Back to normal

Things have returned to normal. Diva and I drove to the airport bright and early (well not that early) to pick DH up. His plane actually came in 15 minutes early so by the time we got there I didn't have to park, I just had to go pick him up at the curb outside the luggage area. It's a beautiful crisp, cool autumn day - quite a difference from Adelaide, Australia, where it was starting to be summer and quite hot. But at least the sun is out. Diva was very glad to see her daddy and sat in his lap all the way home.

DH had a big surprise for me - he bought me opal earrings that match the opal ring we got for my birthday when we were in Australia in 1988. They are beautiful, and their fiery opalescence made me realize the ring's stone needs some polishing. I probably have been abusing it by washing my hands and wearing it every day for 18 years.

DH realized once he inspected the premises that I had been remiss in one area in his absence: I had not watered a single houseplant. I had looked at an African violet sitting on the windowsill above the sink for almost 3 weeks and it had not crossed my mind even once that it ought to be watered. I also ignored the ti plant in the cat's room upstairs, and the snake plant in the sunroom. This is why I do not have houseplants. My husband is the houseplant waterer. It was all I could do to keep the dog alive, let alone houseplants.

Now DH is taking an extended nap, since it is the middle of the night in Australia. Diva has been in and out and is now snoozing also. This was a good opportunity to work on my neighborhood association newsletter. I recently became the editor of the newsletter when my good friend and the former editor met the love of her life at age 54 and got married in July. She and her beloved (who happens to be my husband's best friend for 30 years, but that is another, longer story) have been in the process of selling their two houses and buying a house that belongs to "them" so they have been exceedingly busy. Thankfully they are still going to be living about 3 blocks away, just not technically in the same town anymore.

Needless to say, with all this going on in her life, my friend didn't have time to do this newsletter anymore, so I took it over. It isn't that hard to do now that I've gotten the hang of Ventura. The main issue is getting people to call up businesses and ask them to buy ads in the newsletter, which helps cover the cost of printing it.

I am one of those people who has many good intentions and says "yes" a lot. So I am on the board of trustees and am secretary of the local park conservancy, which is an offshoot of the neighborhood association; I am the secretary and editor of the newsletter for the neighborhood association; and somehow I got roped into being president of my Toastmasters Club that meets at work. A friend who no longer works at the Big Corporation had snared me into Toastmasters about four years ago, and I've enjoyed it as it has helped immensely in my ability to speak "off the cuff" without saying "uh" and "er" a hundred times. But each year a new person has to be president; presidents are not allowed to have consecutive terms for some reason. So no one wanted to be president this year and the former president coerced me until I said yes. The problem with always saying "yes" is you end up not doing anything really well.

Speaking of not doing anything really well, I think I'll go clean the dining room...no, I still haven't started it.