The Simple Life

Life is good to me.  Girl Scout day camp just ended today, Cub Scout day camp was over 2 weeks ago, and now we actually have a few free days to relax, or run around like crazy people.

My loving, hard working husband put a small above ground pool in our yard this week while we were all at camp.  That was after he brought me the things I forgot each morning.  One of the wonderful benefits of John is that he is fine with me spending all this time at camp volunteering.  He knows how much I enjoy helping out, and socializing!, and he never complains that I give so much of our time to these programs. 

I love what it does for my kids, but I also have found an amazing group of people in Scouts.  Of course, John knows this, his father was a Boy Scout and a Sea Scout, John is an Eagle Scout.  His family is rampant with the Scouting connection, and it's such a great thing.  I would do just about anything for my friends in Scouts, they are there for me when I need them, and I am there for them when they need me as well.  I'm not used to friends who follow through like that, it's a wonderful thing that happened to me out here on the West coast.  It is greener here, both in nature and in hearts, even the Boy Scouts seem to have the Girl Scout green blood running in their veins.  There's a song, a Christmas song, about God giving the Northwest a gift wrapped in green, the trees, the greenery that lives forever here.  I think somehow God wrapped lots of people here in green too, people are different here.  They're better, they remember what a neighborhood is, how we all care about each other and our kids.  I wouldn't trade Auburn for the world.  I just wonder if they all realize how good it is here, how good they are.  I think they appreciate life, as they do not complain.  But I think they really do know that they are so much more fortunate to have the love of family, the nurturing village, and the beauty of life that we have out here.  It really is amazing. 

the hard part

I am sitting here crying at this moment as my husband sits in the hot tub.  We had a disagreement.  My husband is a very kind, easygoing person who can deal with just about anything.  I cannot.  When someone shoves me verbally (or physically) I shove back twice as hard.  I always win, bitch of words that I am.  But I never win with my husband because he is of a different mind and one much nicer than I can ever become.  I cannot put up with insults and critisism from people who have no right to open their mouths without a comment on their lack of perspecitve.  I have had people tell me I am a horrible mother, that my children are evil, and that I should beat them and then they would behave.  That was all when they were 18 months to 3 years old.  A time when kids are known for being cooperative, right? 

No, I never hit my kids.  Yes, I screamed at them, and still do.  I love them and protect them beyond what is normal, yet I try to let them mature at a normal level with kids in their class.  I know lots of the kids because it really helps to understand your own child.  My parents always let me invite kids over and have parties, and it was the smartest move they ever made.  I had nothing to hide from my parents as long as they accepted my friends.  They were good parents, better than I expected, not as strict as I would be had I been in their place.  My children will not have the choice, but perhaps they will have less conflict in their teenage years.  If they do, well, I will be there for them. 

Once I had kids, there was no choice for me.  It was stay home and care for them no matter what.  I never would have thought that I would love children *my own and others* so much, but life is really really good with kids in it.

Brenda

I am thinking that John and I should buy a big piece of property in Auburn and open a dog daycare/boarding place.  We pay a small fortune for other people to play with our dogs while we are away, and we could easily do that for other people.  If we made Brenda move out here, she could be the groomer and head dog person, and she could meet all the damn soldiers on the planet with the military presence here.  She'd be in heaven.  And it's never that hot, which she hates.  I think she is insane for staying in NY.  She would love it out here. 

The whole reason I am thinking about this is I pick up and drop off a boy who's mom is a dog groomer at her house.  I take the boy to cub scout camp.  He has an earring, going into 5th grade.  He's really nice too.  And adopted.  Go figure.  He'll probably shoot up 60 people in a mall someday. 

 

ugh

Ugh.  I just wrote a really nice piece about Disney.  And then I accidently deleted it.  Idiot.