Tired and Fighting a Cold

I had a hard time getting up this morning. I can feel a cold trying to catch me and that made it hard to sleep. Plus, my neighbor was screaming last night. Sometimes she sounds so mad. It makes me sad, because she seems like a good person and I worry about her little boy.

I used to worry that she was getting hurt, but it's never anything like "No!" or "You are hurting me!" It's more like she's really, really upset. I saw her today and she wouldn't make eye contact with me. I wonder if she's embarrassed?

I hope it's quiet tonight. We could probably both use the rest.

Odd Weekend

I had an odd weekend.

A very sad thing happened to a neighbor whose apartment is across from me. (Note, if you read the story that is linked here, it is not completely correct - the man was not being evicted, he gave notice a week ago and I am afraid the eviction story was neighborhood gossip).

And I generally felt sorry for myself because I miss my boyfriend. (He asked me what "think-y" meant). So, in an effort to brighten my outlook, I'm going to share some photos of my wonderful nephew, Hayden. Hayden, who turned one last month, is a smiley guy. He is a warm, little soul and I am very lucky that I get to be his Aunt. Below see Hayden chasing a big pink ball. He is a natural athlete as you can see by the pride on the face of his Grandma Sandy. Go, Hayden! Go!

Hayden enjoyed taking the bubble wands apart. I appreciate a kid who has his own way of doing things. Check out those cheeks. I can tell you that they are sweet and smoochable. (Oh my goodness, he is just so cute).

He has some pretty good motor skills. It's not easy to pick up and hold three wands in a hand that size. I wish I could remember how he did it. I like how the free hand is helping the holding hand - see those fingers in action?

There he goes with the pink ball again. A boy needs to play. Thanks for visiting Hayden and me. I hope that you enjoyed your weekend.

Friday Dreaming of the Coast

My friend from next door just came over to tell me that her husband has accepted an offer for a job in Vancouver, Washington. I am very happy for them, but also kind of sad. We've lived next door to them for 4.5 years now and I really like the whole family. I really had to work to make friends with the son. He's a very smart kid, but I think he has a hard time talking to people. I had to win his respect and I did it with a game of Battleship - one of the only games that I excell at. The others - Chinese Checkers and no one can beat me at Twister. I'm freakishly bendy.

This Summer so many people moved away - some only across the street, but others I never see anymore. Sarah is not going to have anyone to hang out with close by. I hope that some new kids move in soon. Karlee, she is the one who moved across the street. Sarah loves to go by her house. They have a trampoline and she comes home with pink cheeks and damp hair. That's Karlee's fingers holding the leaf below. Sometimes she helps me with photos - holds flowers or a strawberry. She's a very good helper.

Sometimes Sarah comes home mad, because Karlee has chosen to play on the computer or a video game and not with her. The kids, they grow apart some as they get older. Growning up is a risky thing, lots of little and big hurts involved. I try to bandage what I can, cushion when possible, but very little of it has been easy for any of my kids. I respect their strength, the way they remain open, the way they aren't afraid to love even when hurt by people like their idiot father. This weekend, I plan to clean my place. I have had this plan to go through stuff, clear things out, for some time. I want it to look and feel soothing inside, wherever my eyes land. Some spots are nice. I like how clean this little table looks - I was messing around with my camera and light here.
This pink African Violet is usually next to the purple one. I've had it for about 12-13 years. It used to be in a bigger pot, but I knocked into it with my shoulder once, as I carried Max out to the living room. Ouch. The purple one, it's in a pot that I got when one of the kids was born. I think it was Sarah - has a little hummingbird on it.
Bay just called me from the beach. She rode down to Pismo with my mom, to meet and camp with my sister Robin's family. I could hear the waves and my niece, Trinity. I am wishing that I had gone. I love the beach and being with my family. Bay took this photo of Trin and I last Spring, just before Easter. That water was cold. This is the same swimsuit that I have probably a hundred photos of Trinity in. She's grown a lot since the Spring - it was so long and baggy back then.
Here she is waiting to jump over a wave. Jump! and then she laughs. That's what I could hear over Bay's phone. I wish I was there. I decided not to go because Sarah has a hard time with Robin's friend's kids and she ends up spending her time sitting with the friend's dogs. She asked me please, lets not do this again, so we aren't. If they go on their own sometime, we will go, but I'm not going to tell Robin who to spend her time with - they should camp the way they want to camp.
I wish I could pack Max and Sarah in the car and head to the coast here. It's only 3.5 hours over to Fort Bragg. Have you ever seen the Mendocino coast? It's jaw-droppingly beautiful in every direction. I love it there. Very dramatic with cliffs and big waves. The mist feels so good on your face and I love the way it smells.

Hey, If you are single, did you know that it's a free communication weekend over at eHarmony? Well, it is. I wrote about it www.datingdames.com, also wrote about help for bad kissers. Pretty unfortunate, that is. Luckily, my guy is a very good kisser. And I get to kiss him in just a few days. Looking forward to that.

Time to see to Max. Good evening/day to you.