I woke up to the sound of rain this morning. It was a damp, chilly fall morning, the kind that makes you want to stay in bed. So I did. But by noon the sun came out and the heat came back. Now this evening the rain started again and it is cold again. Weird Midwest weather. They have a saying here in the Midwest – If you don’t like the weather wait a minute and it will change. That’s very true.

I have been feeling odd all day. Fall is definitely in the air and I blame fall for the way I am feeling. Don’t get me wrong, fall is my absolute favorite season of the year for sure. It’s just that sometimes I will get a scent of damp fall leaves and it strikes a memory in me. Or I will smell the rain and suddenly it is 1985. Do you know what I mean? Am I the only one that has their memory triggered by certain scents? Old spice after shave – I remember my grandfather as he would get ready for church on a Sunday morning. Fresh cut Peaches – I remember my grandmother on a hot summer day sitting in her rocking chair in the kitchen peeling bushels of peaches to can. And it’s not just scents, sounds trigger memories too. Like the sound of a baseball game on the radio – it always reminds me of listening to the World Series on my tinny AM radio in the late 70’s on a hot night. The sound of someone yelling in anger always reminds me of my ex-husband and makes me cringe. Don McLean’s song – American Pie always reminds me of the first apartment I had with my brothers ex girlfriend Margie. She was such a slut. She put me off of roommates for the rest of my life. We had a one-bedroom apartment with twin beds in the bedroom. And as I mentioned, Margie was a slut. Believe me you don’t want to share your bedroom with a slut if you value your sleep. After she slept with all of my brother’s friends she started sleeping with my boyfriends and then their friends. A real pig. I got to know the couch real well that summer.

Sonny Boy has worked every day since he got his job. It’s been 6 days so far. You would think they would give him a day off. He does finally get a day off but not until the end of this week. He definitely has an appreciation of the working class now. I think he will have a better appreciation when he gets his first paycheck.

Because I pick Lil Miss up from school in the afternoons and then pick up Sonny Boy from work after I get her, I find that I am in the car for 1 ½ hours every afternoon. I think I had more time for relaxation when I was working. Lil Miss’s mother is supposed to be paying me for watching her every afternoon. It’s just a small amount and I wasn’t going to take it at first. But when I found out that she had claimed it on child support and therefore my oldest son was paying it I figured I would take it. Otherwise she would be keeping the money he is paying out for daycare. Well, guess who hasn’t paid me since the first week? The first Friday she paid in cash and I accepted graciously. The 2nd Friday came and she doesn’t mention it at all. The 3rd Friday comes and she says “Oh I forgot my wallet, I’ll bring it on Monday”. Here it is Monday and she didn’t even mention it. She sure mentioned it when she got the money out of my son. The whole thing is I was going to do it for free. I don’t think family should charge family for babysitting. But she insisted on making it legally binding and having the courts order my son to pay it. So I feel that if he is paying her for my watching Lil Mss then I should actually be getting the money. Somehow I am going to have to bring this up to her tomorrow without pissing her off. The problem is it’s a full moon right now and she tends to g crazy during full moons. I am serious, she does. Ask my mother, she was witness to the craziest shit you ever saw a person do on a full moon. She’ll tell ya, the girl is NUTS! I may just wait until this Friday when the full moon has passed.

This Friday is my eldest son’s birthday. So yesterday when he and Lil Miss were over for Sunday dinner I helped her make a craft for him (pictured above). It involved using the iron at the end of the project. So I tell her “Don’t touch the iron, it will burn you.” She says “Okay Gwanma, I won’t.” Then I proceed to put my finger on the hot iron thus burning the holy shit out of my finger. In fact it has a blister on it today. Lil Miss looks at me with wide eyes and says “Gwanma, don’t you know not to touch the iron, it’s hot!” What could I say? Listen to what I say, not what I do? And why the hell did I touch the damned iron in the first place? I am beginning to question my judgment lately. Must be that full moon.