Tuesday was very hectic. I dropped off my orders, deposited my check and headed over to Mom and Dad’s for lunch and a walk. We’ve all been taking turns walking with Dad to make sure that he’s getting the exercise he needs. He’s getting stronger by the day, so its very rewarding to walk with him and mark his progress. Then I have lunch with them, which is also very rewarding because my Mom makes the best soup in the entire world. And they’re very good company.
In the apartment, Dad has been using his walker as much as he can, rather than relying on the wheelchair to get from room to room. His PT told him the more he walks, the better it is. He’s getting stronger and more confident every day.
On my way over this week, I received a text from my daughter Katie. She was in an emergency working-mom position. She wasn’t going to be able to get home by the time her nanny needed to leave and she wondered if I could fill in? There was a possibility that she’d need similar help the next day as well.
After Lunch with the folks, I dropped my stuff off at home and tried to get up to Katie’s before rush hour. After extensive haggling, I’d told Kate that I’d be more than happy to get the twins, keep them overnight and the next day, if necessary but that she could pick them up at my house if she finished work at a reasonable hour. I got to Katie’s at about 3:30 and let the nanny go early.
The moment they heard me come in the back door, BoopityBoop started screaming in excitement! I love when they do that! We spent a fair amount of time chasing each other through the living room, screaming and laughing before any work could be done. Then, to distract them so I could pack an overnight bag, I said “Alexa, play the soundtrack to the Greatest Showman”.
As soon as I said the word ‘soundtrack’, they both stopped running, threw their arms in the air and began singing the intro. I knew they’d be busy singing and dancing, so I could pack up the car. I had to find the extra car seats and buckle those into my minivan as well as pack their bag with everything they’d need in case they stayed overnight. The one thing I didn’t need to worry about was diapers: we’ve got a case of those at home.
Packing the bag was the easy part, getting the girls into their winter gear and out to the car was problematic. They let me put on their shoes and coats with no fuss but when I tried to herd them out to the car, we hit a snag.
I had Boop under my arm but Boopity hesitated at the back door, said “Cold. No.” and turned and ran back into the house.
I buckled Boop into her seat and ran back in to get her sister.
Who was hiding from me.
I thought I’d closed all the doors down the hallway and she wasn’t there or in the living room. The door to the basement was open but the lights were all out down there. I know Boopity is not afraid of the dark, so I ran downstairs, calling her name but she wasn’t there.
Back upstairs, I dashed down the hall, wondering if I had indeed closed all the bedroom doors tightly. I had not. I found Boopity in her own bedroom (in the dark) having a blast by pulling all the baby wipes out of the plastic container they come in.
I snatched her up and we ran back outside. Since Boop was already waiting for us in the car, I didn’t bother to pick up the flurry of baby wipes all over the nursery floor. Similarly, I didn’t stop to replace all the Tupperware they’d pulled out of the kitchen cupboard on their way to the back door. All of this had already taken far too long and I was going to get stuck in the middle of rush hour traffic, with two toddlers in the car, so the state of Katie’s house was the least of my concerns.
We got on the road at 5:00, which is right in the thick of rush hour but fortunately going south through town is not as popular as going north; traffic was heavy but moving at a pretty steady clip. It only took 40 minutes to get home, instead of the 90 I was afraid of. The girls were delightful all the way down the highway. We listened to the soundtrack of Something Rotten and they loved it.
We came in the back door to find Coach and Zack in the midst of making a huge pot of spaghetti for dinner! Coach had made sauce with meatballs and Zack was just firing up a huge pot of water for the noodles. After shrieking their delight at the men, the girls and I sat on my bed and read a book featuring Elmo, whom they love. They both showed off how well they can say his name. Boop says “Elmo” clear as water, Boopity says “Melmo.” They both pointed out his eyes, nose and mouth but I stumped them when I asked where his ears are. They know where theirears are but we couldn’t find Melmo’s.
I forgot to mention that Margy was in town for a few days and she stayed with us. She’s overseeing the work of getting Mom and Dad’s house ready for the market. It needs some cosmetic work to get top dollar. Last month, Margy chose interior and exterior paint colors, new carpeting for the stairs and basement family room, new tile for the front entry floor, new hardware for the kitchen and dining room cabinets and new light fixtures. This week, the carpeting was being installed so she came into town to oversee all of that. When they tore up the carpeting in the upstairs hallway and bedrooms, we discovered hardwood floors under all of it! They’re being refinished. The exterior of the house took a while to get done because of all the rain we’ve had but the new white trim and dark gray paint look really sharp now. Margy spent long days at the house, scrubbing and priming along with the fellow who’s refinishing the floors and painting everything. She was up and gone most mornings before I even got out of bed but came back in the evenings for dinner and a few episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events before crashing in my studio. She was here for spaghetti with the girls.
Dinner was delicious and everyone ate a lot. After dinner, Jay became the twins’ favorite person by feeding them ice cream. Then we retired to the porch to watch Donald Duck. Katie got here a little after 8:00, having gotten so much work done that she didn’t have to stay late on Wednesday, so they didn’t spend the night. We gave them baths, put them in their jammies and after Katie had some spaghetti, she took them home.
Wednesday, Jay brought all the fish he’d caught, cleaned and froze over to Mom and Dad’s and we had a fish fry. Margy and her son, BJ, who lives here in the town, joined us. We all ate fish until it was coming out our noses. It was so good.
Thursday, Margy flew home. She’d gotten a ton of work done at the house, the new carpeting looked great and she’d picked up the tile for the foyer. The dark paneling on the stairs had been primed and was ready to be painted. Once all the dark wood in the upstairs has been painted, the entire house will look far more open and airy than before. Margy’s been flipping houses in Denver for a few years and she said most houses are sold the moment the buyer walks in the door, especially if there’s a good kitchen and this house has a greatkitchen. Everything she’s doing to the house is designed to pull buyers in. She knows what the market is, she knows what buyers look for and she knows how to hook them. The small changes she’s making are simply to make it all up to the minute, style-wise. Plus, it’s super fun to give a house a makeover.
I wanted to get my hair cut but MJ told me that Nanners was home sick with a fever. She was more than willing to cut my hair if I was willing to risk getting sick. I was not, so we postponed the haircut.
Friday, I woke up sick anyway. My head was swimming, my nose was running and I could barely stand up. I had to skip painting class and I never skip painting class. In fact, I was ready to Sudafed and Tylenol myself to the max and head out but we’d had a half inch of snow during the night and the driving was treacherous. All that together was too daunting. I wasn’t sure I could stand up for four hours much less concentrate on painting and I knew I wasn’t up to the drive. Bleh. I should have gotten my hair cut. I’d still be sick but at least I’d be sick with short hair.
Once the meds kicked in, I felt good enough to get a little bit of work done. I knocked off around 4:00, had a cup of cocoa and sat on my couch with one of my favorite books, These Old Shades, by Georgette Heyer. I’ve read it at least three times but never before in one sitting. I sat on that couch until I finished it, a little after midnight. Trying to sleep when you have a bad cold is the worst. Having a good excuse not to even try is the best.
I have to go Zicam again, then try to get some more work done. If I can finish another stack of Christmas ornaments, I’ll reward myself by reading The Devil’s Cub.
When life gives you eggs, you gotta make an omelette.