I'm So Glad It's Friday

It means that tomorrow is Saturday! Yay! The only plans I have are of the house cleaning variety. Not that I'm looking forward to that, but I am getting sick of seeing this house messy. I might go try for some more wild onions, I don't know. I saw a snake in the road the other day so now I'm kind of leary about walking out in the woods.

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As I mentioned yesterday, Mike left at 1:00. Last night was Shael's band concert, something he was willing to forego. A friend of mine mentioned to me the other day that parental guilt is the worse thing invented. Yep, I agree. And I was waist deep in it yesterday when Shael calls me after school to tell me she didn't have any dress shoes to wear to her concert. Right now she only owns one pair of shoes and these are wearing out quickly. I'm hoping they'll last until school is out. She had picked out a new outfit to wear at my Mom's store but she didn't have any shoes to wear with it. My Mom helped out and called my sister in law because her and Shael wear the same size. She was going to be there anyway because her daughter was playing in the fourth grade recorder band. (I know you all are jealous because you didn't get to hear them play) When I talked to Mom on the phone I could tell in her tone that she was upset with me for not having Shael more prepared. I'm sure she was thinking that she would have had me set up better than that, with shoes, hose, and dress two weeks before the concert. And if that's what she was thinking, she's right, she would have. Not fair to have your own parent make you feel guilty over your own lack of parenting skills. I just forgot all about this concert. Shael was upset with me for not calling and informing her Aunt Roni and her other Grandma. I felt a little better when I remembered that Shael had told her other Grandma about it the other day. I just hadn't called to remind her. But I felt that stab of parental guilt when Shael said to me "You mean Aunt Roni won't be there?" Sorry, Roni, I robbed you out of the opportunity to hear her play.
Shael did a good job, too. She sat on the bleachers waiting for her turn and didn't talk to her neighbors or even fidget. She just sat there holding her clarinet. Mom criticized the way she was sitting, her hair, her shoes. I kept trying to counter all her criticisms. "Well, look at all the other girls, they are all sitting like that, with their legs wide apart, and their elbows on their knees." "She likes her hair and I'm not about to make her do something with it that she doesn't want to do. At least she looks good with it all pulled back from her face like that." "You must've told Sonya to bring some black shoes because those are black! Her feet aren't showing where she's sitting anyway." Sometimes my Mother exhausts me.

I sat by my friend of mine the whole evening. First time in forever that I'd even seen her! Nice boob job, girl! We sat and giggled through the whole thing, even when both our kids were doing their thing. Another one of our friends was sitting behind us using her camcorder and we kept talking and teasing with her, too in between songs. After it was over, the woman who was sitting directly behind Mom ( her husband was sitting behind me) said to us "I would love to just sit in a corner and listen to you all when you get together. I bet you have a great time." That is not the first time, or even the 5th, that someone has said that to me when I'm with a friend. It seems like when I'm with certain friends the comedian in me comes out. Maybe it's just because they laugh at all my stupid jokes, who knows? One time in a restaurant, as this man and woman leave, the man stopped at our table and said "I want to thank you for a very entertaining dinner" and walked off! His wife did not seem as entertained. Another time Diva and I got tickled in a Yankee Candle store and couldn't control ourselves and this woman told us "It's so good to hear people laugh like that. Don't worry about disturbing anyone, I'm enjoying listening to you."

Well, as I was going to say earlier and interrupted myself, Mike left at 1:00. Shael's band concert started at 7:00 and Shael had to be there by 6:30. I pick Shael up at my Mom's and my Mom rides with us and off we go. A little early, but no big deal there. As I'm pulling out of their dirt road, my car does something weird. It's like it hesitates, won't shift into second or something. Oh, great! Mike hasn't even been gone 12 hours and the car messes up. We went ahead and went on to the concert and when I got their I remember Mike saying something about my car having a transmission fluid leak and I wonder if maybe it's low on that. After the concert, I had my brother check it and he said it was low. I drove it to my Dad's garage, even though he's gone hunting, too, my Uncle was still there. He checked it and put a quart in it for me. I was a little miffed at Mike for mentioning it but not doing something about it. He asked me when the last time I'd checked it and I told him how about never. And that was it! He didn't check it, he didn't tell me how to check it, or how to put some in it. Just left it alone, expecting me to raise the hood and investigate. I have never been mechanically inclined. No, I don't expect the car to go forever without it ever being checked, but my Dad always did that and I never had to even think about it. Then I got married and my husband took over that duty. Same husband, but now he suddenly thinks it's not his duty anymore? If he's going to think that, he needs to let me know so I can make other arrangements. What I really hope happens is that my Mother, since she was there with me when it happened, will tell my Dad what happened and what Mike said to me about the leak and how he didn't do a thing before he left for his hunting trip and my Dad will say something to Mike. Something along the lines of "You really need to keep track of the fluids in Stacie's car, especially if you are going to be out of town for a few days". I can say something once or twice and he'll claim I'm nagging. My Dad tells him the same thing one time and he does it. He really respects my Dad and will do just about anything he asks on the first ask, without even griping! I'm not saying Mike doesn't respect me, but somehow coming from his wife, he thinks it's nagging.

Oh, and get this, when my Brother opened up the hood over at the school, there was a freaking bird nest under the hood! A bird nest! Shael asked me if I was going to take it off, but I have this phobia about bird nests. I won't touch them with a ten foot pole. Well, maybe a 10 foot pole, because I have used a broom to knock one down and my broom isn't quite 10 feet. That'd be one heck of a broom, wouldn't it? A Paul Bunyon broom, or something. I'm planning on waiting until I get to work and donning some latex gloves before I remove this bird nest. But not before I take a picture of it, though!