Almost Home Invaded

Yesterday I was sitting my office when I heard my husband scream "Get the F**K out of here!!"

I thought, "nice language in front of the kids." I figured one of the dogs was after his lunch or something.

I got up, walked through the house and found my husband coming from the back yard with a golf club in his hands.

Turns out while he was getting some lunch he looked up and saw a man walking up the deck stairs. He grabbed a golf club and went after him.

Of course the dogs (all THREE of them) didn't hear anything.

I have to say it shook me up a bit. It's the middle of the day, there were three cars in the drive and in front of the house. Still he was just walking in.

If J hadn't been home and in the kitchen the guy would have been in the living room before I would have known he was here. And what would I have done?

We are on permanent lockdown now. All the doors and windows locked.

It scared me. We're really lucky. Instead of being a major tragedy it was a close call. A reminder that I need to be careful all the time.

12

A couple of weeks ago my oldest turned 12.

I've been noticing adolescence sneaking up on him for a few months. He's always been a mama's boy and would just grab me when I was walking by and hug me. He's always been clingy, not very independent and emotionally needy. He's always preferred to spend time with me, much to his father's frustration.

He is very much like me -- my personality, my quirks. He likes to say that he is about 75 percent me and his brother, D8, is about 75 percent their dad. That sums it up pretty well.

I'm making a conscious effort to let go of him and to not interfere to much when I see him processing things so much the way I did as a child. It's hard not to jump in and try and feel it for him. Of course I can't. But we could fix things so easily when they were babies and toddlers. Change a diaper. Feed them. Fix a toy.

Now it's not always that easy.

I love seeing his sense of humor develop. It's much like mine -- sarcastic and dry. He's funny, introspective and smart.

Just in time for father's day he's turning towards his dad. It's been happening for awhile. He likes hanging out with him, going places. About 3:00 p.m. every day he starts anticipating his dad's arrival. I see them bonding and developing a relationship just like my husband had with his dad.

This morning D8 asked for pancakes and while I was making them I remembered making shaped pancakes for J12 when he was younger. I couldn't quite remember what shape so I asked him. We had to think about it for a moment but then he remembered -- Blue's Clues paw prints!

At 12 he's standing on the brink between child and teen. I like this age. He's still mine but I have some breathing room.

I asked him if he wanted me to make him a paw print pancake and he said yes. So I did. It was like a little shout out to the past. A nice memory saluted on this ordinary Saturday morning. Something he'll forget much sooner than I will. Which is how it should be.

Poem Thursday - A Reminder

I've been a little lost and wandering lately. I heard this on Speaking of Faith and it's pretty much the best advice I've heard in a long time -- for poets and for the rest of us.

How to be a Poet

by Wendell Berry

(to remind myself)

i

Make a place to sit down.

Sit down. Be quiet.

You must depend upon

affection, reading, knowledge,

skill-more of each

than you have-inspiration,

work,growing older, patience,

for patience joins time

to eternity. Any readers

who like your poems,

doubt their judgment.

ii

Breathe with unconditional breath

the unconditioned air.

Shun electric wire.

Communicate slowly. Live

a three-dimensioned life;

stay away from screens.

Stay away from anything

that obscures the place it is in.

There are no unsacred places;

there are only sacred places

and desecrated places.

iii

Accept what comes from silence.

Make the best you can of it.

Of the little words that come

out of silence, like prayers

prayed back to the one who prays,

make a poem that does not disturb

the silence from which it came.

I found this poem here.

I'm a Small Dog Person. Who Knew

So about three weeks ago I took my TWO dogs out for their 7:00 a.m. walk and I saw this little guy cowering under the neighbors car. When we got back he was still there and trying to make friends with my cat. I quickly put my TWO dogs into the house and came straight back out to check on the little guy. You know, because my house is the Underground Railroad for cats and dogs in my neighborhood. I think there's a special scratch on the dogwood tree or maybe the way the vine curls up the mailbox. Whatever it is they come to my house.

In fact when he was making friends with my cat she was probably telling him it was a good place to land since that's how she came to live here about 18 months ago.

Yes. Yes I tried to find his home -- put up signs, ads in the paper, called the vets, etc. etc. etc. No takers. I don't know why anyone would let him go because he is a sweetie.

We named him Treasure. It wouldn't have been my first choice but I wasn't choosing -- the kids were. Now the name has stuck.

And now I have THREE dogs. That's right. Three freaking dogs. One cat. Two boys. One husband. One job. One crappy small house.

Thanks for asking but no Treasure is not quite as house broken as we would like. So he's spending lots of time in the cage and going on lots of mini-walks.

He did spend a questionable 24 hours with some neighbors who were thinking of adopting him, just so they could breed him with their chihuahua. It didn't go well -- at either house. I was a mess for 24 hours (and so was J12 -- although I'm sure he wouldn't want you to know that) and Treasure didn't get along with their three dogs -- so home he came.

And home he has stayed.

summer and i'm thinking

I'm floating around the pool in my floatie chair while D8 and I play Super Smash Bros. Fortunately it doesn't take a particularly large amount of thought on my part. I'm just sort of participating in his imaginary game. I just have to splash him every once in awhile and make growling noises and nod my head a lot.

Most of the time I just lay back and watch the clouds float by, catching a glimpse of them through the trees.

Later we come inside and D8 plays in his room while I do some laundry then we snuggle on the couch and watch Veggietales.

We're spending the day together while J12, J and Nana go to Savannah for the day. It's possible we may even get around to making brownies.

To be honest D8 is missing his brother and dad. Every once in awhile he asks me how much longer they will be gone or why they had to go.

Later in the evening when everyone is home D8 drags them out to the pool and now he's content. I'm wandering around the house, trying to decide if I'm going to be a good girl and clean up (something I've avoided all day) or go outside and read a book while they swim.

I've been feeling pretty lost and restless lately. Kind of like those clouds. I guess I've always been that way.