It's not like I was on the fence about it ... this afternoon after I showered I realized that I was "done in." And I said to myself, "I don't want to go to the day student picnic tonight because I am just not in the mood."
You see, I am most always in the mood for just about anything. I enjoy social activities, I enjoy being with people, but just like the little girl who was very, very good, or very, very bad, when I am not in the mood, I am NOT IN THE MOOD.
Period.
You can cajole me, you can try to tell me how much fun I am going to have, you can even try to guilt me, but there will be one strong feeling circulating through my core: I DON'T WANT TO.
Period.
The day student picnic is at the prep school my daughter attends, and like the name implies, it is for day students and their families to get together, sit around on uncomfortable chairs under a tent and eat food that doesn't appeal to me one iota. (Are you getting my vibe here?)
When Maddie was an incoming day student freshman, we most certainly attended the picnic. But as my eldest daughter pointed out to me earlier today, I never went to more than her freshman year, and she went on her own after that. Like, it's not that big of a deal. Exactly.
And it's not even like I hate the day student picnic -- what really happened is that I wore myself out. Heck, I am doing a second blog post today -- I have been going all day. As you can see by the above picture, I have poured myself a glass of wine and I am imbibing in something that relaxes me: Blogging. (Now, if you could drink at the day student picnic, I am quite sure I'd be there right now!)
After I dropped Charlie off this morning, I picked up a friend and we went blueberry picking. It is late in the season and the blueberries do not fall off the bush like they do when they are peak. I was determined to fill my ten pound bucket, so we picked, and picked and picked and picked. I actually enjoy blueberry picking, it was a beautiful sunny morning, and the company was delightful. But it definitely took longer than normal -- we were there a good hour and a half.
After that we went for a scandalous breakfast -- the kind a person who eats raw would shudder at. The kind I SHOULD shudder at, but instead I chose to enjoy it fully. Oh, and it was yummy. I had an omelet with mushrooms, peppers and onions and it was sooooo good, with sourdough toast and home fries. Scandalous, I know! Delicious and worth it yum yum yum. (How many times can you repeat scandalous and yummy in the same paragraph?)
After that, with full stomachs, Maddie and I worked on cleaning out the old patio and wall that we'd started a few days ago. It was a big job. First we had to move a pile of old lumber and beams from against the wall to underneath the porch. We were lifting these things ourselves, jimmying and shimmying them on to the gator, and then driving them to their destination and unloading them. Oh, did we sweat.
Once that was cleaned up, we proceeded to attack the bushes and weeds with a vengeance. Many of the branches had woven themselves between the rock and a hard place of the wall, and it took a LOT of tugging to get them out. It was rewarding work, because just when you thought you couldn't do it any longer, you'd tug and a big chunk would release.
Then all of a sudden I realized I was beat. The hot sun was beating down on us, and I could feel blisters forming where the loppers I was using to cut the branches was rubbing. We didn't actually get it to look perfect, but good enough for today.
I was so dirty I had to head directly to the shower, and as you read earlier, I discovered I was a puddle and unable to do much more. After my shower I read a magazine, but there was 20 pounds of blueberries calling my name. So with great effort I dressed and began to tackle those.
The problem with a big breakfast like that is that you certainly don't need lunch, but after all that physical activity, I should have eaten something. But I did not. Therefore, a tad of grouchiness set in. I had to go pick up Charlie, and well, that's just the way it is. I was negotiating with the kids to try to get them to switch going to the state fair from tonight to tomorrow night, blah blah blah. They were on board.
But then Peter came home. He had his picture in his head and well ... there is not a lot of room for variables like a wife who has worked her butt off all day and might, just might, not want to do the previously-decided-upon plan.
So for a bit there ... I almost went, to just appease people.
And what is up with that? I know myself and I know that without a little assistance (ahem, like the wine) I was not going to be much more than the blob on the chair with nothing to say.
And that is okay. And quite frankly, I am in hog heaven right now -- the wine is good, there is a breeze wafting in to my office, the dogs are all sprawled about my feet and the truth of the matter is -- I am NEVER ALONE.
That is wrong.
Well, thank you for listening to me ... it was a pleasure doing something pleasureable ...
Cheers!
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