The Responsible Thing and Five Words- Again

There's a fabulous display of artwork throughout the major city outside of our suburb. Everyone is talking about it. The news is full of it. Fash and I are dying to go see it. But on this beautiful, sunshine day we had to do the responsible thing. Fash had homework and I.T. needed to close the swimming pool for the winter. This means I've been hanging out near I.T. today in case he needs me to hand him a tool or hold something right there. I use the opportunity to give him snippets of information on how I feel about this and that, so he'll be in the know. I think he likes that.

I've momentarily snuck out of the back yard where I was bent over the short wall of our pump house holding an umbrella in one hand to keep the rain off my head and jamming the end of my vacuum cleaner hose into a steel pipe that leads to our pool return jets with the other. All this with the vacuum cleaner running blows water and who knows what else out of our jets readying them for winter. When the pipes are clear, I.T. puts a special anti-freeze in there and plugs the holes. When this is done, we stretch the winter cover over the cement pond and secure it to spring clips all the way around the pool. There was a time when we used the pool more, but I can probably count on one hand the number of times I.T. and Fash used the pool this summer and I swam in it- once. In my opinion this alone is reason enough to sell the house and get one that doesn't have a pool. But the current housing market in Michigan makes that a bad idea, ....it's a perfect opportunity to be thankful for what I have and try to practice not being so lazy. I.T. definitely does 98.579% of the work on opening and closing our pool. (I maintain it during the summer months once he gets it running) At any rate, it is an all day project where I spend most of my time not helping much and feeling guilty that I am not much help.

On another note, I.T. and I took Fash to a state university to check out a very specific academic area of interest. The program looks super. It's the student protest against the new tailgating rule limiting the number of beers at any one pre-game tailgate gathering to SIX per person- that worries me! SIX! A protest against that. I wonder how many beers per person would have been an acceptable amount to the student protesters. I.T., my son and I all attended a Christian liberal arts college, where alcohol on campus and in the football stadium is prohibited. Of course alcohol made its way in to these places, but still there's something about that rule I like more than the above SIX beer per person limitation rule. Goodness. If I drank even three beers in the time between the tailgate party and the game, I'd be decidedly slaphappy in the stands. That is if I could even drink three. That is if I even DRANK beer in the first place.

Anyway. Fash was impressed with the program. We're off to a small, Christian out of state college next- to check out another, different specific academic area of interest. The whole process is a mix between exciting fun and depressing reality. Fash is going to leave us.

Here I come, Binjin-san (new name for my bonsai tree, that's bin- trash bin, gin- alcoholic drink, san- sawn in half. Krippled Warrior suggested this name, it means Miss Beautiful Girl, but we will call her Ziah for short, which was Mrs. E.'s suggestion) to sulk with you in the living room. Actually, Ziah produced a duet of blossoms recently, but she is still dropping leaves. Perhaps this is normal. Here is an amazing tree you must see. Just click for a quick look see. You'll be glad you did.

Here I go again with the 5 Word meme. This is because ADHD-Jo and I are evening things out a bit. She gave me these five.

Random- I've noticed that Fash and her friends use the word "random" a lot. They almost overuse it. Like it's about to be murdered the same way we killed the word "like". Remember when "like" meant "the same as" or "such as"? Like now it means like "pause" or like "for emphasis!" Like gimme a break. Like yeah. Well, Fash and her friends say things like, "that was random" or "Random." And basically it does still mean, "without definite aim or direction" , but it has that about to be murdered feel to it like "like". I don't think the dictionaries of tomorrow will show the same definitions of these words that we see today.

Negus- I limit myself to six and I drink them hot, but not burning to the tongue, with honey instead of sugar, a twist of one slice of lemon and plenty of nutmeg. (wine, hot H2O, sugar, lemon juice and spices) I'll take a hunk of pepper jack and a cracker with that please. (This drink sounds delightful, but in reality- I've never had one)

Gorilla- glue. Gorilla glue will stick anything together and you get to look at an ape, while you are applying it. Makes you want to eat a banana.

Inexpugnable- I have an inexpugnable fear of heights and experience inexpugnable anxiety in many driving scenarios, such as: driving in inclement weather, driving in unfamiliar territory, merging on to freeways (I have an inexpugnable image of the vehicle that will not let me in before the merge lane ends- though this has never actually happened to me), turning left and riding in the front passenger's seat, while someone else is driving. It feels like a severe loss of control in a potentially dangerous situation for me. But the back seat does not work much better. Most likely- I should not drive. Yet, I have never been in an accident. Interestingly, many have felt it necessary to show me their middle finger when passing me on the road. My response is to hold up my yellow, smiley face cutout, gorilla glued to a Popsicle stick that I keep handy for the very occasion.

3Thinks- ADHD-Jo tells me she randomly chose these five words for me- randomly. Like right. Okay. 3Thinks is one thought more than I have. So. What is the significance of 3Thinks to this blogger? Beats me.

Another blogger has sent me a mind boggling set of five more words. Land sakes, I'm going to have to charge up the thinking cap. Could take a while.