My Seussical Life for 2006 April

Atticus asked me, "Hey Mom, do you know what fainting is?"

"Tell me about fainting," I encouraged.

"It's what girls do when they see a really cool guy."

Of all the lessons to gain from preschool. . .

Hey, all you golf lovers out there! Come to our Kansas fairway and whack a few golf-ball-sized hail! We'll provide the food and lodging.

Actually, I'm trying to calm myself from a panic as the hail begins to pelt the roof and windows and Dave is away preparing for his oral exams (they're tomorrow). At least the radio warns of Severe Thunderstorms, and no funnel clouds have been sighted. Yet. Ah, the joys of living in Kansas! I intend to write up the adventurous tornado scare we had driving home from the Kansas City airport with my newly-arrived in-laws last week. But I'll save that for another day.

I talked to Aunt Frances yesterday. It sounds like the sickness that has encroached upon her life for (has it been?) over ten years now is unrelenting now. I agree with Rachel that there is a WWI metaphor in all of this somewhere. Frances asked me to read Shakespeare's 73rd sonnet at her funeral. Is it really time to talk about that sad day? I keep thinking about her brave recitation of "Ulysses" at Aunt Jeunie's funeral. She read all those lines of Tennyson without shedding a single tear. How can I do so well? I'm lucky I only have fourteen lines to remember and get through without dissolving into tears. Franny did have some advice for me: "Inject your veins with ice water." Is there a clean way to inject into the jugular?

Frances has done some very significant mothering on my behalf throughout my life. I feel so much love for her. One favorite memory, which stands in my mind more as a feeling than a memory, was during a road trip from California to Utah as part of Grandpa Earl's funeral. I think I was seven. Frances was so comforting, and she shared a treat of dried prunes and apricots with me. This might seem a very inconsequential moment, but my memory is of how special she made me feel. I love my Aunt Frances.

All But Dissertation. Dave completed his oral portion of his comprehensive exams today. Now we know that he has passed--with honors--and has attained the status of PhD Candidate. Yay! We've come so far! Can it really be so?? Of course he has a lot of work to do with that dissertation. . .

Last night was a very unusual night. Samuel and Atticus both ended up in our queen sized bed. That meant there were eight elbows and eight pairs of knees, four people perceiving different levels of hot and cold, and two squirming bodies moving in and out of the bedsheets. Dave was sleeping like a dead man, and I should have had the presence of mind to move the little people out! I was too tired. Here's hoping for a better night tonight.

It is amazing to me that I can feel absolutely exhausted at 5pm, anxious to go immediately to bed, barely able to keep my eyes open. Then, as soon as the boys are asleep, I have a burst of energy, and I want to stay up late. Strange.