I haven't had an October day below freezing since I was a child living in New England. The other day on the radio, I heard someone claim that New England is the state just east of Washington. It was a "test your IQ" radio game for call-in listeners, so it just goes to blow ya that West of the Mississippi folks just ain't so ed-ju-kated.

I was somewhat irritated when I went to go get wood off the woodpile for the fireplace to step in ice-covered grass. Okay, so I cussed my ass off about how freakin' cold it was under my breath and wished I knew where my damned sheepskin slippers were, but nonetheless it made me kind of pissy. It could be that the intelligence factor for Western dwellers is affected by adverse winter conditions. I know my brain functions less well when I'm freezing my ass off, so only God knows how years of living like that will affect some people.

It was then I knew that I live in a seasonal place again. I mean, the neighborhood trees are changing colors and there are great big apples hanging off apple trees over fences. I keep thinking I'll get out there with my step ladder and snag some, but then I'd just feel bad. I just think naughty and behave nice.

Next weekend, we want to go to Apple Hill, but I don't know if it will happen. On Saturday, we've got the cubscout museum thang at 1030AM and at 2PM I have to drag everyone next door to the neighbor's granddaughter's first birthday party. I think first birthday parties are a complete waste of time. I realize I had one for Genny, but I felt obligated to have it. I didn't really want to do something big and schmancy, but friends were asking and the expectation around it was such that I finally just caved.

The big problem with this party is that it's mid-afternoon, usually the time when Princess Genevieve takes her afternoon snooze, so that ought to be a nightmare, right there. The other problem is that I am not fond of or comfortable with my neighbor's daughter.

About a week ago, I got a call in the middle of some crush time work stuff from Donna asking me to help her get Mel and the baby to the doctor at 245 for her, because the baby had an ear infection. Donna's husband had the car and was stuck at work and Donna couldn't arrange anything else. First she'd asked if Mel could just take the car, but while I was more than happy to let Mel use the car to transport my kids when I was in Vegas, I wasn't really comfortable with the idea of her just having my car. My experience of the family is that if you give an inch, sometimes a mile is taken-- and it wasn't just the money thing from the babysitting...there've been other things, too. I felt like if I loaned the car out, I'd be asked other times about borrowing it and I just wasn't cool with that. It's my car and I'm not lending it out. The other thing is that if Mel decided to go pick up her prescriptions somewhere afterwards and not get the car back to me, I'd be screwed on picking up Genny on time and I get charged. The timing was too close.

When I told Donna that Mel couldn't take the car, she was kind of irked with me, but I told her I just didn't feel comfortable with that. I told her that I would rather take Mel up there, but that I had to do it early and then I'd have to pick her up late because I had to wait for Russell to get home from school. Russ gets off school at 250 and that day was going to bike home. He usually gets here around 305-310. I get a call from Mel at about 255 telling me that she was all done and to come get her. I explained that I had told her mom that I had to wait for Russell to come home and as soon as he got home, that I'd come get her. She kind of made this big huffy sigh thing on the other end of the phone and I was thinking..."so take a fucking cab." Russell dragged home about 310 and I drove up to get Mel at the doctor's on the other side of town. I get this kind of huffy silent treatment thing in the car from her. I'm trying to be nice, but I'm thinking, "Fuck off!" Then she made some kind of hint about the prescription and I offered to drop it off for her on my way to get Genny. She pouted. I offered that she could get the prescription done and go pick up Genny for me, so I could finish up my work day and make up the time I'd had to take to get her to and fro, which I thought was reasonable. She said in this poor-me kind of way that she'd just wait til her parents got home.

Yup, guess you will. (Dork.)

When we pulled in, she said a really terse thank you and out she went.

I just hate because I work at home, folks think I'm sitting around on my hands or something. If I were a stay-at-home (SAH) mom, I'd be more prone to a flexible schedule, and when I work at home, I get some flexibility, but when I'm under pressure of crush, I'm working, thanks. I just wish people would call me during the day and ask,"Are you busy?" before they make requests of me. I don't think Donna would have asked me if I worked in an office outside the home, for example.

It would probably behoove me to get some backbone and say no, too. Freakin' cartilaginous spine. I hate that!

Mike and I figured out our bills recently and if I do everything right, I should be able to pay off our credit cards and outstanding debt in about 15 months and then we can get into a house. I talked to a loan broker about that and that's what he told us. So I'm on a mission to clear our credit record and pay everything off, even if we have to live on top Ramen forever and ever.

We're also pretty much planning to move. The owners have been pains in the ass and now, they're talking about selling the house. I talked to my parents, but they've lost a lot of reinvested retirement capital in the stock market, so are in no position to post a loan. We thought if they could afford to buy it, we could rent it from them for two years and then buy them out, but they can't afford it at all, right now, so we're going probably have to move. Isn't it lovely?

We are not going to change Russell's school, however, because I think he needs the stability of finishing out the year at least. When I was checking with the Sheriff's office about crime rates at the various apartment complexes, the deputy I talked to said that he just would leave his kid in the school until the school year ends and just not tell the school, especially if we could retain the same phone number, which I'm pretty sure we can.

I wasn't going to do it, but I think I'm going to go dig up my evening primroses and put them in pots. I like them too much to leave them for someone else and I wanted to enjoy them in spring.

*sigh*