Joe's Feast...
This is Joe. He is a great guy. 15 years old and a heart of pure gold. He is always laughing and finding funny things in what the little ones are doing. But he's the "big dog" so ya better tread respectfully. He had his feast the other night and true to his age and gender there was a mountain of food. He went Mexican. No surprise, there, though fettaccini alfredo is his favorite. I think he was trying to be unpredictable. He had chili-cheese nachos and then soft-shell tacos for his entre. For dessert, he had warm brownies topped with vanilla ice-cream and hot-fudge sauce, whipped cream and a cherry on top. He gave each of the children a satin bookmark with pretty foil inspirational sayings on them as his gift.

I have been sick over the past few days. When Joe realized that I wasn't going to make it out to church, Sunday evening, he says, "Are you getting enough fluids?" How cute is that? Of course, he gets his mother-hen tendancies honestly, as his dad is very good at it. I am passable. A few minutes later, he brings me a diet Coke for my headache and a bottle of water with strict instructions that I was to have both drank by the time he got home. He's really a great kid and I couldn't be more pleased with the way he is growing into a fine young man. I'm not even going to get into what I consider essential qualities in a man, these days. It's ok, you can sigh a big sigh of relief, now.

While I was sick, it got me to thinking... not sure how lucid my thoughts were as I definitely had a fever, but nonetheless... What if you could schedule a cold? Not that you'd want a cold, but what if you knew that on, say, Friday, you were going to inevitably come down with a nasty cold? 'Cause I know that at my house, they come at such inconvenient times and I am never ready to be stopped in my tracks by illness. But what if... I got the whirlpool all cleaned out, made a big pot of chicken noodle soup, had a new box of Puffs Plus, nice clean flannel sheets on the bed, a stack of DVDs that I've been wanting to watch but haven't had time, and plenty of light cranberry juice and diet gingerale... now, I ask you, how bad would that cold seem, then? But it would take some planning, yah? so... do you think I could arrange a nervous breakdown? Not that I'd want to have a nervous breakdown, but what if I knew one was going to inevitably hit, say, the day following Xmas... What do you think I would need to really enjoy it? I am figuring on the following... completely cleaning my sanctuary of the master bedroom and bath, 'cause what fun would a nervous breakdown be if no one can tell where the moaning is coming from? (My bedroom looks like a cyclone hit it- a cyclone full of clothes and newspapers. And the bathroom...well, the contents of what should be a walk-in closet are spilling out into the bathroom. The whirlpool is actually clean but I'd just like to give a little advice to those of you that think a soaking tub is dull... I'd take the dull compared to the spiders that occasionally creep out of the jets. EEEEECH!! Anything but relaxing. It only has to happen once, and ya get the willies everytime you sit in it. So the jets need to be preflushed and honestly, it kinda snuffs the mood.) I need a freshly laundered pair of thermal underwear, some fluffy socks, and my terry bathrobe- just to carry the whole, "I'm falling apart" bit. Again, the tissues. Chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate. Maybe a schedule for cups of tea to magically appear on my now cleared bedside table... I think 2-3 days would do me. Yep, it's goin' on the schedule. I gotta go clean my bedroom.