Twelve

It's always a little bittersweet when kids grow out of their baby-talk.

Lovely little lisps of guileless imperfection morph
into sophistication and startling clarity in the blink of an eye.

Last night Twin Boy said,
"Oh I forgot, there's a crucial piece of information I left out
about my trip to the cider mill!"

Really? Who talks like that?

On the other hand, within the same hour his twin said to me,
of the yellow game-piece she moved deftly toward the Library:

"Colonial Mustard, with a lead pipe!"

ahhh
I love twelve years old.

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Fantasy vs Reality

Whenever I start feeling like I have it all together something humbles me.

Today, it was the making of rice krispy treats.

A double batch in one pot (not recommended).

There is no elegant way.

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Busy

In the past few months I have dropped my son off at college, driven back and forth to school endless times, joined a soccer league, played music at restaurants, gone to parties, attended a Homecoming game and prepped a girl for the dance, watched volleyball and basketball games, lamented my fantasy football team and cheered for Lions and Tigers.

Phew.

Students have returned, and lucky for me and my college bill looming, there are more of them than ever. So I'm back to scales and chords and theory.

In a few weeks I get to go see Tony Bennett in concert, celebrate College Boy's 19th birthday, dress kids up for Halloween and create lists and lists and more lists for the Christmas season approaching.

So that is the recap. I might keep writing, or I might just recap again in a few weeks. I never know.

But right now my leg is taped up from a strained calf muscle.
When I feel it tugging, it reminds me that with all the busyness and activity lately, I am still grounded, life is not passing by like a dream.

Achey muscles remind me that I'm still here.

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