Cranky Wednesday

Boy#4's falafal was not awful. (It was wonderful.)

It is a cranky Wednesday here in the midsection of the nation.

Other than my usual reasons for crankiness (the political climate has continued to be jaw-droppy for almost two years, and Doc Martin is on its final season) I've been trying to suss out why I'm feeling especially stabby this morning, and I've narrowed it down to a few suspected causes:

1. It is raining. Again. And while we in the midsection of the nation love rain for the refilling of the aquifer and replenishing of the land, we are within days of the annual festival that doubles the population of Small Town and puts tie-dye in every aisle of WalMart. I don't have a personal financial stake in this festival, but I feel for those who are fielding the REALLY cranky questions from campers who will slog around in rain boots for days on end complaining about their banjo strings being out of tune.

2. Also, it was raining yesterday and I had to walk through two inches of run-off in the parking lot and may have ruined my favorite sandals.

3. Also, I found a tiny snake on the back steps of the House on the Corner. By tiny, I mean that it was caught in a spider web that my execrable housekeeping had conveniently left unswept, and I thought it was a three-inch piece of snipped yarn until it wiggled at me. It may have been a friendly wiggle or a cry for help (see also: caught in spider web) but I'm still wrestling with the question of whether napalm or a Molotov cocktail would be more efficient in burning the house down.

4. Also, I am back to my job-shared accompanying gig, but my partner-in-sharing is out for September so I am working (brace yourself) EVERY DAY. By that I mean four days each week, but people, after a lazy summer this feels GRUELING.

5. Also, Husband is not completely sympathetic about #4, seeing that a computer conversion means he is working pretty much non-stop with no regard for days at all.

So,  crankiness. However, just two days ago I had one of the most lovely days ever.

1. I finished a knitting project* that was so much fun, and when I got it onto the blocking board (aka the guest bed) and stuck 354 blocking pins into it, it also was beautiful! This is a rarer outcome than one would imagine, with me often standing over a drying garment on which I have spent actual U.S. dollars to buy yarn, not to mention the investment of uncounted hours of time, thinking "Yeah, don't really like that at all."

2. Also, at two weeks my manicure is going strong. It's nearing the growing-out stage at which I will need to revisit my manicurist as I have been informed that a powder manicure removal is not to be attempted by amateurs, but if  you don't look closely, these nails show no indication that I have used them to scrub pans multiple times in the past two weeks.

3. Also, Boy#4 spent a couple of days at the HotC, and oh, people, it is so fun to have grown-up Boys in the house. Not only are they good conversationalists who tell interesting stories, they cook. For Labor Day lupper (like brunch, but between lunch and supper) Four made falafal to go with my homemade pita bread and it was one of the best meals I've had in ages. I was the worst mother ever when it came to teaching my children to cook (I am territorial and impatient in the kitchen, which is not a good look) but all four of our sons have turned into excellent, adventuresome chefs.

4. Also, Husband heard my shriek and evicted the minuscule snake from the back steps, and was very sweet about my unapologetic dumping of that task on him. He reminded me that years ago one of the Boys found a tiny garter snake on those same stairs and we survived that horror so we will probably live through this one as well.

So while it is still raining, I'm now drinking a nice cup of coffee during my break between classes and feeling somewhat less cranky.

Also, Doc Martin isn't gone quite yet.



*The knitting project was a shawl named "Waiting for Rain" by Sylvia McFadden that I worked in a beautiful yarn I got on sale and still thought was a stretch for my budget. I'd link the pattern, but I'm lazy. Knitters, find it on Ravelry.