How Life Is

It's 11:30.

I am the lone occupant of my house. Everything is quiet and still.

My husband is traveling so I got up early with him and saw him off, woke the children up, got everyone dressed and fed. I made lunches and packed snacks. I wrote the notes about after-school activities, got dressed, hustled everyone out the door and to the school. I worked for two hours in Jane's class, guiding the first graders in small groups through a letter writing exercise. I came home, took something I'd forgotten back up to the school, came back home, ate a little lunch, unloaded the dishwasher, checked e-mail, broke down all the boxes for the recycling, and went through the house with a garbage can and threw away about six tons of small plastic crap that no one will miss.

Outside, it is cool for the first time since March. Our quiet street is shrouded in a gray mist and I have the windows open, listening to the soft drips of water running off of the trees. I decided to treat myself to the ultimate luxury: a nap on the couch with a big fat orange cat. We settled down.

Suddenly, I heard it. You know: IT. The unmistakable sound of an aggressive mosquito buzzing around me.

It bit me.

It bit me again.

I missed it twice and it disappeared.

But now napping was out of the question! Finally, I saw it buzzing about again and I swung and hit it.

I guess sometimes in life, you've got to kill the darn mosquitoes before you earn a nice nap.

I'm sure this has deep and meaningful implications but there's a big fat orange tabby lying on my stomach who is getting a bit impatient with all this typing (not to mention the fact that he's cutting off my circulation) so I'm going to have to think about this later.

Comments

Stefanie said…
Isn't the cold weather wonderful? It'll be time for SCARF SEASON soon!!!

(I toil away at the needles all year, I can't wait until I can actually wear them.)

Enjoy your quiet afternoon, Barb. You deserve it.
Anonymous said…
It is cold enough here in Oregon that the mosquitos have left and I am wearing scarves to stay warm.

We have a rule in our house... if the phone rings and it's not nearby, we're allowed to say, "I can't get it...I have a cat on me!" Doesn't get better than that!
Damsel said…
Isn't the cooler weather just FABULOUS??? I'm so wishing for a heavy comforter and a good book.
Anonymous said…
PS... The "I have a cat on me" applies to anything, i.e.,

Will you please get me a cup of coffee?

I can't; I have a cat on me.

Please get the door!

I can't; I have a cat on me.

etc etc.

it's a rule that cannot be broken.
Barb Matijevich said…
Mokihana!

This is the greatest rule I have ever heard. Seriously, imagine if it applied to our government. "Can't invade Iraq today, I've got a cat on me!"

Oh, this rule could change the world. And you know what? It's clearly a universal truth that everyone would understand.
Ei said…
At least cat people. :( My Foster however is a skittish "I'll lay next to you but you'd better not try to hold me." cat. I think I'm exempt from that rule. WHAAAH!

I've been wearing my favorite sweater today. I've decided to make chili tomorrow. I'm so happy for fall. I won't even complain about raking this year (no really, I won't!)
Stop gloating about that empty house. I tried to take a nap today and of course the 2-year-old pooped and needed my attention.

It's been so dry here all summer and fall, we haven't been tortured with mosquitoes the way we usually are. I love drought.
ckh said…
We, like mokihana, have that rule. We simply call it "cat rule." It was so powerful, in fact, that having a sleeping baby on our laps was over-ruled by having a sleeping cat. I think my husband made that one up.

It's great to have a cat again. :)(Sometimes the thought of a sleeping baby is nice, but I'm glad to be past that place in time.)
I'm just digging you got time to yourself. I crave it by the time the kids' go visit their dad in summer...but then, I'm so lonely and lost, I don't know what I'm gonna do when they grow up.
Barb Matijevich said…
I know just what you mean. I feel like I spend all my time trying to get the kids into some sort of good play date situation and then when they're gone, I'm like, "Hey, wait a minute. Where did everyone go? Come back!"

When Jane was tiny, I used to miss her if she just took a long nap.
MadMad said…
Nap? Clearly you don't have TiVo, then. Or any knitting? Or both? I just caught up on The Bachelor, myself. No time to waste snoozing! Also? Toothpaste on the mosquito bite. Ugly - and the cat's hair will attach attractively as well, given time - but works like a charm for the itching.
Brendy Vaughn said…
We have 4 cats. It's amazing we ever get anything done around here!