THE PARENT TRAP!

Collecting enough tree debris to make my own Bonsai farm was not the plan, but the wind was quite high and tassels flew into the water without abandonment!  Sunday afternoon was glorious, but I had a lot to accomplish and, as usual, little time in which to do!  By the time I came back to the garden, planted my remaining peppers, cleared up and soaked the bean seeds, it was nearing twilight!  Exhausted is not a word that I like to use lightly, but in this case, it was rather apt.  Swimming definitely uses less energy for the results, but the first few weeks of the season seem to take their toll.  Not that I am complaining, far from it, as it is wonderful to be able to swim, again, but I was tired!

I had very little time on Monday to complete any task that I had in mind.  After the daily chores, and the busy day at work, we had to come home to meet with a prospective contractor.  No, I am not going to remodel on the scale that next door has remodeled, but we have been talking for a long time about having some new windows.  Ours are the original installs, and whilst they do not leak, like some of our neighbours', they really need to be modernized.  We have 'talked' about this for many years, and as of yet, have not done anything about it.  

Our trip to the radio station on Monday, was amazing, as always.  Lunch was sandwiches, and wraps, with beer!  Once again, we took ours home as ten thirty in the morning is a little too early to imbibe!  I packed up a couple of sandwiches for the 'big boss' as he does not get the chance to enjoy.  It is not quite like the 'old days' when we were told, 'please, take the pizza!' but no one appears to care!  The 'Unlikely Candidates' were great!  I would put them in the 'soft punk' arena, as their songs were 'real' and topical.  Samantha and Grant sat in the front row, but I was in the row behind, because I 'took so long' getting into the studio.  The reason for this was that I thanked the organiser for allowing us all to come again!  I told her that she had made an old lady very happy.  She thanked us for making the effort to always come out to the event.  I said that as a younger girl, my parents were quite protective, and had considered concerts 'unsavoury' and I did not really attend anything until I was much older.  She empathised.  She said, with emphatic enthusiasm that her parents were the same!  However, mine had insisted that I take 'shorthand and typing' options at school as they would always be useful.  I did.  I did not follow my dream.  (I do not have regrets. It is what it is!)  I am not sure what her parents suggested, but she is now a DJ!  I doubt it was their counsel!  However, she is happy!

We beat the contractor home by about five minutes, and I rushed upstairs, and threw things in cupboards and behind closed doors, so that my usual 'organised chaos' was not seen.  Of course, I am sure that the contractor representative has seen many things in her 'five years' of doing the job.  No doubt, some have included a back bedroom greenhouse, and an abyss!  "I still have things at my parent's home.  They keep telling me I should get them".  I did not tell her that Samantha has been married for ten years!  Ten years ago, the contractor representative was probably still at school, and therefore, still an inhabitant of her parents' bedroom!  The abyss had been organised to a degree, but it was a little bit of an obstacle course to reach the window to measure.  "Obviously, our engineers will be out to take exact measurements, as they are custom made".  Obviously! So the abyss will have to be revamped, yet again!  

After two hours, the contactor representative left.  I thanked her for not invoking the 'hard sell' clause.  She did not once tell us that she was able to let us have an extra ten percent off because this was her anniversary week, and then call her boss who would say that if we signed now we would get another ten percent, or claim that because we lived in the fifth house along, we could get the special discount of the century.  Instead, she gave us a price, with discounts for various options, and told us it was up to us how we wanted to proceed.  It was refreshing!  

Presenting the 'plans' to the housing association board was my job! I did not sleep particularly well on Monday night, as my dreams were filled with broken windows and other ridiculous anxiety visions. What am I going to do with the garden?  What if the board did not approve the plans, (they have never not approved window plans, I believe,) and what if something goes horrendously wrong.  I was so happy when the alarm rang!  After attempting to carry out all the things I wanted to do before going to work, and failing miserably, as my mind would not stay on any one thing, I emailed the management agency. At the end of my email, I gave my vote for approval!  After all, I am on the board!

Temperatures reached record levels on Tuesday, nearing a century!  I came home and went swimming.  Someone else was in the pool!  I was astounded.  However, it was a young father with his son, and he was not sure it was really warm enough.  "It seemed like it was going to be warmer", he said.  "It's April", I said, shrugging my shoulders, as if that should mean something.  It did.  He agreed.  Lulled into a false sense of security, he got out and decided to wait a couple of months!

Back home, I added to the Bonsai collection, this time with enough to make my shower look like a Rain Forest, surprised that there were not a couple of macaws or snakes in the mix!  Samantha had left the dogs and gone on a hike, which was probably not such a brilliant idea in the afternoon heat, but she seemed to think it was better than 'working out' in my carport, which it probably was!  The intensity of the heat in my sun room flows over into the carport, so I can imagine a 'work out' in such conditions would be equivalent to lifting weights in a sauna!  Probably not a good idea!

Traffic was very heavy on Wednesday, as I bounced over the highway in my trusted steed.  Perhaps I should say 'old mare', as I am sure the vehicle I drive is a 'she'.  I have often referred to her as an 'old lady', although to call her a 'mare' could be misconstrued as being unkind, as I believe mares are a more stubborn variety of animal.  However, my reason for using the analogy is that at the traffic lights, we encountered a 'highly strung' mustang.  Revving as if it's life depended on it, the car was not happy at having been stopped at the lights.  Perhaps it was the driver who was in a hurry, but either way, when the lights turned green it appeared to be unhappy that it was having to sit behind such an old beast, pretty as she is!  (I refer to my car!)  My old mare slid (as she does) into the next lane and then over again into the next. The 'highly strung' mustang was not going to stand for this any longer, and like a computer game, darted into the outside lane, leaving little room for maneuver for anyone!  As is my usual pattern, I slid in to the outside lane, and sat behind the spirited beast, until we were about a mile away from the split which divides the 'downtown' headed traffic, and those that are across the river bound.  The 'enigma' usually occurs around this area, and there is a slow down, and a possibility of a stop, just for a few seconds.  There appears to be no reason for this strange event, hence calling it the 'enigma', but it is regular!  As usual, I slid back into the middle lane, and undertook the spirited beast, as my lane was moving quite stealthily.  Revving was futile.  We hopped across the river with ease, and it was not until I turned off to go to the right, that the mustang took poll position and galloped home, perhaps for the win.  Perhaps he was oblivious to this old mare who was used to the road, and did not wish to race, but had been leading because of experience.  The fact that he was almost in the car with me for the first few seconds that we were on the highway, would indicate that he was not happy being in second place!  I smiled as I saw him disappear into the distance.  

It was rather windy, again, and the threat of rain came and went, although none materialised.   I returned home, and set about getting the table laid and dinner ready.  As Grant had commented on the table setting last Tuesday, I set up his place with the good stuff.  He laughed as he saw the place setting, with a doily under the cutlery.  I had rounded some butter into balls and set them to one side.  The crockery was set out on the table for his use only!  He found it highly amusing.  I told him that it needed to be hand washed, so I expected him in the kitchen once dinner was over!  He would have washed up his plate, I am sure, but Dana would not hear of it!  Such favour did not warrant putting the special guest to work.  "How was dinner?" I asked.  "I am sure mine tasted much better because of the plate it was on!" he responded!

"What is this?" asked Grant, when he returned from lunch.  I had taken a call from a server in the field, and put my parents' suggestion to good use.  I had written the details in shorthand, and then transferred them to the computer.  My notes were still on Grant's desk as I had gone there to see if I could find the paperwork.  I read the notes, following along with my finger.  "Isn't it obvious?" I asked, thinking about Monday's conversation with 'Momo'.  "Is it.  Are you making it up?" he asked, half smiling.  "Yep.  No!"  I explained that I had taken a course in Pitman's.  "Who?"  A generation that does not know the great Isaac Pitman!  What is the world coming to!  The younger generation write in 'shorthand' all the time, although in my day it was called 'speedwriting', and alternative to shorthand.  I remember seeing the advertisements on the train. "If u cn rd ths msg, u cn gt a gd jb"  Basically, it left out the vowels, and was not as good as the 'real thing', but it sold!  He was suitably impressed!  I was a secretary, and a good one at that.  I would have loved to have been a pharmacist, or a DJ!

I emailed the board.  I had not received a response regarding my windows!  One vote would not be enough, especially when it was mine, and despite meeting the Chairman on Tuesday, whilst walking the dogs, and his saying that he did not see a problem, I was a couple short.  It appeared that the message of approval did not get back to me on Tuesday morning, when the rest of the board had decided they, also, did not see a problem!

Friday rounded the corner, and before I knew it, it was 'quitting time'. The week had been one of our busiest for a while.  Our server in Corpus Christi had been plying me with emails for my garden, and my mind was spinning with new ideas and possibilities, all week.  My shopping list was rather long!  From each suggestion she gave me, came several opportunities, and the small space would be utilised in a very good way!'

After shopping on Saturday, I set up my canvas shoe rack, with the basket liners inside, and lined another hanging rack with more liners.  Despite the Dollar Tree being a 'Dollar and a quarter' now, the liners were still much more reasonable than the big stores, and my garden would be spectacular!  Forget the 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon'!  This would be the hanging garden of Austin!  Plans, plans and more plans. I know, normally, the best laid plans, etc., etc., but this may work!

I spent about three quarters of an hour cleaning the pool.  The catkins had taken over again.  I refused to pile up another mountain in my shower, and cleaned the skimmers before I swam, then twice afterwards.  I took out the net and cleaned up the debris.  The pool looked amazing, for less than five minutes, and then there was a gust of wind, and I refused to start again. However, it will be less for the real cleaner to do on Monday, and this season is only for about two weeks!

Dana and I had a lovely dinner, and returned home and watched a film.  I was exhausted, again!  After swimming, cleaning and gardening, and with all the ideas still going round in my mind like a carousel, I think I am entitled to use the word!

Sunday again, and big plans.  Hopefully, swimming season has started and I can partake.  Maybe I will get to read a bit, or maybe I will just go headlong into the planting.  All the pepper plants are now outside, and the peas are ready to head that way!  Onions are starting to sprout and carrots are doing well.  Self sufficient I am not quite, but I am getting there!  Who knows what else I will come up with, as we have no meet and greets planned for next week, but the week has not started yet, and I have no clue of how the week will pan out or, indeed, what to put in ......... another story!