1.  Well, I'm open-faced because my sister Debbie is still here and it means I don't have to worry about my mother.  I'm trying to convince Debbie to move here….it's hopeless but I try anyway.  Yesterday my pitch was that Champaign is laid out on a grid unlike Boston…making it much  easier to get around.  I was making up this pitch in my mind as I drove to work and I tried to think of the name of Utah's largest city—-a great example of a city laid out on a grid.  I tried and tried to think of it…..first I came up with St. Louis but thought no….that's in Missouri.  It must have taken me half a mile to come up with Salt Lake City….could this be early dementia?  Please tell me it's just stress….

2.  I'm now torturing myself as to whether I requested the right teacher for Owen next year.  Life has been so overwhelming of late that sometimes I just feel like I'm not doing right by my guys….and let's face it….they're more important than anything else.  Sometimes I just get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. That's my latest stomach pit.  Hmmmm…..I kind of like that term, 'stomach pit.'  Makes it sound kind of like an olive pit.  Maybe if I visualize it like that I can put it in perspective….

3.  I've been trying to figure out why I haven't liked any of my pictures of late.  I finally realized that Typepad's new fancy compose post feature changed my defaults and my pictures are just too damn small….  Is this better?  It's one of my single white peonies with some overgrown lovage next to it.

4.  I get out of work at noon on Fridays as I work long days Monday through Thursday.  Ernie and I have gotten into the habit of going out to lunch together before we go pick up the boys.  It's been such a nice treat but today will be the last time until fall.  Not that I won't like being home with my guys on Friday afternoons but it's so nice to be with just my husband.

5.  Made a pretty good dinner for my sister last night although I wouldn't repeat the menu even though I liked all the elements.  I made Chicken Saltimbocca with a baked penne with asparagus and a salad.  The penne was good but I think too rich for the chicken dish.  The chicken was great though.  I had beautiful tender sage leaves from my garden for it…..very simple dish.  A bit of a pan sauce with lemon juice over it.  Of course we ate too late.  I seem incapable of getting a meal on time.  Oh well….we all have our strengths I guess….

6.  The pink peonies are blooming.  When I was growing up we had a whole row of these alongside one side of our house.  I remembers waiting SO impatiently for them to bloom so I could bring flowers to the teacher.  I was always jealous of the kids that brought tulips and lilacs as we didn't have any and it always felt like it was touch and go as to whether the peonies would bloom before school was over.  They always did but I always worried….

7.  This morning as we attempted to shovel Owen off to school he bellowed "WHY DON'T YOU GUYS HEAR ME?" AND "NOBODY GETS ME."  If he does this at six what do the teenage years hold?

8.  Has anyone else with Typepad had weird statistics of late?  Mine seem to be changing….for days in the past…..hmmmmm.

9.  The fucking hormones make Ernie so tired sometimes.  I need to be more aware of that and try not to let himself (and me) push him to do too much.  I hate seeing him exhausted.

10.  Here are my guys…Kane Welch Kaplin…doing a great version of Something About You.   Suits my mood this morning.  Of course the date we scheduled them to play at our house turns out to be Dad's Day weekend in Champaign….no hotel rooms…  Geesh….nothing goes smoothly.  We'll figure it out though…