Thursday, May 25, 2006

Don't Wear White Before Memorial Day

For me, white clothing has always had magnetic properties. So it should have come as no surprise when, just after donning a pair of white pants, I would walk in to get the babe up from her nap, only to find the room painted in vomit.

And so it began.

That was last Wednesday. Its kind of a fuzzy memory, mostly because I too was stricken with the same illness not even 30 minutes later. I will say this for the little girl. She's a nurturer. Handing me the trash can just in time, while I put it to use, she sat on my lap, stroking my arm and even offering to wipe my mouth. How's that for the most gross yet sweet story ever. Her father rushed home to our aid, and with a box full of plastic gloves and lysol in hand, he cared for us tenderly from a solid 10 ft. distance at all times. Thankfully, he did not get it himself, and we were all well enough to watch Taylor Hicks reach stardom as a family that night. (Although E might have been passed out on my leg before his crown was actually awarded.) Sigh...memories!

That darn stomach flu, it has a way with timing. In spite of a reasonably quick recovery, we did not see fit to leave the toddler with her grandma on Friday as planned. Therefore, the expensive food and wine with which we always mark our wedding anniversaries had to wait. Marked with even more sorrow, our plans for sleeping in as late as nature would let us on Saturday morning were also dashed. To compensate for my grief, my beloved mate of 6 years purchased used Nintendo DS's on his way home along with Mario Kart, so we could celebrate our wedded bliss by taking Donkey Kong head to head against Luigi in an all out street war. How do you spell Love? M-A-R-I-O! For real, flowers don't say "You're my best friend" ...but game systems that you can play together for hours after the kid goes to bed says "There's no one I'd rather waste my time with than you." Romance, sweet romance!

The rest of the steamy weekend was celebrated with dirt, friends, food, and liquor. Just as holidays should be. This morning I woke up with immediate feelings of sorrow, with the long weekend having passed so quickly. But it was quickly replaced by feelings of content...remembering that yesterday marked the informal beginning of summer. When cooking is optional, water play essential, hostas are in full bloom, and the desire to stay out until dark pervades. (Although, with this new daylight savings time in this state, staying out until dark takes a bit more commitment than it used to.)

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