Day 42 (or: Garden Party with The Soprano's)

I have a brand new obsession:  The Soprano's.  I'm currently beginning season 5, and haven't been able to put a finger directly on the appeal of it.  But boy is it appealing.  Goombas...Goomas...Italian food and a whole heck of a lot of moral ambiguity.  Or straight up moral ineptitude.  Take your pick.  Either way, I'm loving it, and am relishing spending the Holy Day immersed in the disgusting under-belly of New Jersey in my own living room, no less.  Heaven.

But the REAL good things that were the bulk of my work today, involved coordining soccer snacks, hot drinks, canopy for a cold game, coach gifts, kid gifts, and working on a gift certificate for my church's annual service auction and dinner.  My "service" being a garden party hosted in the gorgeous garden made possible by said church.  My beautiful yard was made possible by my fellows at church (more than 30 of them) who, 2 1/2 years ago, came to the house with cuttings, clippings, snippings, bulbs, seeds and divisions from their own yards. 

My first spring in this home was a constant surprise, watching things I didn't know were there coming out of the ground, watching cuttings grow by leaps and bounds.  My yard, which is one of my very favorite things in my life, is entirely the result of the love from my church.

Day 42 of One Thousand Days, I made my pledge of $200.00 in service to my fellows.  Lovely fellows.

42 down, 958 to go.

Day 41 (or: 'Nough Said)

Last day of 24 weeks of chemotherapy treatment.  Today.  'Nough said.

Day 41 of One Thousand Days:  Yellow roses of joy for you, Mom.

41 down, 959 to go.



Day 40 (or: Vitamin D, I need It)

February of 2010 was a very satisfying month in blogging terms.  In One Thousand Days blog terms, at any rate.  Don't believe me?  Take a look back at it and check out what I was up to.

Funny to realize that only 9 months ago I was still trying to recover from the badness of the Bad Relationship.  Happy to report that that's over (thank goodness...it only took One Thousand Days and nine months, but I finally shrugged him off). 

Today's a new day, as is every day, and what a lovely day it is!  After the Great Monsoon of November 9, 2010 (Garfields and Marmadukes), today is a crisp, sun-shiny, lovely day which more than makes up for yesterday.  Much like these One Thousand Days more than make up for the previous One Thousand Days.

I realize that I haven't checked with Holly about the appropriateness of my "good"-ing in quite some time.  I'm sure that I can fairly well guess that her response to any questions about recent posts would be to say:  "Boring."  She's right.  Or she would be if I actually asked for her opinion.  Especially in comparison to last February.  All I can say in remedy is:  Wait for it...wait for it. 

Now, I should say, that several people have doubted me when I say "wait for it", but that's to their detriment.  I do tend to pull out the stops and make things happen when I actually set my mind to it.  And usually the results are worth waiting for.  Not always.  But usually. 

I must say that I'm appreciating my own mental transitions about this blogging business.  In 9 months (and in only 40 days of the possible 180), I've gone from overzealous dedication, to dismayed detachment, to resentment (yes, I resented this blog for a while), to...well...today I find it interesting to realize that in reality, every day I DO do something "good" regardless of my willingness or intention, and regardless of whether I blog it or not.  I can only report that this realization is an important one.  Sometimes, just when we feel that there's just no good in our lives, it's nice to truly analyze and be able to say that...yes there is.  Even if it's not grand.  I'm rambling, and Holly wouldn't approve, so I'll just say this: 

Day 40 of One Thousand Days (which should be more in the 180 range) is a sparkly, warmish November day, and if nothing else, the vitamin D production should be up for the day.  Maybe I'll even produce enough of it to last me for a week.  And stave of the inevitable Seasonal Affective Disorder and the accompanying crankiness for a bit longer.

40 down, 960 to go.

Day 39 (or: Cats and Dogs)

Oh man, am I a saint, or what?  WHAT?  No.  Really, I'm a saint, and here's why:  I woke up at 7:00 (oh, unholy hour),  cleaned the car, threw the child in the backseat, and headed off for a 2 1/2 hour long ride in the wretched rain (cats and dogs) down the windy and perilous Highway 101 all the way to Tenino. 

You're wondering why?  Alright.  I'll tell you.  The five hours of driving that I did (in total) today, netted me four hours with a favorite sister (okay, maybe all three of them are my favorite sisters) and her family.  Oh how I do love the sisters!

I have discovered, after careful experimentation, and upon critical examination, that I am bound to be in the car, driving on unkown and dangerous roads when the WORST rain EVER isn't so much falling as it is pelting at the car.  The kind of deluge where you can't see a car-length in front of you.  Where the windshield wipers can't keep up.  Cats and dogs (NOT kittens and puppies, but full grown Garfields and Marmadukes).  It's a gift.

Day 39 of One Thousand Days, I cooly navigated the buckets falling from the heavens and ate a lovely barbeque lunch/dinner with family (and then returned to the car to cooly navigate the swimming pools of water falling from the heavens).  Lovely.

39 down, 961 to go.

Day 38 (Or: NaNoWriMo)

November, sweet November, is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for the experts in the crowd), and yesterday I actually wrote almost 2,000 words of a novel that is destined to be...well...50,000 words long.  Not a good novel.  Not an interesting novel.  Not even a gramatically correct novel.  Just 50,000 words long.  Or more.

It's off to a great start, and if I actually continue to write 2,000 words a day, I'll probably be able to make 50,000 words by the end of the month.  Interesting?  Meh.  Probably not.  But today, Day 38 of One Thousand Days, I'll write another 2,000 words of the Un-Great Novel.

38 down, 962 to go.

Day 37 (or: don’t SHOULD on yourself)

I am, apparently, a fairly funny girl. I am also, apparently, a reasonably talented girl. I am also, lamentably, a funny, talented, overly-busy girl. Or maybe I’m busy in just the right ways (that is what the author of this blog SHOULD say)? Oh, and I’m also blonde, did I mention that? Not that hair-color insinuates anything other than, well, hair color, but I just thought you should know. And if you care to infer from these facts that I’m trying to say that this blog is an important outlet for this overly-busy, blonde girl, but that I’m not overly committed to it (in – I’m sorry – a blonde girl sort of a way), well, you wouldn’t be far from the mark. Obviously. Given the dearth of postings.

I like to think that most things in life are optional, and then, joyfully, those things take on a different meaning than if they’re SHOULDS or HAVE-TO’s. Because really, the only HAVE-TO’s we have as humans are shelter, sustenance, sleep and love. That last one I threw in there, not because I have empirical evidence to support the statement (although I’m SURE there is empirical evidence somewhere), but because love (Love with a capital “L” and love in its small forms as well) makes me giddy, personally, and I imagine that me without giddy would just be cranky and malevolent. And unpleasant. Being un-cranky is, after all, a HAVE-TO.

So what exactly have I been treating as if they’re SHOULDS instead of just options? Here’s a short list (and I do mean short…I could make a career out of this Doing Things business if someone would just pay me):

• Helping sick mother (really sick)
• Marrying dear friends (as in – I officiated at the ceremony, NOT to be confused with adopting polygamy as a lifestyle)
• Planning and carrying on in a reception-y way (I’m a saint, aren’t I?)
• Packing up and helping Besty move to Brazil
• Helping ANOTHER Besty move to Olympia.
• Crying because I lost 2 Besty’s in 2 weeks
• Volunteering for church
• Volunteering for Soccer
• …Yeesh

Options, every single one of them, but NONE of them optional!

Day 37 of One Thousand Days, I acknowledge that maybe the SHOULDS are options, but they’re highly enjoyable, much needed and very rewarding options, and SHOULDN’T be lamented. Except in the losing of the Besties.  That's just aweful - what, oh what, am I going to do?

37 down, 963 to go.

Day 36 (Or: The Baby Died In The Night)

Oh.  Oh oh oh.  My poor aching heart.  I am sitting in what is usually my comfy chair (molded to fit my butt, high embracing arms, a plethora of pleasing pillows), wrapped in what is generally known as the "best blanket in the house" (big, old, fluffy, heavy - the boy and I are frequently found to be wrestling over it), neither of these giving me any comfort, waiting sadly for my son to come home so I can break the news that our little peepish baby birdie adoptee died in the night of unknown and mysterious causes.  Sniffle. 

I find it odd that my journey of One Thousand Days brings me from baby bunny to baby bird.  And that both had to die to get me to write anything.  Odd in a universe nudging sort of a way, as if some heavenly and all knowing entity were saying: "Write, you lunatic, or woe be it to all the baby animals!"  Well, frankly, although I AM posting today, and it HAS been at least three months since I've posted, and it SHOULD be an occasion of moment, it's really just a tear-filled, rainy day in August with the bittersweet hint of Fall and change in the air.

Day 36 of One Thousand Days I will bury the baby bird, find the strength to comfort the baby boy, vacuum my bedroom and eat copious amounts of chocolate.  R.I.P Filbert Leckenby.  Poo on day 36.