My car runs, too. It’s really dirty, but it runs.

I ran it to the grocery store today. Actually, I ran it to TWO grocery stores.

And back.

I’m making lasagna tonight. With scallops and shrimp. AND I’m going to watch a movie. AND I”ll probably drink some wine.

Atlanta’s really fun.

With all the car news showing up on this family-friendly blog, I thought I’d let you all know that my car is running. It’s due for service pretty soon, and the back wiper clears only a small part of the actual window, but it IS running, so I thank you all for reminding me to be thankful for little gifts.

It’s snowing here. Again. After no snow in December or January, we got 9 inches last weekend (that’s February’s total) and have had about 6 inches today (March is coming in like the proverbial lion). The wood stove has been working its small miracle of heating half of the house, and the cat on my lap is the heating element during the evening hours.

Dianne, my hat is off to you for surviving and thriving in the midst of family trauma. Thankfully, I never faced any of the kinds of issues you’re facing with Thomas, and I’m hoping that your story (Thomas’ story, really) will have a good ending.

It would appear that life in Vermont really is as slow as they say. Nothing much to report. On Monday I take up the Town Moderator’s gavel and run our Town Meeting. In the Addison Independent this week, there was a picture of me running last year’s meeting. In the photo I am peering over my reading glasses and laughing at something, while lined up beside me are three very glum-looking selectmen. Evidently, they didn’t think that anything was very funny, but I did. This is the difference between being the boss at Town Meeting, and being answerable to the voters at Town Meeting. I choose to remain in the “boss” position. Of course, I do have to get elected ….

Finally, regarding field trips … I think it’s time that there was one to Vermont. We’re a regular hotbed of historic sites, literary lessons can be lovely at Robert Frost’s cabin (we KNOW whose woods these are…), fossils galore on the fabulous inland sea now known as Lake Champlain. And hey, I know the governor. C’mon! Field trip! Field trip!

C’est tout.

Yesterday Marilyn and the boys went on a field trip. It is really only note-worthy because they went to visit a newspaper. Adam, and to a lesser degree Samuel, both know that Grandpa Day ran a newspaper. So, when they went and visited the Nasvhille Tennessean, with it’s web press that wraps around a two story, 8,000 square foot room…they became quite impressed with Grandpa.

Basically, Marilyn said they were pretty bored until they got into the press room…they liked that part.

I went on the field trip before this one – it was the Nashville Children’s Theater (ranked as the top of its kind in the country) production of Dr Sues’s “Horton Hears a Who”. It was great! (But, hey, I don’t get out much).

Okay, we know that Tad is a hero, and cars kaput after warranty. You want some REAL excitement? Try living my life for the past few months.

How many of you have gotten the opportunity to post “Missing Child” posters all over town? I have. If you ever want to try it, trust me,,,,it’s NOT fun. Thomas decided in early December he’d had enough of our horrible parenting (we made him clean his room AND do homework in the same month!) and disappeared. He was found safe, but that was the beggining of what they refer to at the Citadel as “hellweek” only it JUST ended.

We went through another runaway episode, two, count them TWO robberies of our mobile home, I’ve lost count on the school suspensions, and it will be a miracle, given his grades and attendence if Thomas makes it thru grade eight. A host of doctor visits, and counseling sessions woke my husband up to the fact that we had a drug addict on our hands which was a miracle in itself. We were both ready to call the marriage a failure until Bill came around. There’s not enough room in any blog (I doubt there are enough trees to manufacture enough paper to print out the details of our recent experiences) so I won’t go for more detail. The GOOD news is that Thomas is now drug free and not a horrible person to live with. (He’s still smoking cigarettes in his room after being told that is NOT acceptable, but we are just working on baby steps at this point) He tested negative for drugs a couple of weeks ago and just last week also tested negative for HIV and Hepititus (they shared drug needles) We are anxiously awaiting the closing on the house in Easley to get him away from the people he hangs with. Yes, I know,,,,if he wants to go back to drugs he will find a way, but I’m hoping and praying (and feel free to join me) that he won’t make that decision!

Then there’s Zack…….he just signed up for next year’s classes, is holding his 3.7GPA making him and honor student, and is ranked #40 academically of the 242 sophomores at Camden High School. He’s ready to move into the new home and paint a HUGE Saturn logo (Thomas if you ever ticked off your nephew, it was when you got rid of your Saturn) on his wall.

The IDIOT who filled out our loan application checked the “NO” box on both Bill and I to the question “Are you a U.S. Citizen?” yesterday. Duh! I worked for 2 1/2 hours this morning doing inventory in our department. How much simpler it is to count parts when machines aren’t running! I’ve suggested for MONTHS that we inventory on a Saturday,,,,this is the first time we ever did. I wonder who’ll take credit for the idea.

MY car has over 157,000 miles on it now and one day a few weeks ago, it died. Wouldn’t shift. At all. I called Bill to come and get me as I was on my way home after work when it happened. Course I had to flag down a passerby with a cel phone case I never take my phone to work. It’s only a mile and a half from home to the plant, and I could have just worked, but that was the day we had an appointment to look at a house 15 minutes away and 15 minutes after my car quit. It was also the day (Bill was waiting for the cops when I called him) that the second robbery occurred and the day that Thomas recieved his most recent suspension (for hauling a kids pants down during gym class!)

They said, “Cheer up, things could be worse.” So I cheered up, and sure enough, things got worse. I also have heard that God doesn’t give anyone more than they can handle. At one of our lowest points recently, Bill said to me, “I think he got us mixed up with someone else!” But things ARE getting better. We were just about debt free. Now we’re gonna owe for 30 years on a house. Wait…that’s BETTER?