home, home on the range

Mom and Dad came out to visit this past weekend, and it was fantastic.

Visits in the past have been kind of touch-and-go, depending on how I'm doing, and as I haven't been at my best lately, there was, perhaps, some trepidation on all sides as to how this one would fly. But my parents were wonderful. I didn't have time or energy to clean the house, and they didn't care; Mom washed all my dishes, and they were happy just to sit around and hang out with me. And I really needed that cup o'parental love filled up. It was perfect.

Friday night we went out to eat with my bosses, and then went back up to their place to go shooting. Both my parents are good shots, and I did well, and everyone was proud of me, and we all had fun. (I learned a few more things about my style, as my boss bragged on me man-to-man to my dad. "Do you know what kind of revolver this girl likes?" he said to my dad. "An N-frame." "What's so special about that?" I asked. "Honey, that's the massive one. The biggest kind," my dad said." "Oh," I said. I had thought it was the one for smaller hands. Nope. And then my boss was laughing at me because, after shooting off a round of .38s, I said, "Gimme the .357s." He looked over at my dad and said, "Can you believe her? She's bored with the .38s!" I asked my dad later what a .38 is equivalent to in the semiautomatic world, and he said it's about a 9 mm, what you shoot from a Glock. A man-stopper. Oh, I said. Well, what about a .357? Dad said you can drop a deer with a .357. Ha! Heeeere, Bambi....)

Anyway, then Saturday night we had dinner with Meg and Phillip, and Saturday and Sunday we lounged around. Dad helped me reset the air conditioner in my living room, which was clogged with water, and they gave me some new toys: a Dyson vacuum cleaner (only in Western PA we say sweeper) and a guitar!!!! My furniture is already cleaner and my fingers are already blistered.

Pslightly Psycho Kevin moved out for good yesterday, so the drama begins as to what kinds of strange people the AL will rent out to, since evidently he has decided NOT to become the Live-In Landlord (Yikes!). But as I discussed it with Downstairs Neighbor Jim yesterday, I mentioned that I was going to learn the art of canning this summer, and he GAVE me a 22-quart pressure canner and wouldn't take a dime for it. SWEET!

So my summer is all set for learning new things, and getting my life back in order, and I have my cup running over with family love, which I desperately needed.

I'm hopeful for getting myself back. Work is going to be crazy for the next month while we search for a replacement for the office assistant, who left last week, and train the new person, who will (fingers crossed, prayers fervently said) be smart and competent and a fast learner, but I'm attempting to keep perspective and reserve some energy to myself so I keep a balance and start enjoying my life and my hobbies again.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!