Chaos Theory

Things have been insane around here of late. The apples and tomatoes are multiplying exponentially. I've been canning pears, making apple pie, apple cake, and Spiced Apple Pear Freezer Butter. Salsa is on the horizon, as soon as I pick up some peppers and cilantro (forgot to plant some this year).

On top of that, school started. The school bus schedules are all different this year, and so, first day of school, we patiently waited at the end of our driveway where the bus has picked the boys up for the last seven years. No bus. Peachy. So I took four of the five kids at the stop to school. After calling transportation all day, and not getting any answer (they turned off their phones and let everything go to voice mail), I got through to a human, who assured me that they would let the driver know that he needed to turn down our street. I figured he'd at least listen to the kids, who usually wind up directing the substitute drivers anyway. But no. He dropped them off at the end of the street, four blocks from our house. So the next morning, I took them down there, card in hand which clearly states that the bus stop is in front of our house, and let the driver know where he needs to go. He looked down on his sheet and said "Oh, I guess it does say that." Apparently, he cannot be prevailed upon to actually show up at school on time however, and the boys get home an hour after school gets out.

Soccer started for Thing 1 on the first day of school, and of course it's not on the same day as Thing 2. So we're doing soccer six days this week, as Thing 1's game is today, and Thing 2's is tomorrow. They've moved the date and the place twice on us now.

I (finally) finished my striped socks, and have a picture of them to show, but the network adapter on my computer is wonky, and won't connect. A chat with customer service yielded nothing but "update the drivers" which they haven't done since 2005. I just bought the adapter this year. So for now, I'm on Thing 1's laptop in Mr. E's office, and neither one are pleased.

Knitting has taken a back seat to everything else right now. By the end of the day, I'm wiped out. And after reading several stories in Magic for Beginners last evening, I took a nap, dreaming of rabbits, cats whose skin comes off, and witches. When Mr. E woke me up, I was even more a wreck, with a headache to boot. Guess I won't be reading that right before bed. I need to finish it quick, since book club is on Thursday, and it's my book to discuss.

I'm not terribly sure how to run the discussion on the book. Is there symbolism? Or did she draw a couple pieces of paper out of a hat with things associated with magic, stuff the ideas into a blender and hit "puree?" I'm not sure what to think, which may also be the point.

I had a Lizzie Bennet moment. Our neighbors are having tough times and their house is in foreclosure. I had guessed that things were bad, but Mr. E wouldn't listen to my opinions. I had discussed this with another neighbor, who was complaining about the state of their yard. I don't care for it, but am willing to make allowances since my yard isn't picture perfect either. Anyway, I was being careful about my suspicions, as I am normally a very gossipy-type person, and it's landed me in trouble before. So he, also being a very gossipy-type person, threw out the possibility of drug use, and I said "I don't want to speculate on that." Well, it sounded like something Lizzie might say. I was very proud of myself, and felt I grew a foot, which is not necessarily a good thing when you're 5'10". Anyway, I know it sounds like a Very Small Thing, but to me it wasn't. I feel like I've turned a corner on this nasty little habit of mine. And I got to say "I told you so" to Mr. E, which I don't get to do very often.

On a happier note, it looks like the weather is going to be good for a while, so hopefully some of my later tomatoes will ripen. I have a bunch of huge green ones, and I really want to try them. I'm thinking a hoophouse is the way to go here, as only the earliest tomatoes will ripen no matter what I do to them. I'm trying to think of a way to do it so that it is movable, and I can interchange with a tunnel cloche. Plans will be laid this fall! Mr. E won't like it, but I hear they make a huge difference around here, especially in a cabbage summer like this year. And maybe if I tempt him with the possibility of more pesto, since the nights are usually too cold for basil, he'll warm up to the idea.