Thoughts About Stuff

I got a phone call from a friend last night that buoyed up my writerly hopes. He said such kind things, including (without being prompted) that my story reminded him of my favorite author, and that I need to keep writing. Everyone could use a phone call like that, I say. And everyone could use a friend like him.


I think I may be growing up. (As this is just thoughts on things, this paragraph does not relate to the last one.) Yesterday I was very cold. I contemplated wrapping up in my bathrobe, under my blankies and having nap. I shocked myself by dismissing that idea, filling the sink with nice hot water and washing the dishes instead. Because I preferred to be warm and get some work done. Mature, no?


Related only in that it happened yesterday, Daniel and baby took a walk to buy a newspaper. The ladies behind the counter oohed and ahhed over the baby. (Okay, okay, she's a toddler.) And then, they engaged Daniel in a conversation about naming babies. Lucky guy! He said he was sorry I had to miss it. Oh wait, he really said he was sorry it was him and not me.


We had a sunny weekend. We played outside two days. We did not get wet. Norah had her rain boots on and stomped in puddles, but no rain fell on her head. We took two walks. We played on swings without having to dry them off first. I weeded and raked the front flower bed, where I plan to plant the vinca. We locked ourselves out of the house again, but we didn't have to huddle miserably in the car while Hero-Dad saved us. We played outside instead and pretended like that had been our plan all along. My heart was light like a young girl whose lover Spring has arrived. Oh please come soon Spring! I miss you so much.


Lucy (the baby cum toddler) is wellish now. Still a terrible cough, but her sister has one of those as well. Lucy has finished her course of antibiotics (She had a five day perscritpion instead of ten) and has been fever free since Friday.


We gave preschool more thought. More than anything, I wanted to find a way where I could give Norah the preschool experience (this is the competitive American in me) and still increase my giving to a dying world. Our current plan is to get her application in on time the day it is due, and then pay the monthly tuition with our Economic Stimulus Package Check. This gets our ESP money into the economic flow. We would have never spent it otherwise, having a car to pay off now as well as our retirement to anticipate. Actually using our ESP money on a purchase (of sorts) is an act of patriotism. And the best part is it frees up the monthly budget money we would have spent on preschool so we can increase our World Vision support, something I am clearly being called to do. What do we do the next year, when there is no Economic Stimulus Package? Well, Norah will be in free Kindergarten. And Lucy will only be three in 2009, so she wouldn't have to go to preschool yet. Anyway, it seemed like a good compromise to me.

Norah was naming her chess peices just now: Elijah, Joshua, Watermelon, Fruit Salad, Potato, Mary...

And my closing thought is how happy I am that Daniel began putting up our baseboard trim and how happy I am that he is having fun doing it.