fishbowl.

4. I was nominated to speak at our school's 8th grade "finals" ceremony (graduation). I declined to be put on the ballot, though. If they had asked me to write something, I could have handled it, but a public speaker, I am not. But it was nice to be asked.

5. I love the lake, and I love our new place there. I do. But we didn't go this weekend, and I gotta tell you, there's nothing like being at home on a Saturday morning in the spring. I stayed in bed and read until after eleven, then puttered around the house all day cleaning up messes and disarray that have been piling up during our hectic weeks and AWOL weekends. It's good to be home.

Andrew and James on the front porch of the lake shack.

6. Speaking of the lake shack, there it is, in all its tiny little glory. We worked last weekend on a project to enclose my sister's bedroom so she doesn't have to sleep in the living room. I was also privileged to attend my first ever Bassmaster Elite Series fishing tournament, the Blue Ridge Brawl. Watching people fish is like watching paint dry, and watching people watching people fish is even worse. But there were some cool things to do and see, and we had fun. It's good to be home, but it's also good to be there. And it's good to have choices.