May days..
A day last week stands out in my mind.
It was Thursday, a few days after we’d returned from our trip to Holland, "Mish" as Q insisted on calling it. The morning was busy. I’d taken the car to the dealership in the wee hours of the morning to have some seals or another replaced. It had taken a pleasant hour on the dealership shuttle van to get home. I always enjoy the small talk of strangers around me, even the asinine prattle of the redneck retiree from my little burg. Then a morning spent hauling the 4 year old to preschool in the rain. The 2.5 year old INSISTED loudly on coming along and actually, I was happy to take him. He’s an enthusiastic companion. He and I filled up the gas tank in the van and went to the grocery store for crockpot dinner provisions. Once home, I set him up to paint a masterpiece with fingerprints at the dining room table while I assembled a shrimp, kale, and white bean soup in the crockpot. It was easy enough to make and was very healthy with dried navy beans and barley but woefully bland tasting. I was able to find a few minutes to vacuum the living room/dining room and then time to pick up Q. I like the picking up better since the teachers/aides walk each child to their respective family vehicles in a neat orderly queue in the parking lot. No getting out and navigating a long downward staircase with a rambunctious 2 year old and back up again with 2 toddlers in tow.
We got home and I fed the boys (shamefully) on canned pasta with meatballs and fresh strawberries sprinkled sparingly with sugar..and milk! Lots of milk. I laid the boys down for a nap and even I could feel their little sighs of relief for the routine of it. We didn’t have them take naps during the four day jaunt and it had been a flurry of classes (tumbling and t-ball) and daycare and preschool since 20 minutes after we’d gotten home on Monday. I’d planned on unpacking suitcases and doing some laundry as they slept..but you know what? I didn’t. A spring storm started to rage merrily outside the windows. I made myself a large mug of green/orange mandarin tea and curled up on the sofa instead to watch a movie, SIlver Linings Playbook, instead. Happiness warmed me from the inside out during those precious 2 hours as my babies slept, the rain and lightening watered the small world of my neighborhood and I spent companionable time just watching a good movie which I do so rarely these days.
Epitome of perfection.
Which makes the misery of days at work like yesterday easier to forget. I dunno what was so bad about it but it was. I was in tears by the end of the day and just sat at the table in the breakroom for a quarter of an hour before getting the nerve to drive home. Working with people half my age is sometimes a livening thing…and sometimes plain awful. By the end of the day I felt unable to ask any questions for fear of the snippy replies. No one said goodbye. I was busy checking on the location of an errant chart and the other 2 just..left. I know it will pass and the day was probably worse in my mind than it actually was..but..
I came home. Drank wine. Stewed. Fell asleep early and woke thinking of a more perfect day in May instead.
Today is cool and lovely outside. Frank is mowing our redneck-looking long grass. I’ll take the boys out in a bit to "help" clean up the flower beds. Q has been itching to plant flowers for 2 or 3 weeks now. We are going to make two tiny raised flowers beds for the boys. I’ll let them pick out what plants they want to plant in them, help them lightly with the planting and let them water them in the evenings.
Today is my brother’s birthday. I will call him and see if we can meet later tonight for a drink.