Back to Monday

Ahh, a long weekend. Wait, that is not entirely accurate. It should be, “Ahhh, the Monday morning following a long weekend.” I love the break from the routine almost as much as I like returning to the routine. Maggie is back in school this morning and that is good for her and good for me.

I find myself completely worn out on the days she is off school. I have to find some way to entertain her, which is not at all difficult because she loves to do anything. However, it takes a physical toll on me. That is eight additional hours of lifting, pushing the wheelchair, etc and it tires out this old body o’mine. Summer school is out on July 17 – a week from this Friday -- so I have five weeks of this to look forward to before the school year starts.

I do most of the lifting anyway, but these extra hours without help make a big difference. The nurse that comes in the afternoon does not do any lifting. She cannot do it. That may seem ridiculous, and some will suggest that I get rid of that nurse, but she brings other attributes to the table and besides, she has been here since Maggie was born. She is like a member of the family. I had a helper coming in a couple of days a week, which was great when I had to go somewhere, but it look like she has other employment. Besides, my commitments changed and it felt somewhat stupid paying someone when I was here.

Despite my aching shoulders and arms, I have to say the weekend was great. We had my mom and sister over for a barbecue on the 4th. Tim’s friend Quran came too and I haven’t seen him all summer. In the afternoon, I got a call from an old law school pal, Melissa. (Ok, she’s not THAT old) who was in San Francisco for the weekend. She and her friend Paul stopped by for a while which was a nice surprise. I had not seen her in about three years. I used to head up our alma mater in Sacramento every year for the continuing legal education, and Melissa and I would spend the entire day yakking in the back of the room just like old times. My husband Steve, who was also in my law school class (dreamy, I know), does his continuing legal ed through his office. He had not seen Melissa since we graduated in 1985 and was very surprised when he returned home to find her sitting in the living room.

Melissa and I met in our first year of law school. We both spent many hours in the library. Before you remark on my dedication and studious nature, you should know that much of that time was spent in the library stairwell laughing and gossiping with Melissa. If not for that stairwell time, I very likely would have lost my mind. On the other hand, if I was actually studying all that time I would probably be on the Supreme Court today. Thanks A LOT Missy, you ruined my career.

Now back to Monday.