Today

I managed to hold it together. Through getting people where they needed to go, doing all the usual daily stuff. While mine were busy with tumbling, I went off to tag team for another mama's kids. I didn't holler or anything as I coasted to the side of the road because I was running out of gas. Nope. I sort of laughed, actually. I cleaned out the vehicle (had some empty trash bags along), did a little organizing via cell phone, a little organizing of some paperwork I had along, and (gasp) read for a few minutes because I was alone. When the tow guy showed up with two gallons of gas (which he gave me at considerable discount, bless him) and then the engine wouldn't even turn over, I didn't make disgruntled noises. I'm pretty sure I blushed like mad while he was hooking up the jumper cables. (Nothing like a helpless moment to make a person feel completely incompetent.) Evidently, 45 minutes of emergency blinkers had done in the poor battery. Throughout, I had a shining sense of humor, really.

Until I got home, got Q's food all mixed up (a bit of a process these days, expensive to boot when one's putting groceries on a credit card), and then the can of Thick-It jumped out of the cupboard, into the bowl and flipped it onto me and the floor. When did you last scrape squishy pasta, peas, and something called yogurt cheese off all available surfaces? Pardon me for wanting all noise to simply cease for a minute while I recovered what I happen to think is a remarkably resilient sense of humor, thank you very much.

All the appropriate kiddoes are happily ensconced in their beds, their respective mamas having heaved a sigh of relief that everything worked out okay. And I'm especially happy that the van just needed fuel. Actually, it needs brakes, a new battery, lock repair, a taillight's wonky wiring fixed, a new intake manifold and some TLC, but who cares? It did what we needed it to tonight. I hope the gas gauge isn't broken. Isn't it odd that it would show 1/8 of a tank and not turn on the warning light before just running out? Come to think of it, perhaps the whole panel of warning lights was somehow affected. When I started it up this afternoon, the "Check Engine Light" was off. This is an unusual thing these days. I had thought that perhaps the mess in the intake manifold had temporarily cleared--it's done it before for a few days at a time (which I tend to experience as a manifestation of divine favor). But maybe the whole thing really is going? Gah!

I think I'd better stop thinking out loud and go to bed before I find something to really panic over.

May your tanks be full and your batteries fresh. G'night. Rest well.