All Over But the Laundry, or "What I Did on My Summer Vacation"

I have been somewhat distracted the past few weeks and I apologize if you were checking here for new content because there wasn't any.

A blog represents something of a trust relationship. It seems to me when you find one you enjoy you rely upon that blog author to post at some pace that resembles regular intervals because frankly, there are thousands of good blogs out there and some of the sites post new material multiple times a day. It would be silly to think anybody would intentionally much less repeatedly waste time checking on a blog if the author has essentially checked out.

Which you would have every reason to think I had. So I rush to apologize for my inconsistency and partial absence but will offer the departure this morning of LawSchoolGirl as my explanation, if not my excuse.

You see, LSG was here for the summer (!), working in a firm downtown to get some experience of what legal practice is like out in the world beyond the ivy covered halls. Law students are required to do that summers, so her Dad and I rejoiced last Spring when we'd heard LSG had secured a spot in a firm here where we live (!!!).

I won't pretend, this was a really nice arrangement for me. This summer LSG and I Netflixed, shopped, ate out, prepared special dishes together, shopped, and watched our guilty pleasure television (Bravo and HGTV) for hours, mostly because we could. ChefSon even dropped in more than usual, as the potential to hang out with LSG made the homestead option that much more a draw for his rare and coveted days off.

It has been delightful, even factoring in the failure of her cat and our cat to establish a pecking order so they could get past the spit-and-chase stage and declare kitty detente. Despite our carefully orchestrated introductions, the two kitty divas spent the entire summer fiercely resolute as solo Rulers of Their Known Universe(s).

Sadly for me though, summers always end. LSG had a burst of "getting ready for corporate interviews and the coming school year" errands that dominated her last couple of weeks in town and I helped as I could, all while trying to ignore the lurking enemy the calendar had become.

Most of yesterday was spent packing everything up to go Back to School. We loaded her car and I prepared a promised first try at baby back ribs, one of LSG's favorites. This morning, crack of dawnish, LSG fed her cat, moved human and feline provisions for the drive from her room and the refrigerator to her car, then headed back down the drive one last time to return for her second year of studies.

I offered my usual supportive routine. Slept poorly, got up too early, and did pretty well not to offer more than twice to fix her a breakfast she had no intention of eating. Then after heaving an industrial sized sigh as the Hub and I held each other and watched her car pull away, I sadly headed up to her room to strip the bed and organize the ritual Visit-is-Over laundry.

Past that I swear I only called her twice. First to make sure she knew she had left one thing it turns out she didn't mean to leave and then once more to make sure she hadn't unintentionally left something behind it turns out she definitely intended to.

Hey. I had Union Rules to follow to make certain LSG realized early on in her trip back to Independence Land, that there are advantages and disadvantages to being an adult living directly under Mommy's watchful gaze.

But past that, basically there you have it all. My tale of Why I Failed To Post Regularly for the Past Few Weeks. After throwing hand to forehead some, perhaps taking a nap [or two] until I know she is safely back in Michigan again (Protestant Sleep Reflex - we'll get into that some other time), I promise I will be right back here, doing the Austin Agrodolce thing. Reg-u-lar-ly. Really. Pinky swear.

Thanks for reading this far. If you've stuck with me 'til now, you might as well hang in and see what fun we can come up with next. Yeah? Yeah! Onward into the fray.