Where to start? Well, Popi is sick when he was admited to the ER then moved to the ICU Tuesday night of last week. Gaia called to let us know on Friday and BQ drove up first thing Saturday morning. Erin also called to touch base and keep us in the loop which I really appreciated. She is pretty sweet and makes an effort to keep family together.

The weather is NUTS!!! It hit 90degrees today and we were wearing sweaters last week!!! We are all melting. The kids have spent the last 4 days almost entirely in the sprinkler. (well after school for the last 2) My Summer flowers are out and my spring flowers are just VERY confused. It is meant to cool off a bit tommorrow and the night air feels like they might be right about that one. It is so pleasant right now.

Did I ever mention how much I love my yard? I transformed the back patch that we never use into an orchard. I love it. Everything is happily budding and looks healthy. So I am very excited. I got 2 Cherry, 2 apple, a pear, an apricot, thornless blackberry, plum. Think that is it. I got a fig tree mostly for the birds and because it is a quick growing good privacy tree but it is the only one not looking happy. Oh I got some blueberry bushes and some grape vines. The grapes have not yet taken either.

Not so long ago we were sitting at the dinner table one night and EQ burst into tears. As he never cries I panicked and grabbed him. As he cuddled up close and the tears stream down I am trying to figure out what on earth just happened. BQ sees and also rushes over, the kid hardly shed a tear either time he broke his arm so you gotta think that this is major. Finally he sobs to me that he was just thinking that he doesn’t want to ever get old. That he just wants everything to just stay the way they are right now. He doesn’t want to ever leave home or ever leave us. Pretty deep for a little 5 year old boy. Of course after that confession he had Mum crying right along with him!

Cali is doing amazingly at gymnastics. Every time she improves so much. She is one solid chunk of muscle now. It is so cute to see on someone so small. She loves it still and if Miss Mary has to cancel she gets very upset.

The boys still love it too. Despite Mary pushing them hard. They also have turned into solid muscle. Even ZQ has beefed up in the muscle department.

So today, out of the blue I get the strangest phone call. About 3 or 4 years ago when I was freecycling all my baby junk, I emailed back and forth with a lady I met through freecycle. She had kids of similar ages and we talked about a possible playdate. Our schedules never lined up and it soon slipped from my memory. So 3 or 4 years pass and I never give her another thought. Today out of the blue she calls me. First she sounds NOTHING like the person I had conversed with years ago. This one sounded about as mentally sound as Mike Tyson on crack and the possibility that she was on crack cannot be ruled out. She goes on a non stop verbal life history so fast that in 15 mins not only have I not said anything I have not had an easy out and my brain is starting to hurt from bullshit overload. As this woman is clearly not stable and mentions several times my address and clearly has my number etc I am wanting to find away to let this woman know she is to stay the heck away without pissing her off enough to make her want to send her “severly abusive husband” over my way… She was telling me about how many times he put her and the kids in hospital then how broke she was and I kept thinking that she was going to ask for money but she never did. What she did ask were personal details, like “are you still at *insert exact address*”. FINALLY AQ had Gracie here to play with and I had ordered pizza for them so finally I was able to hang up on her without seeming too rude. I pay for pizza and call BQ. He of course is amazed at how I am a wacko magnet and says I must call the police immediately. I give bq her name and number incase anything does ever happen and then call the police. The police send an officer over. (I discover that when faced with a decent looking guy in a uniform I turn into a giggly school girl and my brain goes to mush….) Anyway the officer takes the phone call pretty seriously OR he thought I was cute and wanted to be nice to me, not sure which. He tells me that he will call her and say that I had called them concerned that I thought perhaps she might not be well and need assistance or something and see what information he could get out of her. Before he left he checked to see if she had a record and she did but he couldn’t say for what, just that she was on their database. (OMG I AM SO CLUELESS!!! I ACTUALLY TRIED TO BEFRIEND THIS ONE!!) So he called me back this evening to say “well, I can see why you were concerned. First it took me several tries to get ahold of her. A woman that sounded like the Wendy that I finally got ahold of kept telling me she wasn’t Wendy and that she didn’t know who she was. He said that there is definetly something odd about her but he thinks he got the message through. He refrained from calling her a nut job but made it clear that he thought she was but that he didn’t think she should bother me further. ” So that was my interesting event for the afternoon! The officer did say things like, no, freecycle isn’t all bad, it is ok when used properly but can be used for people with ill intentions. When I asked what he meant by properly he said “well I don’t want to sound predujuce but your husband should have been the one overseeing the transactions not you.” With raised eyebrows like “come on missy I could hold you down with my pinky, why would you take such stupid risks??” He gave me a couple of safety lectures and said there were a couple of break in on the weekend. Juveniles taking easy stuff. I mentioned that someone had knocked on our sliding glass door in the back on Friday night and I had thought it was just kids messing about in the woods. He said it could possibly have been the kids looking to see if anyone was home and lectured me on the alarm not working. (I didn’t mention the large “piece of steel” I carry around when I go to check on disturbances ….)

The boys both had parent teacher interviews this month. EQ has of course charmed his teacher with his smile and though she does think he is a wonderful student ZQ still holds the number one spot in her heart which is so nice. I am so glad zq had her. They were a good match. EQ is doing fabulous in school. The only thing he needs to work on is his handwriting… and he would rather have me pull his finger nails off with pliers one by one than practice handwriting! She whispered that it really is ok, he will just have to become a Dr, but she does have to mention it. ZQ is also doing fabulously. He is doing 2nd grade math with the bigger kids in class and doing just fine at everything else. Even his creative writing has improved. (His book is amazing) The most shocking bit of information to me was that he VOLUNTEERS answers in class! What a wonderful leap in confidence he has gained this year! She said he is very popular even with the older kids from the other classes. I love that we have found a school where quirky is King. Everyone there beats to their own drum and ZQ fits in perfectly. I have to say, so far, all is well. The days are long and far too busy but they are happy and doing well so it is worth it.

I finally got the composter I have coverted for years and had to fight a racoon off it the other night. I get up see what the heck all the racket was and see him on the deck attacking my compost bin (he has already broken the top lid now he is turning the side lide over 360degrees to get it off - I have to admit that is pretty clever for a little beast) . So after turning on lights and plenty of noise I assume he has gone already and go out on deck to clean up his mess UNARMED. Turns out he had not gone and wasn’t much into the idea of giving up his food. Fortunetly I was too angry to be scared of those big claws he was considering using on me and was able to chase him off. So the compost bin is now in the front awaiting transplant to the garage.

Can’t think of too many more updates. Seen some good movies, read some good books. Actually more than some, I think my book count is some where near 20 this year already. Granted they were not exactly mentally challenging but still, an achievement given I only get 10min pockets here and there when waiting to pick up a kid at school or the bus stop etc.

OK I am exhausted from the heat and folding washing untill 1am. I am looking forward to curling under my sheets. Time for bed.