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Here you see the results of my afternoon yesterday. No dish drainer, and yes, the kitchen is really that small. There’s also very little counter space. We call it our “one person kitchen”. There’s not much risk of too many cooks spoiling the broth because there just isn’t room for more than one cook– or dish washer(human, that is). Now that I can keep up by washing after each meal, it will never get quite this bad again. And I’ll keep reminding myself: it could be worse, it could be raining!

>In high school my friend D. liked to quote her mother by saying, “Could be worse, could be raining!” to keep things in perspective. That phrase kept running through my mind today as one thing after another went wrong, but all in all, things could have been much worse.

Fortunately, last night was the coolest night we’ve had in ages and we woke up feeling rested.
Unfortunately, Husband and I both overslept. He dove for a quick shower while I tried to figure out how it happened. Nothing was wrong with the alarm, the time was set properly, and the radio alarm was set to “on”. Who knows?
Fortunately, he has worked late several times this week, so if he arrived a few minutes late today it wouldn’t be a problem.

Fortunately, the dishwasher was loaded and ready to run. As soon as Husband took a running leap out of the house and into the car, I filled it (the dishwasher, not the car) with soap and pushed the button to start it.
Unfortunately, the dishwasher broke out in (no, not song) a noise that mimicked a chain saw.
Fortunately, there’s a button for “Cancel and Drain”.
Unfortunately, the noise continued.
Fortunately, the ever-competent part of me figured out how to prop the door open just enough to stop the whole process.
Fortunately, I looked into the appliance and managed to find a small part that was obviously cracked.
Unfortunately, I had no idea what it was or how to fix it.

Fortunately, it was a Cleaning Service day! They do a great job on our home and I’m so grateful!
Unfortunately, they arrived a little early, so La Petite (she who doesn’t do mornings) was still in bed.
Fortunately, El Grande takes great pleasure in waking his older sister.
Unfortunately, I was so busy with the Chainsaw Dishwasher that I wasn’t ready, either. I hadn’t written a check or straightened up nearly enough.
Fortunately, the cleaning people can work around almost anything. I wrote the check, warned them about the dishwasher, and and we piled into the van to get out of the way.

Fortunately, we went to IHOP for brunch.
Fortunately, the food was delicious.
Fortunately, the table next to us was very entertaining with three lovely and smiley children eating pancakes. This led my two children to reminisce about restaurant adventures when they were little. Fun.

Fortunately, when we got home the house was sparkling and clean-smelling.
Unfortunately, the dishwasher still didn’t work.
Fortunately, it was a beautiful day with lots of excuses for procrastinating. I went out to the garden to weed and meditate and gather my energy for washing a lot of dishes.
Unfortunately, the dishes were still there when I got back.

Fortunately, the kitchen was spotless.
Unfortunately, I own very few dish towels and dish clothes, since I rarely wash dishes by hand.
Fortunately, I had extra towels in the bathroom. I brought out two big shower towels because…
Unfortunately, my kitchen has no drainer rack for dishes and only has one sink. I set up the towels for air-drying because…
Fortunately, there was a beautiful breeze wafting through the kitchen.
Fortunately, I had just bought dishwashing liquid a few days earlier.
Unfortunately, it was the $1 cheap stuff on the sale shelf. It didn’t last long, and I had to drain and refill the sink repeatedly to maintain some semblance of suds.
Fortunately, I spent enough time in restaurants and food service earning money for college that I learned how to do dishes efficiently.
Unfortunately, it’s still my least favorite job.

Well, now the dishes are done and scattered on shower towels on our tiny kitchen’s limited counter space. But do you know what? It could be worse — it could be raining.

>It wasn’t a new pony. It wasn’t a 6K clown party. But it was a weekend that took effort, time, and a little bit of cash. Husband took El Grande to a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field.
Big deal, you say. Kids go to baseball games all the time. Well, El Grande loves baseball, and he’s a wee bit different from most kids because he can’t see the game.
Husband got tickets through a professional contact. They had never been to Wrigley Field and had only a slight working knowledge of the city of Chicago, so he had to do some advance work to figure out a route, parking, and travel time. He printed a tentative itinerary in Braille for El Grande and talked him through what to expect. That done, they packed their bags and El Grande’s white cane and hit the road.
El Grande has always loved pro football (he’s my child, after all) and he developed an interest in baseball several summers ago when he got a chance to learn to play. Playing in the Challenger League helped him discover a new understanding of the game. He learned what it feels like to swing a bat and throw a ball. He discovered the shape of the field (how is it really like a diamond?) and what it means to run the bases. Armed with that knowledge, he became a true-blue baseball aficionado.
He checks out the standings and highlights by way of sports radio and ESPN. He’ll “watch” games on television and ask us for any details we see that the announcers don’t cover, like exactly where the ball goes for a home run. We try to get to a few minor league games and at least a couple of major league games a season, usually Milwaukee Brewers.
But why, some might ask, why would a parent take a full weekend, fill the car with gas at $3.10 a gallon, travel four hours from home, fight big city traffic, sit outside for hours in near-90 degree heat, spend all this time and money — for a child who can’t see the game?
Folks, it’s worth it. It’s a life experience. He may not see the details, but he hears the crowd, the announcer, the true crack of the bat, the organ music. He smells the peanuts, popcorn, and hot dogs. He feels the excitement — and Cubs fans are famous for generating excitement! And this time (thanks a million, Joe!) he “caught” a ball that a loyal Cubs fan gave him.
Wow. Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd… because sighted or blind, America’s favorite pastime is meant to be taken in live.

>It’s hot enough and muggy enough to make me want to hang out in a recliner, under the ceiling fan, in air-conditioned comfort, with a frivolous novel and a glass of iced tea by my side. Well, I did some of that. But I was proud; my day was still riddled with minor accomplishments.

• Make coffee.
• Feed bunnies, already looking like they’re feeling the heat.
• Get breakfast for teenaged children and self.
• Read with El Grande. (We’re enjoying A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck; check it out! It’s definitely not just for kids.)
• Sympathize with La Petite when she complains that we have no white bread in the house. “But mom, I’m just not into flaxseed or multi-grain!”
• Throw together the ingredients for a loaf of white bread in the bread machine.
• Wave good bye to La Petite and minivan, heading to the beach with friends. Hope she remembered sunscreen. (Yeah, yeah, mom, like I’d forget? Give me some credit.)
• Bring big, awkward rabbit cage upstairs (with help of sturdy metal dolly).
• Install hot, hot rabbits in cage in La Petite’s room (see picture below).
• Collect all the towels in the house.
• Wash and dry all the towels in the house.
• Bring garbage cans in from curb and soak them with a little detergent to rid them of incredible odors made worse by hot weather.
• Put lunch together for El Grande and self.
• Fold and put away all the towels in the house.
• Remove bread from bread machine. MMM!
• After cooling (and spreading aroma throughout house), slice bread.
• Read more with El Grande. Gosh, this Grandma’s escapades are amazing!
• Rinse garbage cans and leave them out to dry.
• Return garbage cans to home base outside back door.
• Give children money for pizza delivery supper. (Hey, I can rationalize it once in a while, especially since I baked bread, cleaned, and did laundry much of the day.)
• Pack books and files for study group. Head out the door to enjoy professional and grown-up conversation!

Beast and Tiny in cage in La Petite’s room, chillin’ in the air conditioned house

>Murphy’s Law says that whatever can go wrong, will. Our local version of Murphy’s Law in regards to weather is this: all significant storms will go around our area, unless we are grilling out.

It happened again today — for the third time this summer. The radar looked like we’d once again miss the heart of the storm, so I fired up the grill, and sure enough the thunder rumbled threateningly just as I got the fire started. Luckily, we have a good charcoal grill with a lid and a side vent and a chimney, so I cooked outside anyway. So there! I used an umbrella to check on the meat and wore a rainjacket to bring it in. And yes, the Superburgers were delicious. So were the side dishes: the incredibly frivolous jello fluff and the simple pasta salad, not to mention the chocolate chip cookies that are almost gone.

So, my advice to you drought-ridden folk is this: Grill out more often. It worked for me!