A Cat and His Girl

First Grade Mommy Blues

So after a long hiatus, I'm trying to get back into posting more regularly here. I'm afraid that I'm not much good at keeping up this sort of thing, as I know only too well from all my aborted attempts at diary-keeping over the years. Still, I live in hope!

Elizabeth is now in first grade, which seems shocking. Why "shocking" I do not exactly know, as she obviously completed kindergarten last year and first grade is, of course, the next logical step. Being her mother and being me, I tend to worry about her future. A lot. Not because she struggles; academically she's outstanding, behaviorally she's great, and socially she's doing O.K. as well (though she still is very reluctant to talk to many adults). Maybe it's just my book review job that requires me to read, from time to time, books about girls with vicious eating disorders, girls who are abused by perverts or bad boyfriends, girls who somehow fall into a rabbit hole of pain. How do those things happen? How do you keep them from happening to your child? How do you keep her, above all, safe?

I know the answer. You don't, of course. At least, you can't protect her from everything out there. So far, we haven't had to worry about the mean girls, the unfair teacher, the school bully, or worse. But at least some of that is probably headed our way. Not to mention all the normal ins and outs, ups and downs of a mother-daughter relationship. And then at some point in the all-too-near future, she will leave us, and what if I can't handle that?

What I keep trying to tell myself is to live more in the now and less in the "what if" future. If only "now" didn't become the past at such lightning speed!

Cranford

Here's another BBC period drama recommendation. An involving plot, engaging characters (Imelda Staunton is particularly hysterical as a busybody neighbor and Judi Dench is, well Judi Dench!), pretty clothes--what's not to like? I haven't read this novel (or novels, actually--they combined Cranford and some other pieces by author Elizabeth Gaskell) either, though I have read her Wives and Daughters. Lots of fun and not so heavy and serious as some Masterpiece Theatre offerings.

Middlemarch

I'm trying to borrow from the library the many BBC Masterpiece Theater shows that I missed the first time around. I'm almost done with this one, and it's been really great. I haven't read the novel, by George Eliot, but now I rather want to do so. I'm so afraid it's not going to end happily, though...

Watch Out!

I think she's channeling a Bond girl. Oh dear.












Time for water guns! Woo-hoo!

Homie in the Tub

This is my buddy, Homie. I've never known a cat who loved drinking out of the faucet to the degree that he does. And if you don't immediately turn it on, why, he'll just lie down and wait in the bathtub. And maybe jump out at you from behind the shower curtain...

Tippy in the Bathroom

Here is Elizabeth's cat, Tippy, in one of his favorite spots: the bathroom. I love how his eyes match the exact shade of the green toilet upon which he is sitting.

Serendipitous Shot

We were coming in from playing outside and I turned on the back steps to take one last photo. This is it, with some Photoshop "glow" added. Sometimes the shots you take on the fly turn out the best...

Siberian Iris in Evening Light

I love these irises with their clean lines and thin, strappy foliage. I just wish they lasted a bit longer.

Big Girl

This is one of the few photos I took during our sojourn to Normal, IL. Elizabeth found a set of monkey bars just tall enough to be challenging but not so tall as to be scary. Observe the concentration, manifested in the careful placement of the tongue!

It seems like only yesterday...

...we were bringing home this beautiful baby. And now she's 6 ("and a half!" she reminds you sternly). And almost a first-grader.

It's BAAAA-AACK!

Yes, summer vacation is almost upon us again. There are 5 more school days (3 of these--field trip, Fun Day, and report card day--don't really count) until the bliss (and bother) of another summer vacation. Last year, when Elizabeth finished preschool I finally understood that commercial that Staples used to run every August. You know, the one where the dad is wheeling about the store collecting school supplies for his frowning youngsters with giddy abandon while Andy Williams is singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year" in the background. It's awesome to have her, and Brad, all to myself again, but man! It's also a lot of entertaining and feeding and cleaning up and planning. This year I am trying to go into it more prepared. I have a whole list chock full o' ideas of things for us to do, some less work and some more. Since I have been blessed with a child who is, shall we say, very attached to me, day camps and classes where Mom doesn't stay are not an option right now. Luckily, with Brad off, too, I will still be able to get some time alone for me occasionally. I can't believe that Elizabeth will be in first grade in a few short months. Anybody know how to slow down this clock?

Hulick Girls Escape Tolono! (Film at 11:00...)

Tomorrow we are playing hooky! That's right, no school for Elizabeth tomorrow! No chores (well, no major ones) or book reviews or church work for me! We are taking the day off and heading to Normal, IL to a park, the Children's Discovery Museum, and the great ice cream shop next door to the museum. We may throw in a stop at a used bookstore as well--who knows? We can do whatever we feel like doing (within reason, of course)! My lovely cousin and her adorable 1-year-old daughter are meeting us there to play. A good time should be had by all.

This is a test. This is only a test. Had this been an actual post, it would have been much, much more interesting.