Uneventful Evening

Herself has taken the night off from taekwondo in order to rest the hip that has been bothering her.  In the late afternoon, she occupies herself with preparing something interesting for dinner for a change:  chicken and lentils.  The recipe does have migraine-inducing ingredients, so she cannot consume it; nevertheless, she reasons, her Beloved and possibly the two non-vegetarian Offspring -- since they are not afflicted by food-induced headaches -- will enjoy it.

E-mail from her Beloved; he is working late.  Ah, well, his chicken and lentils will wait until tomorrow.  Offspring the Third politely declines to try the recipe; Offspring the Second is holed up in his room, playing his drums, and cannot be tempted out to eat.  Offspring the First is making plans to go out with her friends.  Offspring the Third enjoys some cartoons on the television.  Oh, the phone rings!  It is Herself's sister - huzzah, adult conversation.  Alas, sister's telephone time is short, for she has an appointment. The call ends quickly.

Herself sighs.  She does not feel like playing the piano.  She is not inspired to tackle the laundry, the sweeping or the vacuuming.  She could pay the bills, or tackle a work project.  Or clean the pets.  Unappealing ideas, those.  She waters the plants in the pots out front.  They are struggling with the intense desert heat and lack of precipitation; they look sad and slightly withered. 

She feels sad and slightly withered, too.