life in the fast lane

meanwhile

since my reattached achilles tendon looks this, my world has been rather remarkedly small. this is what it looks like most days. it's a little bit of a sensory overload, especially when you can't get up to pick up the paper or anything like that; but it's home. as long as i can be a part of the coming and going, the give and the take, and the rest of it all, i don't think i'll go too crazy. there's the remote for the tv (meh), the cordless phone, several books to read, beads to string, and mail to sort through. the rest of the time it's kind of hard not to feel sort of worthless- it's hard to contribute right now. tell me that this too shall pass.

 

plastic love

there's no denying the love i have for the redhead, but she moved into an entirely different kind of love with the acquisition of her first debit card. laboring behind the counter at W***y's all summer has brought her some financial independence and she's doing well. the card hasn't begun to melt yet. the watching-them-grow-up part of love is sometimes hard for me, but with each of the five of them, i've found no alternative.

mama said there's be days like this

our four-footed friend, bailey, waits patiently for her break.

mr. fixit

the romaniac has always had a thing for anything mechanical, ever since he came home nearly 7 years ago now. "have button will push, have switch will flip." was the way my dear friend marilee stated it, absolutely spot on. his grandma was surprised and delighted when he showed her what every function on the dash was for when she bought her last new vehicle. he has an ever-growing collection of defunct cell phones, donated by friends and family, that he loves to break down and recombine. here he is working on a gas scooter that a friend of his had trashed. it looks like he really has it down pat when it comes to taking things apart. now we just need to take some steps when it comes to putting things back together. (and we truly know when adolesence is upon us when you get a look like this one every time you pick up the camera and point it at him. 'why would you haul out that camera and ruin my day life?')

home again

the shreds of my achilles' tendon have been reunited, knit together, and put back where they belong. i too am back where i belong- at home, not even having to stay overnight in the hospital-hooRAY! pain isn't bad, being restricted from putting ANY weight on that foot blows, but all things considered, it's marvelous to have it over with!

like a big bundle of ...

anti-anxiety medication- that's what our neighbor brought over- in the form of seven month old C! i'm headed to the hospital for surgery to repair my achilles' tendon tomorrow, and am just about choking with dread. little C bestowed on me his smiles, his sticky fingers, his really big belly laugh, and not an inconsiderable amount of drool. he brought over lots of other things as well, they just weren't visible. thank you, God, for babies- and the neigbors that share them freely.

funny friends

the redhead is ours and her good and goofy friend is one of my favorites among her crowd. the two of them share an intense fascination for the 'pirates of the caribbean' movies, although for totally different reasons. i think they were the first two in their group to land summer jobs this year. they don't have to be do anything to have this kind of fun. they even have a good time cleaning up and re-doing each others bedrooms when there's time. not into being uber-popular or anything like it-refreshing in  people this age, don't you think?

mama says om

new toy!

the beads are not so new, but the lens that they were photographed with is. i've just stepped over the line from film to digital, so it's all pretty new to me. once i got over the habit of telling myself 'not to go crazy with wasting all that film,' it really started to be FUN! organization will always be an issue for me, but at least i can keep all the shots in one place. i love my medium length zoom, but i really needed something smaller in many instances. this is the one! it's like seeing the world through new eyes again! now i have to start remembering to bring it with me every time i go out, there's always something i want to shoot. (and i mean that only in the nice way, not the way i feel about stupid drivers ...) if you say a little prayer today, remember to say 'thanks' for all the colors!

it doesn't get any better than this

i know their warts, both literal and figurative, but i don't think i could find five people that i love any more than this crew. i've seen the goofy haircuts and dye jobs and have resigned myself to the fact that we're probably not completely out of that stage just yet. from birth and homecomings to the journey through the schools- that won't be done for an even longer time. i've always loved kids, but i had absolutely no clue that i would fall so totally and unendingly in love with each of these guys. it's getting harder to get them all together since education and work have claims on them as well. when i came upon one of their faces in a photograph, my heart automatically smiles inside me. we're so totally well-versed on which buttons to push that it can become almost comical at times. they are all such incredibly different people. there is no sight on earth more beautiful than this to me.

they used to be so small

yup, they're both mine and they're both a little crazy. they both showed up in these shirts this week, just because they could. they told me. both in apartments near school and work, they share an incredible appetite which often means our cupboards are totally decimated after they visit on sundays. the bearded one is a junior in college this year, slowly accepting the fact that yes indeed, in the end this is about getting a real live JOB!the one with the hair (which was inspired by world cup soccer coverage long ago) is a working man who knows without a doubt that he's going back to school. where they used to squabble about who could build the highest tower of blocks, they now hold heated "debates" about athletic teams, philosophies, and food. i love them as much as i always have--that hasn't changed a bit.