Nixing the Camera

While Bobert and Marie made me even more excited about digital cameras, there has been a change of heart.

Miss Bethie needs to move. Soon. Miss Bethie is going to go postal and end up on the evening news for matricide. I need to move away from my mother. Not too far away, but far enough that she doesn't visit too often. Far enough that she never has to notice my poor housekeeping skills, nor my inability to cook anything that isn't a microwave dinner or boiled in a bag.

And I feel guilty being this peeved at her. Especially knowing Peggels reads this and lost her mom (I still have the text message from Peg telling me her mom had passed on. I won't delete it.) Cabinetmaker lost his mom and was telling me some wonderful, touching stories about her. I should count myself lucky.
Or just sell mine on eBay so I can get a nicer place.

First off, my mom has no sense of humor about herself. I laugh at myself, we all tease my dad mercilessly, and my brothers and I all pick on one another, in a fun-loving sort of way.

Secondly, I have been getting up at 5:00 every weekday morning, walking 3 miles, then going to school and packing and organizing my old classroom so it can be moved to the new school. Mondays and Wednesdays I work my evening job, Thursdays I volunteer with the equine therapy group, and on Tuesday and Thursday night I have been helping my dad stain the deck. Yesterday I took Pops to the eye doctor, was there with him for over 2 hours, and had to run to work. Got there late, but I was more than happy to do that for my dad. He's my hero!

So, tonight, after my walk, and after working in that spider-infested former classroom for 6 hours, Pops and I start staining the deck.

Sidenote--Mom IS now babysitting my niece, basically full-time, and she keeps the books for my dad's business, which she usually can do in about 2 hours in the evening. I am very well aware that I am not the only busy one here.

Also let it be known, though, my dad had quadruple bypass surgery in January, and has a mild case of emphysema. He is back to working 40 hours a week, which actually a lot less than he worked before the heart scare. He is out in the heat, though, mowing the lawn, cleaning the gutters, raking the yard, and all of his other household jobs he feels like he has to do.

Pops and I are working on the deck, and making some really good progress, if I do say so myself. Mom comes out after she is done with the book work to have a cigarette, and asks how we are doing. Teasingly, my dad says, "Oh, it is terrible." He sometimes forgets she has no sense of humor.

She then asks if he is putting the stain on thick enough. This wouldn't be a huge deal, except last Thursday she asked the same thing and he told her you don't want to put the stain on too thick. It is different that paint. And it is the tone she uses, too. You know what I mean. Dad calmly explains again that you don't use too much stain. She then says, "Well, Miss Bethie's boards just look much better than yours." She is very critical. I am quite sure that she is a large reason I am so self-conscious about my weight.

Anyway, I say that the pro taught me how to stain, so if it looks good, it is because of dad.

She then says, "Well, I just want it done well, because I don't want to have to re-do it next year."

Dad and I just look at her. She wouldn't be caught dead staining a door stop, much less an entire deck.

Dad, again joking said, "No, I am sure you wouldn't have to do this again next year."

I laughed. If you know me, you know I laugh very loudly. (The police officer likes my laugh, by the way).

This was a bad move for both of us.

She then attacks me on my messiness. I say, "Well, I have been a little busy lately."

She then lets me know she is busy and still manages to do laundry, ironing and keep the house clean. Did I mention the baby takes 2 naps a day, never shorter than 2 hours each? Just sayin'.

Did I also mention that over the summer, if mom has to do something or go somewhere, I watch the baby? Again, just sayin'.

She finally figured out by the deafening silence that we weren't playing anymore, and so she said, taking another drag from her cigarette, she was about to go back inside.

I don't know what got into me, but I said, "And everything golden left with her." She ignored me. Probably a good thing.

Oh, there is also some deck furniture she wants me to paint as well as a wrought iron fence. Yup, she is really giving me a lot of incentive, here.

Anyway, a digital camera, while very cool, isn't as important as a kitchen set or a sofa at this point.

Thanks for the info, though kids! And maybe by next year I can splurge.