A Day Out

Inspirational song: The Swing (INXS)

Just like in a movie, I drove up through a completely empty parking lot towards a playground, my freshly-washed ultramarine blue car sparkling in the sunshine. As I parked and got out, Valerie was already squealing and running towards me. I stepped onto the grass, starting to hold my arms out and asking for a hug... and that little kid ran right past me and tapped her hands on the passenger side door that leads to her car seat. Did I say like a movie? Specifically a comedy movie, where I was the butt of the joke.

I wasn't there to take her home with me, no matter what she thought. I just came out to meet the family at a park, because we all had the day off and I wanted some baby time. I hadn't been to this particular playground before, and it was awesome. There was a baby sized slide that she could go down by herself, plus a couple of bigger ones that she could go on with help (that mommy said she instantly regretted when they went together). The merry-go-round was weird and bumpy and had no actual handles. It spun really easily, but I felt rather like I was going to be launched into space. Val got super dizzy and couldn't walk a straight line when she got off, but I rather think she liked it.

We ended playtime with some swinging. Naturally, as this was the time I tried to take video to send to grandpa, this was also the time that she got quiet whenever the record button was pushed. Otherwise, she was full of excited shrieks. 

There were just too many good pictures from today. That kid is so gorgeous, especially when she is happy.

Non Merci

Inspirational song: A Musical (Something Rotten!)

Generally, I am very pro-musical. I could watch The Music Man or My Fair Lady or Hamilton (for example) just about any night of the week, and be content. I still know most of the words to Cats from having the original cast album in the 80s, and would sing along, given the chance. I cut my teeth on Jesus Christ Superstar, and that soundtrack was our favorite driving music on long trips for years. To be brutally honest, I might be the only person in America who loved the Sgt Pepper movie to the point of obsession. My own brother thinks I'm just a little weird in how much I love musicals.

So it is with regret that I say today, when we drove down to Boulder to see Cyrano, for the first half of the movie I kept thinking, "Why did they make this a musical?" The first three or four songs were terrible (I didn't count for sure because I was so turned off). It was easily halfway through before there was a song I even vaguely liked. Then there were a couple more that had some real value. The movie itself was good, with its adaptation to make Cyrano de Bergerac's "deformity" be Peter Dinklage's dwarfism. They didn't have to put on a prosthetic nose, they just let him be his own awesome self, and changed a couple of lines in the play. As always, I was riveted by the costumes, and the Mr admitted even he too was focused on the cool guard uniforms with the dozens of buttons. But the songs. Really. It was like the first half and second were composed by entirely different people. There was only one song that really blew us away (Wherever I Fall, part 1).

I suppose when it shows up on a streaming service, I'll watch again and give it another chance, or at least listen to the soundtrack once or twice. Maybe it will grow on me.

De Trop

Inspirational song: The Dance (Garth Brooks)

Without going into details (gosh, is there something I want to be vague about for once?), there are some medical battles I don't feel like fighting. At least, not with the doctors or insurance. These are the things I generally just shut up and live with. They are annoying and bothersome, but not life-threatening. I rarely do anything to treat them. Today was an exception. One of the unmentionables was just too much, and I pulled out the medication that I abandoned because it was too dang strong. I used half a dose, and still found myself going down for a nap within half an hour, and I was as rigid as a bag of Jell-O for the rest of the afternoon and early evening. It did not matter how often the cats and dog walked across my limp body. I did not consent to stand long enough to feed them. They had to wait for the Mr to come home from his day out with the guys to have their dinner. Lucky for me, that's when I got to eat too, when he brought takeout. Now I get to wonder whether I'll sleep overnight. Maybe I should have another half dose of the meds.

The worst part about my mandatory nap was that I forgot what day it was. I had the news droning on as I faded in and out of consciousness, catching little updates about the situation in Ukraine. I didn't remember that it was Saturday and there was a high stakes basketball game tonight. My dear Buffs played Arizona, the 2nd ranked team in the country. Moreover, they won! I wish I had been alert enough to watch that game. 

Who knows. Maybe if I had remembered to tune in, CU wouldn't have won. Am I the jinx?

Tato

Inspirational song: We Didn't Start the Fire (Billy Joel)

Once again, while the Mr and I were discussing the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the potential implications for the neighboring NATO countries, a small but mighty voice chimed in, "TATO!" It might not be possible to fully impart just how tickled we are that she hears potato, tomato, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the same word, and proudly repeats it when spoken in her presence.

Today's visit with the toddler was all kinds of fun. She went on a walk in the park with her grandpa, and enjoyed herself right up until grabbing snow made her hands cold. She came home complaining, and immediately found me in the shower and started asking to get into the warm water. She had to be carried out of the room, disappointed and speaking her outrage, so that I could finish up and dress. Her latest favorite game appears to be bringing some toys to my lap, and then trying to climb over the arm of my recliner. I pick her up every time, and she hangs out with me for a few minutes, and then hops down to find a new activity. She repeats this over and over. I am not looking forward to the three weeks after surgery when I'm not allowed to lift anything heavier than Athena (who weighs about six pounds under all that floof). Val is not going to like being told grandma can't lift her right now.

After the grandbaby went home, the Mr went to the climbing gym, and I told him I'd have leftovers waiting for him. I sliced up some tri-tip we made last week, and set it on a low heat to warm up. Then I sat down. The room started to smell funny, not quite like the marinade I had used on the beef. I turned and looked over my shoulder. The cook top was smoking. One of the cats (almost definitely Alfred) had been on the counter, and licked the plastic cutting board hard enough to push it onto the burner, moving the pan over a few inches. It was actively melting when I found it. I am so lucky I had the burner on low. It probably would have caught the whole kitchen on fire in that amount of time if it had been on high.

Mine

Inspirational song: With a Little Help from My Friends (The Beatles)

Timing is everything. I spent weeks, months, studying all sorts of cars. Taking virtual test drives on YouTube every night, until I felt like I had sat inside every kind of SUV they make. I didn't feel the need to get inside of most of them in real life. I knew which ones would feel bad just to sit in. Once I narrowed it down to a clear favorite, I took a real test drive to prove what I already knew. That was the one. I knew it as surely as I recognized the little blue one I have now was My Car.

I had to wait until the money was here to get serious, but as soon as it was incoming, I started watching inventory. Turns out the car I chose is hard as heck to acquire. Only a few of them show up at dealers, and the ones I'd been seeing online were illusory. They were already sold, before they arrived.

I turned to an expert. I am glad I did. My buddy, who I spend time with every week, was a car salesman for decades. She is ruthless and knows how to make a deal and get concessions out of people. Usually she uses these skills for good, like getting businesses to give donations to fundraisers or discounts for Rotarians to hold parties in their bars and restaurants. This week, she has graced me with the benefit of her talent. She has acted as a concierge for my car purchase. She has called all around, getting the actual bank value of my trade in, and finding dealers who are willing to behave themselves. Right now inventory is so tight, most dealers are asking "market adjustments" over MSRP, and with the kind of car I want (a PHEV), they're getting $10,000 over MSRP. My advocate found a dealer who will go straight MSRP, with a small military discount. I was happy enough to have a source lined up. I was told they would see their allocations of vehicles next week, and I hoped I'd have a chance. Then she called me back, and said they got their allocation report early, and there it was: one 2022 Tucson Limited plug-in hybrid. Due in April. She told me to call the guy immediately, and put money on it. 

I have an over the phone agreement. First thing in the morning I will get a signed piece of paper between us. I'm very happy to have one to claim, but my joy is tempered by it being a silver car. I hate silver cars. I've had four or five of them, and they just look so washed out. My friend's son suggested I go to another guy in our Rotary club whose sign company also does vinyl wrap to change the color. You know, once I have a pocketful of change again, that might be a fun idea. Maybe an olive green or deep burgundy.

I say this in all seriousness: if the process of car buying gives you even a little stress, get help! My friend is considering licensing herself as a for-pay concierge, and I am behind her 100%. I will be her best testimonialist. I could never have done what she did in a million years. If any of my Colorado friends are in the market for a new car (or new to you), please contact me. I'll hook you up.

Stop Him

Inspirational song: Back in the USSR (The Beatles)

I'd like to write about my personal stuff, the things I know best. I'd like to give a report of my pre-operative visit with the plastic surgeon, or of tonight's role-playing game. I should be writing about silly things Valerie did around the game crowd. Instead, I am sitting here listening to live reports about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I am getting sadder and sadder by the moment, with momentary bursts of anger at the flimsy, transparent "justifications" for this action. I am remembering the charming visitors from Ukraine who came to our Rotary a few years ago, who I hoped would return when the pandemic ends. My heart is aching.

I can't focus on writing. I need to wallow in misery, listening to these reports. I have no faith that sanctions will be enough of a deterrent for an aggressive sociopath with control of a military already on the march. 

It doesn't feel right to put in photos of the baby, but that is all I have. Maybe I should have draped her in blue and yellow before I took her picture.

Look Inside

Inspirational song: I Can See for Miles (The Who)

Is it supposed to make you feel all weird when you get your eyes dilated? Like all over? It has been a few years since the last time I had it done (I've been busy the last three or four years, on other stuff), so I don't remember. Driving home with everything all hazy and white from the weather was rough, and once I got home, I needed to sit in my chair and wait until I started to feel normal again. I can't even really describe what was off. It was just... weird. Pissed off cats and dogs while I just sat and rocked, with my eyes closed, until 45 minutes past dinnertime. Harvey sat on the back of my chair, flicking me in the head with his tail (hard) at about 50 beats per minute until I finally fed them.

All the close inspection they did of my eyeballs showed zero defects. Well, other than the pre-existing vision correction needs. No macular degeneration or whatever it is that plaquenil causes. I've been on it for almost six years for the lupus, and the doc said after about five years, I need to see him yearly while I'm taking it. I just nodded, keeping to myself the question of whether he meant "come more often because you've been on it a long time," or "come less often because you were supposed to be coming every six months." I worry that it was option B.

At the risk of showing off how the irritation of two kinds of drops, plus a field of vision test, made me look like I'd been punched in the face, here is how dilated I was after more than an hour since the drops, and several minutes of sitting at home. My eyes are still tired now, at bedtime.

In the Way

Inspirational song: Mama (Genesis)

I am easily distracted. I had things I really had to do today, same as yesterday. Still needed to clean and dig for those certificates to prove I've been honest about my continuing education. I have doctor's appointments the rest of the week, so this was my best day to do it. But when I got a last minute request to watch the grandbaby for a few hours, of course I said yes. I was offered the choice to just keep track of her at her own house, while mommy was at work and daddy was running a game, but I chose to bring her here. I needed to tidy the kitchen and then cook dinner for her grandpa, and she could "help" me. It was grandpa's birthday today, and I knew he would enjoy her company for part of it. 

Unfortunately, he wasn't home when I first started babysitting. He did some school tasks and went to the climbing gym. Val and I had fun, but she was bound and determined to be in the way the whole time I was trying to wash dishes and cook. What sort of baby game is it to squeeze into the tight space between me and the counter while I'm working, and hang on my jeans? She has been learning from all the cats and my dog, and every time I tried to take a step, there she was slow-walking in my path.

She and I had a blast, practicing every kind of funny laugh we could think of, mimicking each other. She did a lot of coloring, including on my kitchen floor and refrigerator. Sometimes, she would bring her paper and crayons over to my chair, and ask to sit in my lap to draw. That was pretty special. She takes a crayon or pencil, and puts it in my left hand (because she is observant and knows which one I use) and asks me to draw things. I invariably start with a heart, the first shape I ever think of to draw. This time, I made one, and drew a big V in it for Valerie. Then I wrote MOM upside down (because of the way she was facing) and put a heart around that. I told her what it said, and she repeated, "MOM!!" She said it a handful of times, so I pulled out the camera. It took two tries, but I got her saying it with the most happy, excited voice. I sent it to the group, and my daughter saw it right as she stopped for gas on the way here. She admitted she watched the video like 80 times through while she filled her car.

And since I was teased yesterday about not putting enough cat pictures in the blog lately, I present Harvey, the cuddle-monkey.

Controlled Chaos

Inspirational song: My Old School (Steely Dan)

In the immortal words of Stan Marsh: I learned a valuable lesson today. Or rather, I spent the whole day absorbing information and hoping it would all stick.

My intention was to clean house and start filtering through piles of papers to find old copies of continuing education certificates. I need to find the two from right before I was diagnosed with the first cancer, to go with all the more recent ones. I have to upload them all to the state regulatory site within two weeks for a "random audit," after renewing my real estate license. I'm fairly certain I can find them, but obviously the last three years have been a lot, so I need to start my search early.

Rather than do what I intended, I was called out to play with the girls. My daughter needed to do a little grocery shopping, but she didn't have the energy to walk to Safeway like she usually does for exercise. "Hey, mom, can I have a ride," became, "Hey, I'm hungry, wanna get brunch before we go to King Soopers?" The line at Le Peep (where I know I can get GF pancakes) was out the door, so instead we went to Modern Market, where we were one of only two groups of diners. It is almost never crowded there. That's a pity on some levels, because the food there is wonderful. I hope they get enough business to stay open. We each shared prime items from our salads with the baby, all things we know she likes. She had a fantastic time, but the thing I learned is how much happier she is if you give her plenty of run-around-the-store time. When my girls were small, I struggled with them not staying put. I didn't even know the basics when I first had kids. I finally get how much better things go when there is controlled chaos time. The same goes with letting Val wiggle around in the basket of the shopping cart, rather than sitting strapped in to the seat by the handle. She is much calmer and compliant when she has a modicum of freedom.

I closed the evening at the University of YouTube. I watched more videos on how to negotiate car deals before going down a rabbit hole of how electric vehicles are rated and charged. I feel more prepared for my upcoming purchase, whenever it finally happens. I have my car-buying expert buddy on my side, and I have my eye on a particular unit that is due to arrive at a south Denver dealer on Pi Day. I wonder whether I will be able to snag it.

Paid

Inspirational song: Blinded By the Light (v. Manfred Mann's Earth Band)

Money is in our accounts. The New Mexico house is no longer our concern. We needed to get out and celebrate having that whole situation off our backs. We pushed ourselves to get motivated and out of the door by 11:30 this morning, knowing we had three errands to accomplish before noon. Amazingly, we made it. Pharmacy, bank, and animal hospital, all in 30 minutes. We treated ourselves to lunch at a local taphouse, and came up with an idea for the gang to go back there in a few days for game night. We have received interest from a few members.

The Mr was super indecisive about whether to go to Costco today. Eventually he settled on going, if for no other reason than to load up on dog food and cat litter. In fact, we bought so much of those two things, I'm amazed my little car didn't pop a wheelie on the way home. It was back-heavy and a little harder to stop and start than usual. We went through with two separate carts, in two separate transactions, to get double the limit on cat litter, since it hasn't been on a good sale like this in a long time. Six 42-pound packs later, and we turned my car into a low rider.

The highlight of the evening was finally taking another chance at seeing a movie in a theater, for the second time in over two years. We wanted to see the latest retelling of Death on the Nile, and I'm glad we saw it on a big screen. It was visually lovely. Granted, as usual, I was deeply absorbed in looking at the clothing and props. Those are my favorite aspects of period pieces. The casting was fun, the acting and directing decent. Not sure it was a flawless film, but I am sure some of my impatience with it was that I couldn't get as comfortable as if we were watching from home, on the adjustable bed, in jammies, able to chat about things that we wanted to point out.

After a long day spent in pleasant companionship, doing fun activities, I am now as wiped out as can be. I need to snuggle my big fluffy dog who desperately needs a brushing, and rest up in the hopes tomorrow is equally good.

Priorities

Inspirational song: The Long and Winding Road (v. Peter Frampton)

What a long string of choices and circumstances beyond my control led me to this place, where I spend enough time at home to be the primary caregiver for my grandchild (soon to be grandchildren). Most of it feels like I had little choice in the matter, such as the military telling our family when to pick up and move, interrupting my chances at a steady career, or my health falling off a cliff such that I can never work a 40 hour a week job again. But there were definitely forks in the road where I determined my own orientation. I never achieved great heights in business or industry, but I appreciate the quiet path I'm on, getting just enough real estate business to say that I'm employed, but able to set aside permanent babysitting and Rotary days on a long-term basis. Not everyone needs material riches. I might have thought I did years ago. Now I've figured out exactly what (or rather, who) is valuable to me, and they seem to keep coming with blue or blue-green eyes. Chances are the next most important person in my life will too.

We appear to have gotten past whatever block was keeping Val from practicing her words around us. She was chatty with her parents at home, but with us and the game group, she would only grunt and point. Until this last week or so, that is. Now she speaks often, and even uses her words to comedic effect. She knows when we think a word is funny, and she will drop it at odd times, just to watch us laugh. And she is always listening. When her daddy picked her up today, she wasn't even in the room, and she commented on our conversation. From the hallway towards my room, we heard, "Mommy!" She follows more complex directions, and has specific likes and dislikes, with ways to get what she wants.

I tried to talk to her again about the baby in mommy's tummy. One of these days she will get it, I hope. Otherwise she is going to be hecking surprised when Mom and Dad go away overnight, and come back with somebody smaller than her who doesn't ever leave.

Up Versus Down

Inspirational song: Free Fallin' (Tom Petty)

Remember that pack of documents we sent via FedEx to the title agent yesterday? The one that was supposed to arrive by 4:30 today? Guess what didn't happen. We are cranky. As far as I know, the money hasn't hit the account because the hard copy didnt arrive. I choose not to think about this any more tonight.

That was really the only negative in an otherwise cheerful day. I picked up the baby just before noon, and we went shopping for a few groceries. She started chatting early on, and kept up a running commentary of nonsense the whole time we were at the store. I'm fairly certain she repeated the word "popcorn" properly when I asked her if she liked it. She asked me whether we were getting potatoes ("tato") but I didn't buy any there. Did get some fries to share on the way home, though. She appreciated that.

She's just getting so smart and sophisticated. She asked to play on my iPad, and I thought the Disney app would be the least detrimental for her. I let her choose, and she scrolled down and selected Encanto immediately. Girl knows what she likes. 

We got to see her a second time today, when we met for our delayed game night. Other than being shy around the big men when she first arrived, she settled in and had a blast running around uncle T's house. She sat on the couch between me and him when a few of us split off and played Mario Kart. That's the closest she has been to T in months. At going-home time, she was too interested in playing a bubble-pop game on mommy's phone to pay attention and get ready to leave. Mommy picked her up, and still Val played the game. See for yourself how important it is to limit children's screen time.

Closed

Inspirational song: Think (Aretha Franklin)

Sales tax on a real estate commission? Paid by sellers? Are you kidding me? I... I just can't even with this anymore.

We made it to Boulder on time, and met with my brother-in-law. We signed the closing docs, and he put his notary stamp on it, making it official all around. It still cost us almost 50 bucks to overnight it back to New Mexico. Might have been cheaper to freaking deliver it at this rate. It's only an 8 hour drive. How much gas would that have cost? (Don't bother answering that. It snowed like crazy today. I would not have wanted to drive.) The house is now someone else's. That feels good. Or it will when it hits me that it is real. I figure that will be at least a day or two after I see the bank balance reflect the proceeds.

I managed to accomplish three of my four objectives today, and the only reason the last one missed was a mutually-accepted weather delay. The cancer surgeon looked me over and had valuable input to my upcoming schedule. I was supposed to have a mammogram only on the right side next week, and she said she was changing that to both. Her reasoning: she would rather have all relevant information before I have the next surgery not after, plus I won't want to have a mammogram done while the next reduction is still healing. I respected her wisdom, and told her this is an example of why she gets "Dr" in front of her name. 

I thought between the steady snowfall and my fatigue-induced headache, I wouldn't make it to the Rotary social. But I persevered, and I'm glad I did. Several hardy souls made it out in the storm, and we had a great time. It's probably best that my regular group pushed game night out by one day. We have a couple folks who live in neighboring towns, and I would have been worried about road conditions. It allowed me to take it easy at the end of a busy day, and for us to wrap up watching the Book of Boba Fett. Now to find out whether I can stop having stress dreams over selling that house already.

Last-Minute Surprise

Inspirational song: Ain't That Pretty at All (Warren Zevon)

Since Friday, I've been wondering, why haven't we received a closing disclosure from the title company in New Mexico? Shouldn't we have seen something by now? Closing is tomorrow. No, we had to wait until lunchtime today to hear anything, and it was our realtor saying hey, did you know there is a three thousand dollar lien on your house because of sewer and trash bills? Apparently in 2017, all of that stopped getting paid by tenants, and was put into our name, and all bills and cranky letters were getting mailed to the house in North Charleston, which we had sold two years earlier. Brilliant. Shouldn't this have come up weeks ago when they did the preliminary title search? So yeah, that can be settled tomorrow at closing, but it still made for a stressful and angry day. It wasn't until seven this evening that we got closing documents to sign, which we are to print, wet sign in front of a notary, and FedEx back tomorrow. Nice of them to warn us what to expect. He teaches a class at one in the afternoon, and at the same time, I have an appointment with the cancer surgeon (follow-up, not a new issue). So we have to get up early and race to Boulder to do this in front of the Mr's brother, who is a notary (as well as an attorney), and get it scanned, emailed, and FedExed before one o'clock. Ugh. I would never leave clients in the dark like this.

I'm regretting letting myself get upset and angry at all this while at lunch. I didn't read ingredients on a bag of chips until I was a third of the way through a serving. There, way down the list as the second to last item, was "malted barley flour" in the seasonings. It went exactly as poorly as I predicted it would. I'm sure the next two or three days will follow suit. Who needs barley in potato chips anyway? I'm calling the manufacturer all sorts of rude names in my mind.

At least I got to spend time with the baby to cheer me up. My son-in-law came over to use the laundry, as their dryer was misbehaving. I had hours with the cutest kid in Colorado. She was normal levels of sweet and active and funny, until her mommy came over after work. Then she turned on the afterburners. She spoke more words than I have heard from her yet, and if you count repeats, more than all other times combined. It was glorious. Her newest word, after grocery shopping this morning, is "pear." She told us all about it, while eating blueberries with me. I tried to get her to differentiate berries from pear, but that didn't work. Not worried. I'm just thrilled for how much she finally talked around me.

Next Scheme

Inspirational song: Cars (Gary Numan)

I have a cunning plan.

I've spent the last few hours indulging in my favorite hobby of late, watching YouTube videos of test drives (and breakdowns of Encanto songs, but that's for another day), and studying online window stickers like I have to break a code or the world will end. I've ended up down the same dead end alley where I often get, but this time, I may have a way out of it.

In the choice between standard hybrid and plug in hybrid, I've listened to what folks are telling me, and PHEV does indeed make the most sense, given my driving patterns and existing home solar panels. I have been fixated on the two PHEVs on the Phil Long dealer site, which is physically located in Colorado Springs. I kept thinking I'd just jump on the SEL version down there right away, if it is still available at the end of this week, once our house sale money comes in. But that always left me feeling depressed. The SEL trim package is fine in the standard hybrid. It has the cool stuff I want without the fluff I don't need. The PHEV is a different story. It is really stripped down, and I just discovered it does not have one of the features disabled me actually needs, a power lift gate. I can't get excited about how many of the modern conveniences are missing on the SEL. I think I would rather go for the Limited, to get the safety and accessibility I need. But it adds so much to the cost!

In addition to it being another 7 grand or so sticker price, it is really hard to get ahold of one right now. When I asked the local dealer about a PHEV, he chuckled painfully and said, yeah, probably six or eight months from now.

So what if I did wait? Baby number two isn't due until late July. We won't be driving them around in my car for weeks after that, most likely, until my daughter is healed up enough to want to go OFO with me and Val and new baby. If I get on a list now, I can wait for delivery of a new PHEV until August just fine. As for the increased cost, I have been telling myself that I could get 7-8k for my car as a trade in. I just went looking on Carvana, and 2013 Focus Titaniums go for 13-14k right now, retail. What if we just put my car up for sale, and see whether we can get that much for it? I have all the time in the world while I wait, to get the price I want. If it sells before the replacement car is here, I could just borrow the Mr's car when I have doctor appointments or Rotary. Six month's worth of interest isn't a whole lot, but I could still sit on the money I'm expecting to use for the next car, and maybe the bank would toss me some crumbs. Doing it that way would give me most of the difference between the SEL and Limited terms, and maybe in that time I can drum up enough business to make these mental gymnastics irrelevant.

Okay. That's my plan for now. Let's see whether it survives the first brush with reality.

Superb

Inspirational song: Party in the U.S.A. (Miley Cyrus)

More often than not, we have attended Superbowl parties when that particular opportunity arises. Our neighbor has been our go-to for years. But this year, he was burned out on hosting, and I get that. He was happy to go somewhere new, to a party hosted by some of his wife's friends, and we were okay with popping in and out of the game from home.

I say in and out because we may have done a little light kidnapping. With very little advance planning, we zipped over to the kids' house early in the first quarter of the game to steal that baby, and bring her back here to have dinner with grandma and grandpa. It wasn't anything fancy. We just made bratwurst, baked beans, and pickles. Surprisingly, the only part of that meal Val had any interest in was the beans. She was mostly interested in dancing on grandma's bed while the halftime show was on. Right around the time the second half kicked off, we took her back home. I hope this opens the door to it being a regular, casual thing for her to pop over for a meal, anytime one of us suggests it. I want her to feel, as her parents and our friends do, that she is welcome here at any time, with no excuse required.

As for the game, we went in with no strong feelings one way or another. There were players I liked on both teams, and I knew they were each having amazing seasons. I thought they were evenly matched, and the parts of the game I watched were pretty good. I saw some fantastic passes and catches, in between cooking and watching the baby draw on my kitchen floor with crayons. (Yes, she was told to cut it out as soon as I saw her.) I've already seen a few people complain about the officiating, but that happens so often that I think it's basically a non-issue for me. I wish the vocals had been a little louder in the mix for the halftime show. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I had a hard time hearing them clearly. Val liked dancing along with Mary J Blige, and she seemed to think Eminem had a good groove. For all that I thought it was a good game, the show at my house was better.

Clouds

Inspirational song: That's All (Genesis)

For once, I'm not going to try to stretch out full paragraphs when I'm not in the mood. I'm mellow and my brain is just coasting. Imma let it be. Enjoy the pretty scenery I tried so hard to capture on the way home from Costco. (Yes, I was the passenger, not driver.)

Color the World

Inspirational song: Magic Bus (The Who)

Babysitting was hard today. The kiddo was fine. She was her normal, active, inquisitive self. It was me. My nerves were frazzled, so every time she climbed me, or dropped crayons on the hard floor with a clatter, or asked a question just with a grunt, I was set on edge. I couldn't say why I was particularly cranky today. I'm sure it was some combination of the usual stuff. I was just really thankful that ol' grandpa doesn't teach on Fridays, and a snowstorm blew in, keeping him from going to his mountain today. I needed the help. That girl loves playing with her grandpa, so that was a bonus. In fact, while they were sitting at the table together, while she was coloring, she was chattier than I've heard her in weeks. She was just hamming it up for grandpa. I hope that's a sign she is getting past whatever vocal shyness had been getting in the way of her talking with us. 

We should have taken her out to play in the snow. It wasn't super cold, and the flakes were big and fluffy this time around. There could have been excellent photos. Alas, no one was motivated enough to bundle up and go out. 

Instead we stayed in, spending the bulk of our time coloring. Auntie suggested we start laying bets on whether she will be right-handed, left-handed, or both. Hard to say at this point. As a mostly-ambidextrous leftie, I have hopes she will take after me. But really, I'd be fine with either hand, if she follows in the family tradition of sketching and doodling and having a general interest in creating art. As she gets more and more handy with the crayons and pencils, that is looking good for us. It won't be long now that we can start other kinds of crafting too. Ooh, just imagine how much fun it will be to pull out glue and glitter! 

Hush Little Baby

Inspirational song: Grandma's Feather Bed (John Denver)

I had a near-total meltdown over my electronic devices today. I wasn't getting any of them to work for me, and it was an important time for me to have them. We had our annual updates class online, and I always connect through my phone to these meetings. It's too small a screen for me to see the presentation on. The boss tried a few different ways to get the slide deck to us, and I started off stuttering out of the gate. My iPad was being cranky and my laptop wasn't updated. We eventually got the slideshow out to everyone correctly, and I was able to view on my iPad in my lap, looking through the strong reader section of my progressive lenses (+2.5, baby! My eyes are shot!) I started running updates on the laptop I haven't touched in two months at the beginning of the class, around 8:45. I watched progress periodically through the morning. It didn't finish until well past noon. We needed to take an exam to get the CE credit, and that's where my day really went sideways. I have no idea why Google docs decided it hated me, but I can say for certain the feeling is mutual. I was tired by that point and my eyes hurt, and I couldn't figure out what was happening. I was on the verge of screaming and crying at the same time, and since Valerie had just arrived, I took the safe route, and texted the boss to say I needed some time. I set a reminder in my phone to send it later, closed the computer, and after that I calmed somewhat.

We are entering a phase where the baby will be here more often for a while. Not sure how long it will last. Work schedules are just changing a little for our kids, and Val is lucky enough to have grandparents close by who want nothing more than to see her whenever possible. 

We had fun today, but she wanted no part of napping when it was time. She took two toys to the bed with her, and letting her was a rookie mistake on my part. One of those toys was a play phone that made lots of noise. It kept her mind active for almost an hour while I was wishing we could both sack out for a bit. Eventually we did, but I didn't get nearly enough down time. I'll budget that time differently next time.

Impish

Inspirational song: She's a Beauty (The Tubes)

I got two--count 'em, two--visits with my best girl today. She came over for an hour long visit right around lunch, and then everyone came back for game night. There is only one possible observation I can make after a day like this: holy moly, that kid is cute! I was a little too enchanted by her to get many pictures, but you should trust me on this, she is coming into her own power as a stunner. 

For the first visit, we colored, snacked, and played some music. Her daddy gave me a good idea to pick up some washable crayons, which I did later in the afternoon. The first set was regular, and the new ones are washable and had twice as many colors. Now that she is getting super interested in drawing, she needed the step up.

The second visit was with everyone, and she did really well with most of our game group, but she is unusually shy around our neighbor. He keeps trying and trying to interact with her, but she refuses to get too close, and half the time she buries her face so he can't see her. One of these days, she'll come around, or so we hope. She had fun sitting on my lap, feeding me the snacks I had for her, namely cheesy poofs and watermelon chunks. She won't let anyone else feed her with utensils anymore, but it's a fun game to feed us. At least it's fun for her. Both dimples are visible when she's laughing about offering a forkful of watermelon, and then pulling back as soon as you try to take a bite. I wouldn't miss days like this for the world.

Engagement

Inspirational song: There Is No Arizona (Jamie O'Neal)

Don't ever think I'm not listening when I get feedback from y'all. I truly love it when you engage with me (even if the Blogger app doesn't always let me see comments directly on the blog itself--I guess that's the best justification for keeping the SFSP Facebook page.) I got a lot of interaction over the last few days, and I'm pleased to have the conversation. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that I put up lots of pictures of Valerie, and those catch everyone's eyes. She is darned cute.

To sum up the things I've heard in the last couple days, firstly you have absolutely convinced me now to take Saoirse to a groomer next time she gets whiffy. I am not going through the struggle of showering with her again. I'm still sore from lifting her. I will, however, wait until the middle of spring for her next bath, until there is less snow and more grass in the back yard. She and Murray murdered all the grass we finally got to grow last year, creating a giant expanse of mud. We will start from seed again in a month or so.

Second, I saw what you said, Mom. Yes, come visit and play with that toddler. If you can stand to wait until fall, then you can cuddle two babies! Just let me know when to get my house Great-Grandma level of clean.

And finally, I'm listening to everyone with feedback on the impending car purchase. I am still internally conflicted which direction to go. I narrowed it down to a model, but which engine, which color, which dealer? So many choices. We can't make any moves for a week, until the house in New Mexico closes and we have our proceeds. My friend who bought a Tucson last year made a good point on timing, that we need to go ahead and put a deposit on one, in case we have to wait for delivery. Might as well get in line for mine, rather than waiting until I'm ready to drive a few weeks after surgery in March, and then maybe not receiving it for weeks or months after that.

In the time between now and having the funds, we need to dig deep and decide what makes the most sense. A plug-in hybrid is more expensive up front, and will require running a 220 line to the garage. But it means a tax credit up to $6500 next year, when we will be facing capital gains on the sale of a rental property (for which we took depreciation off our taxes for a decade), plus there is a $2500 incentive from the state of Colorado. It also means I would be charging from my solar panels, and most of the time I would be driving on pure electric around town. Drawback: I will either have to travel to buy it or wait until late summer, and I have less of a chance of getting a blue one. There is a regular hybrid in the deep sea blue sitting on a lot in Greeley right now. How patient am I, really?

 

Happy Feelings

Inspirational song: Give It Away (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

It's time for a serious cost-benefit analysis. Is it worth repeating what I did today, wrestling a 75 pound sissy who did not want to get into the bathtub, even with no standing water in it? Or do I find out what a dog groomer costs, and let someone stronger than I take care of my cuddly flokati carpet? I'm strongly leaning towards the latter. It has been years since I was taking Bump and Elsa to the groomer on the regular, so my idea of what it costs is at least six or seven years out of date. It honestly can't be so much that it is worth struggling with Saoirse again like I did today. I am still sore from that nonsense. Her fur is a lot softer now, though. Maybe tomorrow, once I'm rested, I'll get around to clipping her claws. Yeah, I think paying someone to take care of this is my plan going forward.

I checked a few other things off the to-do list this afternoon, while I was feeling hale and hearty (as much as ever) for a while. First and foremost, I took 38 days' worth of donation items to the ARC. There were a few bonus items in there that Mr S-P tossed in. Dropping off a decently full trunkload of stuff I never have to see again gives me such a rush of happy brain chemicals. It means I have more space in closets and drawers, and it will take that much less effort to clean house. I swear, my 365-in-2022 idea was the best ever. I can't wait to see what my house looks like come summer or fall, maybe around day 200 or so of daily donations.

While I was dropping off donations and getting my car washed, the Mr was taking the baby for a walk. I had driven him to their house, and Valerie was confused why grandma was there so briefly and then left. I beat them back by just a few minutes, so I was in the house when they walked up. She was tromping through their dormant vegetable garden when I opened the door. The look on that kid's face when she realized I had returned... I managed to capture it. Tell me that doesn't make your heart skip a beat.

Blur

Inspirational song: Purple Haze (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)

There is most likely a simple explanation why I'm dragging my tail so hard every few days. It's probably a combination of trying to fit in too many activities (even just Zoom meetings), and not getting enough sleep at night. Yesterday was a good example of both, and I paid for it today. I slept most of the day away in my recliner, held in place by one or more cats the entire time. I'm a hundred percent certain I snored during that time. I felt it more than heard it, but I verified by asking the Mr whether I did. Oh, yeah. 

I didn't make it into the shower until early evening, in time to change into fresh pajamas. A girl's got to have standards. I was halfway through brushing my teeth when a new wave of fatigue and strong nausea washed over me, and I had to run back to the same chair and hold myself very still for another half hour. I made myself eat a toasted cheese sandwich, hoping it would give me energy, but alas, no. I struggled to stay awake through two episodes of the Book of Boba Fett. I only sort of followed what was happening. Now I am glad to go right back to sleep. This whole day was a blur, and I'm okay with seeing it end.

Test Test

Inspirational song: Doctor My Eyes (Jackson Browne)

There is a Veggie Tales retelling of the King David and Bathsheba story called King George and the Ducky. In this version, the thing George covets is not a person but a kid's rubber ducky. There is a catchy song that no one in our family has been able to forget for over twenty years. Thus, when I arrived home after test driving the Tucson today, and my daughter was approaching by foot to have lunch with me, as soon as she got within range of my voice, I said (in just the right intonation), "I want it." She paused only a second before she responded appropriately, "What, the house?" I finished, "No, the ducky."

So the test drive went well. We took out a regular hybrid, SEL trim package. It was a dream to drive! Zippy and quiet and great handling. We only went out about five miles, on the highway that leads to the interstate, and then came back. We paused in the Lowe's parking lot to sit in the backseat and measure it for a baby seat, and poke around the trunk a little to see how big it feels. Mr S-P had his poker face on, but I've known him for close to 35 years. I easily picked up how his tone and word choices changed in relation to the idea of getting a new car. I think I have finally convinced him. Whew!

The salesman I talked to was nice enough, but I'm more concerned about making this work financially than being tied to any one person. If I get sent to a different dealer by going through the Costco program, I will go where we can get the model we choose at a price we can accept. We still don't know whether we are going regular or plug-in hybrid. Plug-ins are really hard to acquire right now, I assume because they are manufactured in South Korea not at the Alabama plant, and we all know how hard it is to get stuff right now. There are incentives from the state and federal government to buy a PHEV that might make the wait worthwhile. I won't really need the bigger car until summer, so I can take a little time to make the right choice.

The kids came over for lunch and so we could attend a zoom baby shower together, for one of our nieces who is due in a few weeks. We got lots of quality toddler time. While baby and mommy were sitting at the table trying to get through some pot roast and veggies, Val snatched mommy's fork away from her. Mommy said hey, that's mine. A tiny kid voice started repeating, "Mine." I had not heard her say that before. There may come a day when we wish she had not learned that word, but today, my heart exploded in joy to hear it. On her way out the door, she pointed out in the cutest way how much I need to sweep my front steps. She threw several handfuls of leaves up in the air, over her head. How is it that just makes her seem all the cuter?