Third Year Anniversary

Yes, it was three years ago today that I started blogging.
1531 posts later, I have been told by blogger that I have used up 54% of my allowable space. So, I guess I'm good for about another three years. Then I'll have to make a new blog.

I'm ready for it.

This, of course, does not surprise you. By now, you are well aware of my preparedness gene and how it works overtime. Anyway, I've already got pixnproze saved (see, all I did was change the s to a z ...) and ready to be loaded with pics and well, prose, once this one is all filled up.

Oy. I've got critters keeping me company tonight. A moth the size of a bird just flew in and over there? Those are the squished remains of a spider the size of a small puppy. The moth landed in the basket of silk ivy on top of the entertainment cabinet and likely suffocated in all the dust. Serves him right.

My parents own a cabin. On a lake. And it's the summer. A long weekend in the summer. And I'm here. And the cabin is one hour away over there. Empty. Empty I tell you.

I remember other July long weekends. Ones that we spent at Cultus. This weekend is not like that.

I've sat on my bum almost all day, updating our Mission to Mexico blog; correpsonding with all the participants via email, communicating with the leadership team via email, answering about 40 emails that have been ignored this month, communicating with my writing group via email, comunicating with all the guys I'm taking to Creationfest via email, responding, via email, to all the notifications I've received on facebook and done two loads of laundry.

At 7 pm I met my dad, mom and Drew at Montana's for dinner; then instead of going home, went to Home Depot with Drew. Drew who does not like to be seen with me in public. Drew who is hoping to have 60 overnighters in a row at anyone else's house so he doesn't have to be at home. Drew who ... oh you get the picture.

So we went to Home Depot because it was my only shopping choice at 8:30 pm on Saturday evening. This is the July long weekend and I'm in need of *sigh* bedding plants. Yes. Bedding plants. I always plant up my window boxes and terra cotta pots on the Mother's Day weekend in May. Always. Me and Martha Stewart; you could set your clocks by us.

But it didn't happen this year. I'm 7 weeks late. SEVEN.
(So much for my pride-filled declaration at the start of this post about preparedness...)

Anyway, it's 8:30 and Drew and I head out to the piddly, straggly, picked over, highly discounted garden centre. And buy three flats of geraniums of uncertain color for 50% off. He picks them. I say OK.
On the way to the till, Drew notices the Mickey Mouse/Disneyland display of brightly coloured interior paints.
He grabs a colour card and says, "I really want to paint my room this colour." I recognize the colour (lime green) because when I was 12 and we moved to the farm, I wanted that exact same colour.
"OK," I said.
"Really, I can paint my room?"
"Sure."
"I'm not kidding. I really want a green room."
"OK."
"Can we buy the paint tonight?"
"Nope. Before you can paint it, you have to prepare your room. Mask all the moulding, the ceiling. Pull your furniture out... We can buy the masking tape tonight."
"OK. Let's do it."

We pick up the tape, then go back to the colour card wall to decide on the paint color. He decides on Behr # S - G - 420 - Limeade. Yes it's about as bright as it sounds. Then he decides on adding Behr# S - G - 550 - Artesian Blue. A vivid, almost neon blue.

It's 9:00 pm now, and this son of mine who is not keen on spending time with me, says, "How late is Walmart open til? Can we stop in there too?"

So, we drop in for a look. We check out the electronics, boys wear, men's wear, automotive, sporting goods and eventually make it out to their not-much-better-than-Home-Depot's garden centre. He and I pick out three more flats of 4" bedding plants for 68 cents each. No idea what the colors will be. Or how this jumble of plant life will look when it's planted, but it doesn't seem right, this business of having no plants in my pots.

We get home at 10 pm, both of us anxious to get going on our home improvement projects. He bounds upstairs and starts moving his furniture out to the hallway. I take my flats of flowers outside and plant them up in the dark.

Martha would not approve. Of my planting techniques or his color choices.
I don't care.

He and I have a whole lot of years ahead of us that will be spent together. If mismatched plants and green and blue walls will get us through them - how lucky am I?

Three things I'm thankful for:
1. We WILL make it up to the lake for one night this weekend. Yay.
2. I have green growing things in my pots! Yay. Another thing to look after...
3. I LOVE this 19" wide screen monitor. The pictures I've taken? WOW, they look SO good on this screen. Go buy one. Really. Only $199 at Best Buy. My pics look so much better.
4. It's summer! The rain has stopped. I was gardening at 11 pm. I LOVE that.


Shalom,