Beneath the Wraps

                I have been feeling overwhelmed with emotion since last Friday afternoon when Roland came outside to "let me know what's going on."                  I didn't think I would ever see the day when Roland would be angry with Randy or not believe him.   My youngest son has always been a storyteller.   It started out as a form of entertainment, but gradually became a method of deception, and if he gets caught in the lie, will try to mask it with "Oh, I was just joking."               It has gotten old.                 Most everyone in the family had stopped trusting anything that came out of Randy's mouth.   Oh, he's got charm, charisma, so many likable qualities really, but also the gift of gab t...

            I get needing to know the basics of math.   I have multiplied or divided fractions when I doubled or halved a recipe.   I used addition and subtraction (mostly subtraction) when dealing with finances.   I have even measured things accurately. I get the basics and I do and have used them in real life.   Anything beyond the basics have been useless except for two times since graduating high school.             The two situations in which I’ve been required to understand beyond basic (Algebra comes to mind) came when my children were taking math courses in school.   Tony used to milk his sessions.   It would take hours just to do one problem.   He didn’t get that if he would just do it instead of trying to get me to re-learn and do his assignments, he could have been done so much quicker. Actually I have had hang...

            I remember how I enjoyed watching fireworks when I was younger.   I remember lighting sparklers with my dad and dancing around the yard.   Fireworks were reserved for July 4 th (anniversary of our nation) and July 24 th (anniversary of our state) and gradually that turned into weekends.   Here in our part of west Valley, the fireworks happen EVERY SINGLE DAY IN JULY – or at least from the 3 rd to the 27 th .   Jenna’s enthusiasm shines for each holiday.   She’d been nagging Roland for some time to get fireworks whenever we pass firework stands or displays.      Somewhere along the way (and I’m not really certain when) I outgrew the thrill of fireworks.   I get headaches from the smoke.   I have a hard time breathing when I am outside.   I’m no longer a night owl and thus not very fun parent.   But we try.   Jenna often feels bumm...

After we had purchased the house Roland put the boys to work painting the trim red. That was seven years ago. Time to paint again. Randy needs money and Roland puts all three boys to work and says he’ll pay them 100 dollars each as soon as the work is done. The instructions are fairly simple:  Everything that is red needs to be painted over in green, everything that’s white needs to be repainted white. Biff was the first to show. He works graveyard and comes straight from his job though two weeks ago I think he went to the gym before coming here Roland had to work that day and so I had told Tony that he could be in charge I didn’t want Randy to be in charge because most of the time he doesn’t even know what he’s doing as he has managed to disappear each time Roland taught the boys a trade Randy appears to be genuine about helping or at least that was the case two weeks ago But he loaded the paintbrush so that it d...

Biff’s girlfriend (at the time) gave him a puppy for Christmas – ironically the last year they were together.   They didn’t even make it to the next Christmas. The puppy was cute with his little brown patches and Jenna liked holding him and playing with him while his patches were still intact. As Buddy got bigger (just in the matter of months really) the patches disappeared and Biff had a large white dog who wanted to play 24/7.   Biff couldn’t give him 24/7.   We all needed to sleep sometime – except Buddy. Barked if we tied him up.   Lot of complaints from the neighbors. Buddy was no longer cute.   He was a nuisance.   Jenna loved him when he was a puppy, but when he got bigger than her, he was just too much for her to handle. He went through the chewing stage and managed to get some of her toys while indoors.   She hid all of her outdoor toys in his dog house – which he refused to take shelter in.   And that was okay by Jen...

I was raised in a household in which we respected not only one another – but property belonging to someone else.  We’d always ask one another if we could borrow or have – we didn’t just take and keep or disregard without considering the emotions of another. Roland has always grabbed at envelopes or statements or even receipts – if there is a blank space he would document information from the caller – and leave it.  I at least make the effort to transfer the information rather than telephone my spouse and expect miracles to happen as I describe the notes I took and the possible appearance of what it might have been written on. Today his “note” detail much more space than even a totally blank envelope will provide.  If I should leave out a notebook which I have written, be it journaling, lesson preparation, or whatever, he ignores the fact that the notebook may belong to somebody else and starts in at exactly where I left off.  What?!? Randy at least has ...

          Almost every household in America has at least one ghost living with them.   Since being married to Roland, I have encountered three.   Their names are “It Wasn’t Me”, “I Don’t Know” and “I Didn’t Do It”.   The ghost who gets blamed the most in this house is “It Wasn’t Me”.   “I Don’t Know” received most of the blame in our last house – though “It Wasn’t Me” seemed to share a lot of blame as well.           I find it interesting that about 20 minutes before Jenna returned home from school yesterday, I retrieved a hand mirror from the coffee table and put it in the bathroom.   She couldn’t have been home more than five minutes before I found the mirror on the coffee table again – in almost the exact same position it has been only 25 minutes earlier.           “Why is that mirror on the coffee table?” I asked...

          The wedding is now behind us, but still my plate seems full.  I am exhausted both mentally and physically.  And I am certain that I am also experiencing a hormonal imbalance.                     I vegetated all day yesterday.  Literally.  I had the boob tube on, but never saw a complete program as I would fade in and out of my slumber.  I hadn’t slept well the prior night.  I often have problems sleeping when I am overly tired.  My subconscious mind always seems to dwell on situations that I can’t change.  It drives me nuts – especially when I am so exhausted.           Given that and the fact that I had taken a Zyrtec before going to the wedding reception and then again before going to bed.  It must have taken all day before it finally wore off.  At least I hope it’s w...