Just a Foot Away

 Herself speaks.

I tried to get back in the saddle of writing again, but Mom Duty became paramount:  Offspring the Third, in the course of conducting an act of service (always a Good Egg, he is), sprained his foot quite badly. Immediate Facilitate-His-Life Mode activated accordingly. We've gone to the ER, to the Primary Care Doctor, to the foot specialist; ensured his abode is set up for mobility with crutches and/or rolling about on his desk chair; groceries; anything else concrete he might have needed. Moral support for feeling incapacitated. It was a lot for him, to be in pain, to have mobility issues, to not be able to do much, and I was glad to be able to be there. Everyone should have company when things are a bit Terrible.

He's doing better now: he can walk in The Boot (we all know The Boot that comes with a foot/ankle injury), is feeling much less pain, can sleep better, get things done. Progress!

So -- I'm diving back in. Again. Wheeee!

January: Kitty-Sitting

 Offspring the Third's kitties are visiting. MEOW MEOW.

They are good kitties, and are always happy to see me at the end of the day when I come home from work. They do tend to step on my hair when I am sleeping, and sing the song of their people in the wee hours. And barf periodically. But who can blame them? I like company, and have occasional digestive upset, too. 

Good girls.

 

Animalia

A nice treat recently: getting to stand adjacent to some excellent quality barnyard friends. 

Basket Case

The kitties really are so photogenic.  And it is very nice to have a small furry face peeking out the window when I come home from work. 

I miss my dog-friends. I am not accepting any new responsibilities right now, though.  The rabbits (and occasional kitty-sitting) are enough. 

I do enjoy a good picture, though. 

The Things We Carry

 Herself speaks.

Offspring the First and her charming husband were in town over the weekend, and we were able to see them briefly for a bit. It was lovely, as always, to see her and her smiling face. Offspring the Third was there as well, and it was reassuring to see him too, as always, and delightful to have the two of them in the same room together. There was an Offspring the Second-shaped hole in the room; I have missed his presence so much, and am trying to walk the line of respecting his independence and freedom, while still wanting to reach out and encourage him to come home for a bit to ease the ache of his absence. 

I don't know when I will have all three of the Offspring together in the same room at the same time again. I try not to think about it. The weight of that unknown future can be a heavy grief for me if I allow it to grow in my heart, but I will not do so. It is important to be glad for the Offspring as they move forward with their unique lives, and not to try to hold them back out of any sort of obligation. 

I will not ask the Offspring to help me carry my own feelings. That would be unfair to them. They should be Free.

Fly, Offspring, fly.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. 

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. 

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

-Kahlil Gibran, On Children

Twenty-Six

Herself speaks.

I spent yesterday afternoon tidying up Offspring the Third's abode: cleaning out the fridge and freezer, running the dishwasher, mopping the floor, gathering all the laundry (which I brought back to my house, since my washing machine is bigger).  I put up the Christmas tree, put the wreath on the mantel. I'll pick up some fresh food and drop it off before he gets there, freshen the litter boxes for the kitties and drop them off, too. 

He's been away for work but will be home soon. His job has been horrifically difficult, and I want him to be able to just come home and relax and not think about things for a few days. His own familiar space, comfort foods, peace and quiet. 

-----

Offspring the Third turns twenty-six today. He is a lovely human being: so kind-hearted, so thoughtful. He works extremely hard and tries his very best, every day. Life is not always easy or kind to him, but he gets up and tries again, every time. I am immeasurably proud of him. 

Happy birthday, Offspring the Third. We love you so much. We wish good things for you, always. 

Kitty Maintenance

While Offspring the Third is so busy working, I have taken on the responsibility for maintenance of his kitty friends. We went for rabies vaccines and annual licenses this week. One kitty quietly gave everyone the stink eye, but the other made herself right at home and conversed loudly with everyone she met.

Good girls. 

Window Kitties

The kitties are visiting for a couple of days again. It really is nice to have a warm kitty welcome when returning home. 

Pile o'Feet

Fewer things cuter than a sleeping pet. 

Guardian of the Sink

Courtesy of Offspring the Third.

MEOW MEOW.

Meow TV

Kitty-sitting is nice, because I get to enjoy watching the kitties enjoy watching the world go by. Though sometimes they also watch me, watching them, watching the world. 

Catnap

Offspring the Third and his kitties are enjoying their Bachelor Pad. I am happy for them, though I do miss having them here with us under our roof. 

Mlem

Chicken

Out of the blue, Offspring the Third brought me home a glass chicken the other day. It is DELIGHTFUL and fills my sad heart with chicken happiness. 

Thank you so much, my sweet young man, for thinking of me. 

Twenty-Four

 Offspring the Third has turned twenty-four.

He is a charming, sweet, tender-hearted young man. He works hard. He loves his kitties. He notices when people are upset, or if they need a glass of water. He roots for the underdog. He tries not to let the bitterness of the world creep into his heart. 

He has taught us patience, and kindness, and how to ask for what we need. He is a magnificent soul. 

Happy birthday, Offspring the Third. We wish for good things for you, always. 

Photogenic Kitty

Dodgeball: Extreme Sports Edition - ROUND TWO

 Offspring the Third has The Plague.  He tested ever so faintly positive this afternoon.  He feels rotten.  My poor child. He always gets gallopingly ill with every virus - let us hope this is not too bad.

(And also, let us hope that I did not catch it from him, because I need to take care of him right now.)

Amen. 

Can you see the sample line? It's faint, but it's there. 

Bird Watching

 One of Offspring the Third's kitties makes a beeline for the front window whenever she emerges from his room. If the shutters are closed, she meows plaintively until we open them so that she can sit and watch birds in the front yard. She's there for hours. Sometimes, her sister cat will sit with her too, although she has much less interest in the birds. 

Good kitties.

Sixes and Sevens, and an Eight

 Herself speaks.

Saturday, I went out to Offspring the Third's location, to help him to pack up and vacate his apartment. He has graduated, and his time in Points North-Eastern-ly have come to an end. It is time for him to come Home for a bit. 

Offspring the Third is a lovely human being -- kind, thoughtful, hardworking. He is the sort of easygoing person who doesn't make you feel foolish for not knowing something, who thoughtfully guides you to the right door of the building or the next thing to do without being pretentious or bossy or critical that you don't know what is happening or where to go. He is grateful for everything that is done for him, and voices his gratitude willingly and honestly. He is the epitome of Good Egg. Well done, Offspring the Third. 

Offspring the Third also has a tendency to struggle with organization (except when it comes to his workshop tools), and places tidiness and scrubbing-of-things low on his priority list. I can't blame him -- so many projects in school, so little time for self-care. As a result, though, his apartment was... a bit of a mess. He needed a lot of help packing and cleaning. And I do not begrudge him this, because he is a lovely person, and deserving of help in a time of need. And because I want to be the kind of person who willingly helps. The sort of person who drives six hours, spends seven hours organizing, packing and cleaning, sleeps a bit, spends six more hours organizing, packing, and cleaning, and then drives seven hours (slow-going, because Trailer for Stuff) home again. And that's what I did.

It was A Lot.

But it is Done.

I got home, and the rabbits needed tending, and the dishwasher was still full of the clean dishes that had been there when I left, and the sink was full of dirty dishes, and my laundry was waiting for me in the dryer. It was... A Lot, in a different way. 

-----

Last week, Beloved Husband mentioned in a conversation that he feels like he spends all of his time doing things for other people. There is no doubt that he does -- he works very hard, and very long hours, and the clients can be extremely needy and demanding. It's exhausting. And I completely understood his sentiment about Doing Things For Other People. Because I do the same. This is why, as much as I might wish that he would take care of the dishwasher while I was away, it is understandable that he does not. He is Tired. He needs a break too. We all do. 

-----

While I was in the midst of the organizing, packing, and cleaning this past weekend, I reached out by text to the people close to me, to try to get a few extra molecules of serotonin by connecting briefly with someone outside of my task at hand. They were not available, though; they were out camping, or doing family activities, or just not responsive. It was hard, because my need for support was very great, and yet their needs -- for silence, for their own mental space, for their own activities -- were just as important as my need. I can't take it personally if they cannot support me at any given time I am in need. I think it is OK for me to be sad or lonely, though. And I was.  

-----

As an aside, today is the eighth -- can it be already? -- anniversary of The Unmooring. That adds some Feelings.

My Feelings are tired. 

-----

All of Offspring the Third's possessions are stacked nearly in the garage for now, and he and his kitties are sleeping peacefully, with the well-deserved slumber of those who are ready to Rest After Toiling. I am doing the laundry, and making a meatloaf and a grocery list, and then will go to work, because Life Goes On and things still need to be taken care of, with or without any help.

One step at a time. On we go.  

MEOW MEOW

Kitties do not enjoy travel. But they are good sports.