I don't wanna...

I do not want to go to Italian class tonight. I don't, I don't, I don't. If the cat and I weren't hiding from the kids and babysitter in the basement bedroom, I might be stomping my feet in emphasis. I'm starting to believe that my age prohibits me from happily doing more than evening event per week: by 6:30 most nights, I just wanna be in my elastic-waist pajama pants, cooking and thinking about sitting on the couch with T later. I do not much want to be thinking about RE-applying make-up and, in this instance, speaking in a foreign tongue for two hours whilst sitting on a hard folding chair in front of a white board. I was happy to find leftover quinoa and carrots from Monday shoved towards the way-back of the fridge today. Ol and I were getting things ready to make pickled, gingered carrots, but we paused for lunch and I found that delicious dish. It was just as good, maybe better as are many things, as it was two days whence. Can you use whence in that manner? I'm not completely sure, but I'm going to as in interesting variation on 'ago.'

We spent the morning at the orthodontist because Mr. J is to get a palate expander installed in his mini-mouth in two weeks (does he talk so much because he's got a subconscious Napoleon complex about small jaws? Hmm....) For whatever reason, he feels that everything about the orthodontist is awesome, particularly when they made impressions of his teeth. Now, I don't know about you, but I think having a tray of cold, chalky, gelatinous, oddly amorphic mush shoved into my too-small-for-it mouth just blows. But Jack thought it was "awesome". All three times. But really, that's awesome for me too, so yay. Great spirit!

I am definitely ready for school to begin. I was ready last week. However, I have totally rallied and have been patient, stern when appropriate, fun, hands-on, and all that jazz. And it's been largely nice. And then today post-ortho glee, it's been a real challenge not to loudly beseech the boys to STOP talking and "go outside and play in the traffic" as my mother used to say sarcastically when my sister and I were on her last nerve. In case you're wondering, school does not begin until September 3 which feels awfully long away but is infinitely better than September 9 which is when a friend of mine's kids go back. That would be blowing my mind in a terrifying way right now.

To Italian I guess.

Superhero name

A while back, Jack was heavily into making up superheroes, and at one point we casually asked Oliver, "what's your superhero name?" Without missing a beat he replied, "Booby BadWoman and I have 85 boobies." Jack and I fell on the floor laughing and today we discovered this drawing of BBW which the kids had made together months ago.

I especially liked the pictures depicting BBW's breasts from front and overhead angles (top right corner). That was Jack's work; he really thought of everything huh!?

I might have overdone it in the garden

The past few days in DC have been the kind of beautiful that makes you think you've hit the climatic jackpot by living here. DC was settled on a swamp? You couldn't make someone believe that right now (except for the mosquitos which never stop swarming). Blue skies, cool nights, seemingly no humidity, sunshine; hell, the city even smells good. After the intense heat of July and then the 100+ sauna that was everyday I was in Louisiana, this has been an incredible respite. I've been a neglectful gardener this summer: I gave into the white fly attack in my greens bed and finally just ripped them out and tossed them into the compost; my tomatoes look unbelievably scraggly though that's really more a function of approaching the end of their season; the grass is threadbare as if it's an old duvet on its very last leg; the flowers have given up; the hostas and astilbe called it quits weeks ago.

But today, the rejuvenating cool lingering into the afternoon, I decided to get back out there. After yoga (such a flipping godsend), I stopped by the nursery for some herb replacements and a trunk-full of pretty annuals from the sale table: the yard deserved some bling. We all headed outside for a team effort at cleaning and tending, and I got the superb idea to remove all the plants AND bulbs from my largest bed, till/fertilize/condition the soil and then replant everything in a prettier fashion. The bed encircles our enormous Sugar Maple and so needs extra love because the Maple is a selfish, ravenous beast.

This was a really BIG job but I had a definite deadline: we are hosting a playdate for some new PK students tomorrow and so I felt pressure to finish. Oh.my.lord. I completed the job but it took hours and afterwards I had Oliver apply menthol rub to my tired back. A great sense of accomplishment shines through the fatigue though, and I look forward to enjoying a large glass of cold white wine tonight.

The boys and I took a break midway through for cones of the s'mores ice cream I finished up this morning. It is sublime.