Dance Card

And just like that, it happens. After a fun day at the museums with Michelle and the kids, I have an all day meeting tomorrow at school, freshman orientation with Josh on Wednesday,  and suddenly the days seem so full that it's hard to fit everything in. Good-bye summer vacation.

He Called It

After dinner tonight Josh sat at the table and finished writing his thank you notes for the graduation gifts he received. His mom is only staying until tomorrow, and she made him promise to do this before she leaves so she can mail them off from home. As he worked, Heidi, Michelle, and I gabbed away.

"Finished," he announced and handed me a white envelope. I read the note and laughed, and then I winked at him and held up the card to show Heidi. It's a nice custom design with pictures of Josh and some if his art work.

"What do you want to do with this?" I asked her.

"I want to put it right up on the refrigerator!" she said.

Josh and I laughed. "What am I missing?" Heidi frowned until she opened the card and read it, then she laughed, too.

Following the sincere message of thanks, it said,  You'll probably do something cheesy like put this card on the refrigerator. Love, your new roommate Josh.

Eye of the Beholder

Considering refinancing the place, we had an appraiser come by today. Of course such a visitor forces you to see your home through someone else's eyes, all the flaws as well as all the improvements seem magnified in the moment.

The gentleman who assessed our condo was very friendly, professional, and courteous. He did have a bit of a habit of talking out loud as he made his way through the house, some of his comments directed to us, some not. He made sure to be complimentary of the upgrades and improvements we have made, but not overly so.

"I really like your kitchen," he said. "Nice cabinets! I see you kept the lighting, though." His remark was made in the most neutral of tones, but all I can think about since he's left is how to update those fluorescent lamps.

Simplifying

Realization of the month: 

We've been filling this place up for fifteen years...

Time to start drawing down.

Inquiring Minds

We had a couple of our kid friends over to the house to do a little tie-dying last week. Heidi has been looking after 8 year-old Savannah and 5-year-old Chase practically since they were born, back when their family lived in the next courtyard over from us.

A couple of years ago, right before their little brother Lincoln joined the family, they bought a house a little less than a mile away. Both older kids are in school, too, so we don't see them quite as often. Even so, summer projects accompanied by a trip to the pool are always fun.

Heidi and I like to think we have the tie-dying thing down, and it was all set up when the kids arrived, but there was a point before we began that Heidi and Savannah ran upstairs for something. Eying the work-in-progress that is currently our guest room, soon to be Josh's room, Savannah gasped. "That place is a wreck!" she said. "Who sleeps there? You or Tracey?"

"Nobody," Heidi told her. "We both sleep in the other room. We're getting that one ready for Josh."

Mind you, I had no knowledge of this conversation when a little while later, Savannah and I were cleaning up in the kitchen. "So, are you two married?" she asked me, "Or do you just sleep together?"

Calendar Girl

Running errands today I happened to see an academic year 14-15 monthly calendar for sale. For me, that particular school supply happens to be the first and most important thing I purchase each year, so of course I bought it.

Now, even though the kids don't report for nearly three weeks, and the first meeting of the year isn't for days, thanks to online resources and what-not, my calendar is good to go: it has the bare bones of the year all filled in the appropriate squares, and these events, joined by notations of field trips, birthdays, meetings, and tests will be the scaffolding of an entire school year.

I'll definitely admit to a bit of a thrill when I added those first items-- a new year is always an opportunity and a clean slate, but as I continued I quite merrily x-ed out first Thanksgiving and then Winter Break. After that there was a holiday, workday, holiday, conferences, Spring Break, workday, and the next thing you know, it was Memorial Day, promotion, and the last day of school!

Summer 2015 here we come!

Ambulance Chaser

And now news that Lauren Bacall has passed away. She, too, played a memorable role in my teenaged years. In the summer of '79 I think everyone in my family read her autobiography By Myself. It had recently been released in paperback and was a perfect poolside book detailing her hardscrabble early years, her lucky breaks in modeling, her inexorable romance with Bogart, the tragedy of his death, and her determination to go on in the face of her loss.

Even so, the book lost some serious steam after Bogie died, but I have been an admirer of Lauren Bacall since, albeit at a distance; perhaps it was her grit and growl that made it a bit uncomfortable to get too close. I do feel a loss tonight at hearing the news of her passing, and it occurs to me that I may have reached that certain age where losing those of personal note becomes much less irregular.

But no less sad.