I was telling myself that the cobwebs I could chalk up to Halloween, but I don't know what I can convince myself of regarding the kitchen floor. I mean, I did sweep, but mopping was just so far beyond me.

On Saturday, I got up, went to the club and came home expecting to just bundle up the kids and head off to the soccer game. My husband was sitting at the computer still in his jammy bottoms and while Russell was dressed, the baby was only half-dressed and I saw red and imploded. I started barking orders at Russell to get his shoes on, Mike to get in the shower and give me the baby who was ravenously glad to see me, even though there was a big fat can of formula left untouched. I managed to get them out the door in 30 minutes, stop at McDonald's for lunch and get Russell to his game with time to spare.

As we started the car, it began to rain. Fortunately, I'd had the foresight to make everyone grab appropriate rain gear and had Mike load the stroller in the car.

When we got to the game, it started to rain harder and more horizontal. I quickly buttoned the baby's coat, covered her in a couple blankets and pulled down the weather hood to protect her. She promptly conked out in her little coccoon of warmth and dryness. We watched 7 and 8 year old boys stiff with cold play weird game of shuffle with a soccer ball.

Our team played miserably. The coach says that the banner I made for the Purple Pythons hasn't flown at the games we've lost. (We couldn't put it up because the glue is water soluble. D'oh!)I told Mike,"Hey, if we'd made up a jug of hot cocoa, I could have probably sold it for $2 a cup out here." He squinted at me with rain streaking down his face and smirked.

Finally, as the rain started to come down in horizontal sheets, at the start of the fourth quarter the referee said they were to play hard for 5 minutes and that he was calling the game. Both sidelines on the field lit up with cheering parents.

As we rushed the rain soaked stroller, soccer player and parents from the field to the waiting Saturn, I felt sorry for the next two teams and their poor soggy parents.

On the way home, we stopped at the store and bought a big thing of hot cocoa.

Yesterday, Pauline came up with her kids and husband. Earlier in the week, I talked to her and she lost the job she'd finally managed to get because she couldn't read and write well enough to train to it. And then she came out with that she's absolutely miserable where she is, her husband doesn't leave her with any money whatsoever and has no problem leaving her and the kids alone on the weekends, while he takes off with his friends to get stoned, high on cocaine and generally drunk off his ass. What a charming guy!

Not!

She's coming back to Davis. Another neighbor and I have pledged she can stay with us, if she wants. Mike said that no more than a month was okay with him. I think she can get her job back at the supermarket she was working at, but it doesn't pay well, so she's going to have to see about housing here. Lots of luck! She gave up a subsidized apartment and Davis has a vacancy rate of about 1-2%.

All I could think as she told me this stuff was,"I told you so." I bit my tongue and worked hard to be supportive. The other neighbor loaned her $100 and I gave her some groceries. I find it appalling that Steve has money for weed, but not for buying juice for his stepchildren.

Last night at 6, I hugged Pauline good-bye and then promptly fell into my butt-sucking couch in a stupor of exhaustion. Then I started folding laundry.