Ups and Downs

Life is full of them.  Mine especially, lately.  Yesterday was gloomy and overcast.  My yard was muddy.  My mood matched.  The Daddler was grumpy.  Today it's bright, sunny and unseasonably warm.  Crazy warm.  As in all the windows are open and I'm sitting here in the gauzy cotton top I wear all summer.  And I'm still sweating.  Not complaining, though.

And my mood is bright and sunny, like this day.  My sister-in-law and niece and her two kiddos came over for lunch.  I ordered takeout from Gus's.  Yum.  Everyone loved it.  I've never had Gus's before, but I'm a believer.  The D loved it.  The kiddos loved it.

This was the first time for them to meet Lucy, the Dog.  I was a little nervous about it since I haven't seen Lucy around children.  She's sweet to people, but she has this bad habit of suddenly lunging at dogs, with no warning growl.  So I held her head while the kids petted her and she did fine.  We took a walk to the playground, which was swarming with school children on recess.  Who swarmed around Lucy.  I held her head while a million grubby hands patted and rubbed her.  She wasn't phased.  I however, was verging on a panic attack.  A teacher appeared and called off the dogs, I mean, kids.

We finished our little walk.  Then we flew a kite.  Sans Lucy.  It's a blustery day, but we weren't that successful with the kite.  I need to watch a how-to video on YouTube.  Is there anything which can't be demonstrated on YouTube?  They should offer online degrees.  If someone can pass a comprehensive test on a particular discipline, who the heck cares how he/she learned it?

Last night, when I was feeling blue, I called my friend, Melanie, to talk about her upcoming visit.  She's planning to come see me mid-March.  She's in Baltimore, and I went to see her last September.  We had a blast.  I need something to look forward to.  After lots of searching, we couldn't find reasonable fares for flights that fit her schedule for a long weekend.  Also, it's nearly impossible to get non-stop flights to/from MEM since Delta bought Northwest.  So that means lots of travel time for just a weekend.  Since my schedule is lots more flexible, we talked about a repeat trip for me.  I have so much trouble making decisions lately.  So we'll probably convene on the phone one more time and we can plan something that fits her schedule.  Last time, I hung out at her house a couple days while she worked.  I had my own little Millionaire Matchmaker Marathon.  There's some perverse pleasure in watching those arrogant egomaniacs being pursued by vapid gold-diggers.  I wonder if Patti does any due diligence to see if her clients are as wealthy as they represent themselves to be.  I have a feeling the definition of a millionaire is open to interpretation.

That reminds me of something funny I heard one time.  "If you marry for money, you'll earn every penny."

Well, I'm rambling.  There's no point to this post.  So I'll wrap it up and do something productive.  And try to spend a little time soaking up the sun.  I wish I could bottle it.