Highlights

Heh, heh, heh. Funny even if one isn't remotely bitter. Or brittle. Or sarcastic. Well, maybe it helps if you at least get sarcasm.

What a fascinating series of interactions I've had today. While the older three were finishing up their group practice for the piano recital, S and I were in the van. I was helping Q "drive"--he loves to sit sort of on my lap, sort of between my knees, to grab the steering wheel and vocalize at it. S was pulling her school books out of the book basket. We were listening to some familiar song on the radio and I was singing harmony with the back-up choir as it ended. S looks intently at me, cocks her head and says, smiling, "Mommy, did you used to be a good singer?"

On our way following lessons, we crossed over a low spot in the topography. There's a sizeable pond plus waterfowl off to one side. Both sides of the road are replete with rushes and miscellaneous wetland foliage. S, in the very back, sits bolt upright in her seat as we pass the pond and gasping, says, "Did we just cross the Nile?" G explained patiently that the Nile is in Egypt, we are not in Egypt, that Egypt is in fact on another continent (what's a continent?), and that was just a pond. But perhaps one day, if we're very lucky, we'll get to see the Nile delta in flood (what's a delta?).

We were subsequently stuck behind a slow, slow, agonizingly slow truck, were pulled over for speeding, and then stuck driving ten or more miles below the speed limit in order to stay on the road through wind gusts. All in under 45 minutes. (You think I'm kidding? I am never, never bored.) The nice State Patrol lady has the same birthday as me--funny, no? I've no idea why she let me off with a warning when she said she clocked me at 16 miles over the speed limit (what?), but I wished her a happy birthday in advance. I think she may have confused us with the zippy little black SUV that crested the hill at the same time. Or perhaps there was a mighty gust and it gave us a push as I let up on the gas, coming up over that hill and all. I'm driving a minivan that's nearly ten years old, full of children and their stuff, for goodness sakes. The poor thing isn't really capable of behaving like a little race car. I've no idea what happened there. All in all, perhaps it's best not to question things too terribly closely. All's well that ends well?

I got to slap the living daylights out of a batch of bread dough today. I haven't done anything with dough since I baked, frequently, for a certain someone. As a matter of fact, I don't do nearly as much cooking as I used to, for mostly the same reasons. Huh. Well, perhaps I'll have a chance to resurrect my Kitchen-Aid one day. There are lots and lots of fond memories there, even though the mere sight of the flour, yeasty sponge, oil, etc. combining in the bowl when I was first pregnant with Q was enough to pitch me over the edge. Funny, the way trains of thought go: now I'm thinking about how very sick I was with him, so much more than with the other kids. Huh. Again. (shaking head)

Thanks for your prayers for all of us here and for the various friends I've mentioned repeatedly.

Wishing you a big old warm bed filled with a lifetime of snuggles and giggles and (ahem) all the rest. Including kiddoes bouncing you awake in the light of dawn, happy to be where they are.

G'night.