Full of Funny

When we lived in Sunnyvale friends would tell us about the crazy city ordinances that kept them both amused and frustrated. There were rules like keeping wheel covers on the tires of motor homes when they weren't in use, not being able to cut down a tree with out a permit, and not being able to display signage without a free permit which was only good for 30 consecutive days or the same amount of days broken up into weekends. I used to shake my head and laugh at the politics that seemed to be involved in everything.

Yesterday we received a letter from the city letting us know that our grass had grown beyond the six inch height allowed by city grass ordinance and that we have 14 days to mow it or we will be fined $300-$1000. If we happen to have a second offense we will be given 72 hours to comply. If we fail to comply the city will have our lawn mowed for us and we will be required to pay up to $100 for the service. If we fail to pay a lien will be placed on the property.

At first I was pissed off. It's our land and if we want our grass to be tall then it will be tall. Then, I had to laugh. We moved from one place of micromanaged citizens to another. How hilarious is it that people even care how tall my grass is? In reality there are three large patches of grass that are overgrown because we need to use the push mower in those places and my dear husband has been busy dealing with everything else in our lives while I recover. Mowing the lawn fell to the bottom of the list below caring for Hayden, Erin, and me, making sure we have clean dishes and laundry, caring for the dogs, and, oh yes, working full time so that we can pay our bills and eat. I'm tempted to meticulously cut only the grass to the six inch level and allow the weeds to grow as tall as they can. After all the notice said nothing about weeds.

Yesterday on our way out of Pittsburgh we drove down a city street that reminded me of San Francisco. The shops and restaurants were squeezed so tightly together I wondered if they could breathe. There was a young man on the corner with a banjo and a nose ring. He strummed his strings and sang something about not paying taxes. I glanced at him and we shared the kind of smile that warms the soul. The street light flashed green and on we drove with the image of the banjo player dancing through my mind and his smile lighting up my soul. There is happiness if we look for it. All around us there are people doing what they love and living a life where what you have or don't have doesn't really matter, where a song in your heart and a smile on your lips is enough.

Time

" And an astronomer said, Master, what of Time?
And he answered:
You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.
Yet the timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness,
And knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.
And that that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
Who among you does not feel that his power to love is boundless?
And yet who does not feel that very love though boundless, encompassed within the center of his being, and moving not from love thought to love thought, nor from love deeds to other love deeds?
And is not time even as love is, undivided and spaceless?
But if in your thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons,
And let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing. "

Kahlil Gibran

His writings are speaking to my heart right now. I feel it all stirring again. For the last few months my mind has orbited around the thought of surgery. Now, my mind is free again. I love that feeling.

Behind Me

I'm so glad to have the surgery and all the worries and fears I had regarding it behind me. I still have some recovering to do, but I'm very surprised at how easy the recovery is compared to how difficult I thought it would be. I'm in a minimal amount of pain that is only intensified with the occasional coughing fit and sneeze. The most difficult part is not being able to do anything. I can't lift more than 5lbs, raise both hands over my head, put both hands behind my back, or push or pull anything more than 5 lbs. Those are pretty tough restrictions when you think about daily living and even more tough when you include caring for a baby. It's so difficult not to be able to pick up and comfort Hayden when he cries. I have to depend on my mom, David, or Erin to pick him up and give him to me and they can only give him to me if he's in the mood to be relatively still which he most often is not. So I settle for giving him lots of kisses and holding him while I feed him his bottle. Sometimes I even get to hold him once he's gone to sleep. The next four and a half weeks are going to be very hard for me when it comes to Hayden. I miss holding and cuddling him.
My mom, David, and Erin are all pitching in to make life a little easier. I can't do the laundry so Erin has been lugging the loads up and down the stairs and my mom and I fold them. David and My mom have been taking care of almost everything else.

Pennsylvania is beautiful this time of year. It rains a lot, but the rain brings out the most beautiful shades of green. The days are warming up and the nights are cold, my favorite combination. I have visions of hot dog roasts and conversations by campfire. Life seems full of possibility and peace right now. I have a daughter who is diving into teenage hood, a son growing teeth, and a husband who adores me. Things feel pretty sweet right now in spite ( or maybe because ) of the seven inch incision on my chest.

We leave for the hospital early in the morning. I'm more than ready to get this over with. David will call Aola with an update as soon as I'm out of surgery.

I was never able to write the letters I talked about. Writing them required imagining life without me and I'm neither that strong or creative.

I know I will make it through this, but I've also learned that life is nothing if not unpredictable. I want each of you to know how strong beautiful and amazing you are and how incredibly lucky I feel to be a part of our little community here in the blog world and a part of your lives. For the past several years I have shared my life with you and you have shared back. You've given your opinions and advice and you have loved and encouraged me. Thank you.