SHOP PRODUCTS
Houzz Logo Print
jazmynsmom

Journal, August 11 '06

jazmynsmom
17 years ago

Just got back from a walk with the dogs. It's family night in the cul de sac up the street. One of the houses has an expanse of white siding, so they set up a projector to show a movie on the side of the house. Thirty or so little kids and their parents situated on canvas chairs, watchin' the movie and munchin' popcorn. Soon a few other homes will be throwing early season Packers parties... kegs, brats, and the game on the side of a house. Interesting phenomenon.

It's been an exhausting day.

Last night my favorite aunt and her youngest daughter (and a U-Haul trailer filled with all my cousin's possessions) stayed with me. This is my recently-widowed aunt. A year and a half ago, she lived in a house with her husband and their three kids. Then he drank himself to death, and she's in the process of helping the last of her kids move to Bloomington, IN to live with her older brother who moved there earlier this year. My other cousin moved into her own apt this year too. My aunt suddenly has the house to herself... and she also has a new boyfriend (whom I like). What a difference a year can make!

They rolled in at about 9:00 last night, and my 18 year old cousin (whom I also adore) was asleep by 10:30... my aunt and I stayed up and talked until past 1:00. Great talk. I'll remember it for years.

Poor Steve. He's been traveling all week. He started out in Newark yesterday morning, and the plan was to fly from Newark to Charlotte to Florence, give a presentation in Florence, go back to Charlotte, and then fly to Chicago and then Madison, and be home in time for dinner. Security measures dictated otherwise. He packed his carry-on before he listened to the news, and lost all his toiletries to airport security (deodorant, mouthwash, lotion, shampoo, shaving cream, toothpaste, etc...), faced major security delays, and then was grounded until 1:30 am in Charlotte for severe weather. He landed in Milwaukee in the middle of the night, and hitched a ride to the Madison airport with some strangers he met in the Avis rental lines, picked up his car at the airport, and got home at about 4:30 am... and then he went into work this morning! At least he had the decency to sleep in, and only work a half day, but sheesh! I admit his travel yesterday made me nervous.

I woke up early this morning, and took my my aunt and cousin on a walking tour of a couple of my neighbors' gardens (I'd cleared it in advance with the neighbors.) We had a blast!

This is the second time my aunt has ever seen any place I've lived. The other time was shortly after my divorce when I was renting a very small room in a run down house in Minneapolis and working myself out of debt. It's weird. I'm 36 years old. This is the first time I felt like a full-fledged grown-up in her eyes. (She's not the judgmental one, I am.)

Great visit. Too short. Exhausting day.

Comments (2)

Sponsored
Landscape Management Group
Average rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars29 Reviews
High Quality Landscaping Services in Columbus
More Discussions