There is a life in Phoenix, too

Okay, at 110 degrees (if anyone knows how to type a symbol for degrees, please let me know) it's too hot for most stuff and drains my energy.

I have been home since August 30.

Although we dreaded driving on labor day weekend, the traffic was not too bad. It was a bit dreadful when we hit the outskirts of LA at about 5:15 on Friday afternoon. So many interchanges that back everything up. I was so glad Bill was driving. He has been driving about 35 miles to work for several years and has an instinct about where he should be and where the hell the rest of them are going to and coming from. I would have had to pull over and wait until the next day, but he patiently plodded on until we arrived in Cerritos at my friend's house where we spent the night. She was not home so we had no one to visit with. We got take out from California Pizza Kitchen which was a nice supper and went to bed about 9 PM. I drove leaving and it was not too bad. The road between Phoenix and LA is desolate and long but there was not much traffic. I am only good for about an hour of driving, then start getting sleepy.

Napa was such an unusual adventure, it was fun to write. Guess I see my regular life without any sense of awe. I am thinking more about what makes it special.

Hazel Bunton turned 91 and I went to a little family gathering for her. They are the closet things we have to cousins as they lived in Cody, and then Tucson and Phoenix. Their family is much larger than ours. Nancy, the oldest of their family is a great grandmother at about 65. The generations are kinda of jumbled in my mind as I don't see them that often. Our real cousins were either in another state and we barely knew them, or Uncle Arden's kids in Cody who were high school students when I was a little kid. So upon reflection, we spent much more time with the Buntons.

I made it through my first week (4 days only) at work. I felt a little tired of it everyday about 2:00, but I pushed on. Since there is a total change of venue, it seems normal to be in the office working 40 hours. I was happy to see the people I work with, some of them are pretty special to me. I did have a bit of trouble sitting down as everything (coffee, bathroom, printer) is a long walk and there are a lot of people I needed to check in with. I think everyone wastes a lot of time doing these things, plus smoking. I don't have that disctraction, thank God.

Guest Post, from Annie

Sometimes life can be difficult. That’s when it’s good to have a mom. –Kevin Morehouse, Age 10

I haven’t seen my mom since Thursday night, and I don’t like that much. For years, I have envied my local friends who have parents in town to pinch hit when things get a little crazy. They go for long weekends with their spouse, and leave the kids with their parents. Thanksgiving doesn’t require a plane ticket, and there is always someone crying sweet tears with them at school plays and ceremonies.

This summer, I was lucky enough to have my mom here—lending a hand, tearing up at kindergarten “graduation”, and helping with projects. One of the first nights that she was here, after she had cooked dinner for my girls and I, my Tiny Child very sweetly said as we were backing out of the driveway “it’s fun to have family it town”. Indeed.

If you know my mom, and you’ve been reading this blog, you likely know that a little over a year ago, I left my marriage. It’s been one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life—and difficult from many more angles than I ever imagined. Working outside my home is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. There is no one else to stop for milk on the way home if I forget it, help with hair washing, take kids to swim lessons, or help with the laundry. This summer however, I had help with all of those things and much more.

Thank you mom, for rearranging your life to come and help us out with ours. Thank you for taking such sweet care of my girls and of me. Thank you for trips to the bookstore, library, toystore, swimming pool, and playground. Thank you for dinners, and coffee, and your company. Thank you for helping with the GIANT project for First Grade, and lots of dog sitting too (Syd will never forget the Shredded Wheat and Chicken Stock supper you made her). Thank you for offering help that I never knew I needed, never would have asked for, and won’t soon forget. I love you. We miss you.

Could you come back now please?