Emma and Harley are on an unexpected three-day weekend.  I have explained to her that they MUST find a home by the end of it.  He needs her, she needs a place of her own (everyone does, I don’t care what my mother says, everyone just does).  He is almost not a dog.  And he needs her.  So, fingers crossed, house-finding by Friday.

     A day after my father turned 70 it has come to my attention that we learn constantly.  I knew this before yesterday, but I needed to express it.  Every damn day, a new lesson.  Some are really difficult; being away from those you love, not being able to spend time with people you enjoy being with.  Budgeting what tiny amounts of money you have available to you; being poor just plain sucks, I will NEVER get used to it, it’s wrong.  Accepting that everything happens exactly when it’s supposed to; patience is an exhausting lesson, and one I am so very tired of.

    Elliott is learning what “grounded” means.  And it ain’t easy.  Being responsible for ones own actions is one of life’s hugest things to get a hold of.  But ya know, we do get it.  Most of us.  Maybe he never will, who knows?  Who cares?  His sister is still MIA, and her birthday is in less than a month.  I have to learn how to let go.  Ha!  Like THAT’S gonna happen!

At least I know that these ARE lessons.  Really, I have made some progress after all.

  For me, the day is tomorrow, but it will show up as today here.  July 16, 1938 my dad was born.  He is turning 70.  Which, to me, seems completely impossible.  He cannot be that old.  And I cannot be this old.  And my kids can’t possibly be the ages they are.  Where does all that time go?  No, seriously, where is it?  What happened to it?  How do so many years just vanish?  And vanish really quickly?!

   It’s finally really summer here.  Hot, just hot out.  And I am officially old.  My parents told me that I was NOT allowed to help buck hay.  Now, I hate this job, it’s hot, sticky, and really hard work.  But I was always the kid they could depend on.  Now, I’m just old and apparently decrepit.  No longer needed.  In a way I am glad, I really do hate this job.  But on the other hand, who wants to be told that they are too aged to be of any help?!

Still searching for Em’s house.  Doesn’t anyone know of a landlord who needs a wonderful tenant?  She’s great.  And very responsible.

No one has heard from Madalynn in months now.

I have finished the 17th page of J.D.’s Waterhouse.  Only 2 and a half more to go!

  I have completed the 16th page of 20.  This Waterhouse WILL be finished, and possibly before it has a chance to become a year old on the rack.

    The hunt for Empress’s new home seems endless, and is so exhausting.  I want to help so much, and yet, the house isn’t there!  They would be such excellent tenants too!  Any landlord would be lucky to have them.

Has anyone seen my niece?  We seem to have misplaced Miss Madalynn.  Should any body run across her, could you please have her phone home?

  I am trying to be completely focused on J.D.’s Waterhouse cross stitch, but life keeps getting in my way.  I want to sit there and stitch for 10 hours a day!  I have only four and a half pages to go until it’s finished.  Big sigh.  Then I begin Han’s “Great Wave” - I need to go stitch now.

So many things, so little space.  The Hurricane has come and gone.  Possibly for the last time before full-time school starts up again, but hopefully not!

The Full Moon was yesterday (the 18th) at 10:30 a.m. - my time.

Mercury righted itself today at 6:28 a.m.  Thankgawd!

And tomorrow is the Summer Solstice.

Enjoy.

(I miss you already.)

    My new activity is all about housing.  The Empress needs her own home, like last week.  She has found the dog, now she just needs the yard for him to scamper in.  You see, she (and the canine) require some freedom.  Sadly, it is a very difficult task to locate the exact place, it’s out there, we just haven’t found it yet.  Thought we had a line on it today, but we only gathered weeds and promises.  I continue the search.  Daily.

     Oh the flurry of the cosmos.  We are all winging around like little novas in the sky.

     J.D. is doing a million things in ten million directions, all the while maintaining the technical status of unemployment.

     Hanny is planning a return performance for next week, all the while juggling the old job, the new job, radio spots, this huge independent move, and final exams.

     Empress is in a mad dash to move out, so she can adopt a new, but aged and lovely canine who desperately requires her special brand of care and devotion.

     I have finished all of the ugly commission work and am busily back to concentrating on the Waterhouse cross stitch masterpiece.

     Dan has to wedge in some daylight hours so he can shuttle J.D. and his tragic automobile to the auto glass repair shop and then replace a broken engine part in our slanty, tilted, and dangerous driveway.

     See?  I told you it was a wild time!  How is everyone handling this newest Mercury turn-around?