Tales from the Steppes

2006-06-16

10:21 p.m.
Friday, June 15

We had some fabulous chaos going on here today. You have to really be a connoisseur to truly appreciate the mayhem. It helps to keep one from going insane.

This evening was the EM's end-of-school party so there was much to be done to get ready for it. But I had to work, as always. So I had left instructions for each mongol on what they were to get done today in preparation. During the day, the EM called me numerous times to suggest changes to the plan, sometimes the menu, sometimes the entire concept. I resisted all attempts because I knew I had no time to get anything else done. Burger and hot dogs. Not kabobs, as I would have had to prepare them in advance. Not pizza and a DVD, as I have not had time to get the living room set up. No, burgers and hot dogs in the backyard, dammit. With s'mores around the fire pit afterwards.

On my way home from work, I stopped at the grocery store to get the food, so it was a little after 6 when I got home. Kids are due to show up at 7pm. I was paying Meg, the new babysitter, when she told me that someone from the swim team called and the EM was swimming in the meet tomorrow and needed to be at the pool at 7:30am. Oh shit. We just joined this pool and I dropped off the paperwork yesterday for swim team. But the EM had swam in time trials Wednesday night and was apparently fast enough to swim in this A meet. But of course, she did not have a team swimsuit yet. At after 6pm on a Friday evening. With guests arriving in less than an hour.

Fortunately, I had cash on me. So I gave her money and sent her down to the swim supply store that is a few blocks away and just hoped that they would both be open and have the proper swimsuit. And then went out back to try to mow the yard. It is a very small yard, with a lot of plants in it, so this would not have been an impossible task. Except for the mower not running properly. Apparently, it has issues and the motor kept dying. So I would spray the air filter with this engine starting stuff (that is the technical name for it), start it and mow for about a square meter before it would die again. And repeat. And repeat. Finally I got enough of it mowed that I could just let the rest go - it had not been mowed for two weeks so it was not merely shaggy.

About that time, the EM came back and had not only the correct suit, I really really hope, but a swim cap as well. This is a total freaking miracle in my book. I was rushing around trying to get things ready for the party when I reminded the MM to check his guinea pig's food and water. The EM went to check her hamster at about the same time and came out of her room screaming. The hamster had plenty of food and water but was dead anyway. Sigh. The guinea pig was just fine but needed more water. It was now 7pm.

I went outside to get the table set up (really a door on a pair of trestles with a camouflaging tablecloth on it) for the food as her friends began to arrive. Shortly after this, the SU arrives home from France. He had not slept for more than 24 hours, so he was in his finest mood. And of course he wanted attention, which is completely understandable. Except for the fact I was trying to manage a party.

The party went well and all had a good time. The SU brought back cool gargoyle stuff from Paris and a couple of bottles of wine from the abbey the conference was at. There is no way I will feel guilty about Pennsic this year. Not after he pubcrawled Paris a few times. Arrrrgh. He brought the YM a glass statue of the Eiffel Tower on a base that has lights that change color. Really kind of a tacky trinket but the YM loves it. It is in a place of honor in the boys' room and he fell asleep watching it. Oh to be 6 years old again.

I went in the EM's room, after she was in bed and asked if she wanted me to take the hamster cage out of there. She said yes and whatever I do, don't look in the tea box. Tea box? Her herbal tea. In the kitchen. Ah, the box of tea I put back up on the food shelves? That box? Yes. And that would be because the hamster is in that box? Yes.

Fabulous.

Really kind of explains the smell in the general food area. I was in turbo mode when I moved it and did not bother to reflect on the fact that it was strangely weighted and a bit fragrant.

All I need now is for the SU to make some comment again about how it looks like I did not have time to work much in the garden while he was gone. I am sure the emergency room personnel would have some questions about how he came to have my polearm stuck up his ass.

But I wouldn't do that. If I was going to do something like that, I would not ruin my polearm that way. I would use HIS greatsword instead.