My thrilling weekend
Two nights in a row with babysitters -- woo hoo! Friday wasn't even our idea -- Sarah and Becky insisted on participating in Fun Night, which is where every few weeks the after-school program keeps the kids from 6-9 pm. and they can watch a movie in their PJs, stuff themselves with pizza and ice cream etc. Good wholesome family fun. Of course Ben and I rae such losers that we wouldn't think of enough to do to fill three whole hours, so we went to dinner and then back home to watch a couple of episodes of "The Odd Couple" (he gave me the first two seasons on DVD for Hanukkah... YESSSSS!) and then went back for the kids.
On Saturday we went to a party while my father and stepmother babysat. Once a year a wonderful couple (childless, probably in their late 50s) invites us to their holiday party with excellent South African food, beautiful decor, cosmopolitan and sophisticated guests... I always feel like we're trespassing in the Adult World, but it's great fun. During the day before that, we did exciting errands like getting snow tires mounted on Ben's car, which we suddenly realized might be a good idea after dealing with our steep driveway and two snowstorms already, slip-slidin' away... but we also went to a camera shop to test-drive some digital SLRs and decided on the Nikon D80, which of course we ordered online afterwards for lots less money.
Then yesterday was ANOTHER storm, which had already dumped about 6-8 inches by 10:00 a.m. when I had to go to a funeral where half the people (including my folks, who were closer to B., the deceased, than I was) couldn't make it. But I'm glad I went. I saw members of B's family I hadn't seen in years, and I felt good that I could sort of represent our extended family. The service included a rather nice quote from John Quincy Adams that I hadn't heard before. Very near the end of his life, a friend asked him how he was, and he replied:
On Saturday we went to a party while my father and stepmother babysat. Once a year a wonderful couple (childless, probably in their late 50s) invites us to their holiday party with excellent South African food, beautiful decor, cosmopolitan and sophisticated guests... I always feel like we're trespassing in the Adult World, but it's great fun. During the day before that, we did exciting errands like getting snow tires mounted on Ben's car, which we suddenly realized might be a good idea after dealing with our steep driveway and two snowstorms already, slip-slidin' away... but we also went to a camera shop to test-drive some digital SLRs and decided on the Nikon D80, which of course we ordered online afterwards for lots less money.
Then yesterday was ANOTHER storm, which had already dumped about 6-8 inches by 10:00 a.m. when I had to go to a funeral where half the people (including my folks, who were closer to B., the deceased, than I was) couldn't make it. But I'm glad I went. I saw members of B's family I hadn't seen in years, and I felt good that I could sort of represent our extended family. The service included a rather nice quote from John Quincy Adams that I hadn't heard before. Very near the end of his life, a friend asked him how he was, and he replied:
"John Quincy Adams himself is well, quite well, thank you. But the house in which he lives at present is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering upon its foundation. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it. Its roof is pretty well worn out. The walls are much shattered, and it trembles with every wind. The old tenement is becoming almost uninhabitable, and I think John Quincy Adams will have to move out of it soon. But he himself is quite well, quite well."It's good to remember that a person's personality and spirit, if you will, are usually intact inside a body and user interface (quavery voice, bad hearing, etc.) that's not in such great shape.
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