As we walk down the street together
through the fall leaves,
my hand holds Little e's hand.
I can feel how soft her hands still are,
how fragile her bones still feel,
how small she still is.
Sweetheart G does not hold hands anymore.
She prefers to link her arm through mine.
And,
I am thrilled with the contact;
that despite the strength of her arm
and the firmness of her grip
she is not too old to walk with her mother.
The book fair is trundling along. Business is slow so far, but between the economy and the plethora of illnesses cycling through the school I can't say I'm shocked. I've heard from a fifth of my volunteers that they have sick kiddos at home. One family heard definitively that they have H1N1, and others just have the snotty cold that played at our house last week. Anyway, nothing to do but wash your hands and roll with it.
Today is a chore day. The laundry is humming along downstairs and I have a kitchen to clean. Fairy skirts are coming together. (Tulle comes in so many bright, happy colors.) Oh, and Christmas dice bag orders have started to roll in! So much to do, so little time. I have to keep my mind on what is getting done and what has been done already, and let go of what isn't going to happen.
I sent in my School Volunteer Sheet today.
I'm trying to play to my strengths, and not over extend myself.
In short, I'm trying to outsmart myself.
I said I would do auction projects for both of the girls' classes (if they needed it), but I couldn't do the classroom parties because I "wasn't available".
I don't like class parties.
I never have, yet I do them year after year.
More confessions:
My party inhibiting activity was planned specifically for the morning
(but the parties are in the afternoon)
so that if no one else could volunteer at the party
I could fill in..
you know just in case.
Oh ya, man. I'm a rebel.
I should be doing laundry,
but, man, I am wiped out.
I walked with Sweetheart G's class down to the neighborhood wetlands this morning.
With my round trip walk to school, that makes about a 6 mile walk to start the day.
It was the perfect day for such a field trip; cool, cloudy, and comfortable, but not actually raining.
We saw lots of lovely things on our walk, and I now have a clear vision of what I'd like to do for this year's auction project.. you know, if I do this year's project.
Yes. I might not do this year's project.
Not because I don't want to do the project.
I'm happy to do it,
but somebody else might want the privilege.
(I heard that rude noise somebody out there made!)
It's true. Someone else might have an idea.
Someone might decide that this is the year Sweetheart G's class shouldn't do a textile project.
They might have a yen to do something else.
And, who would I be to stand in their way, right?
It might happen.
And honestly.
I do worry that there might be a perception out there that
I take over the class projects, and I don't want that.
The girls are all packed for their week at the beach with Grand M, and I've been thinking about what I'll do during this week without monkeys. I don't think I'll pine and balsam, but I'm not as desperate for alone time as I have been some years.
