i was in third grade.

back then, i had no idea what any of this even meant. my teacher was called out of class during a lesson - her husband was on the phone. she came back after what seemed a very long time. i think she may have come back crying, or sad, but i don't know. I do remember all of the class being all sweet and asking what her husband wanted and was she okay.

.....thinking back, she and office people and other teachers were probably scared to death, watching the news on a tv that was connected to the outside world, and parents were probably
calling in demanding to pick up their children. i think they wanted to keep the day normal as
possible and let our parents handle it, because the school was only kinder to fourth....

i remember that the office ladies (who helped us to our parents' cars after school) were acting fast because there were *so many* parents in the line. and for some reason, when i got in my dad's car, i asked "how come you're here so early?" or something, because he got almost mad at me, and said "you mean that they didn't tell you?" and he went on to explain what had happened. and i was sad but i honestly didn't care. i had more important things to do than worry about things i didn't understand. the impact hadn't set in and my mind was still a little innocent and i had no idea what the two towers meant.

and now, i get it. now, i can barely keep from being all emotional when i'm reminded of that day.

then, i remember my dad waking me up one december, early saturday morning. he burst in, smiling, saying 'they caught him. lex! they caught sadaam!' .... i laugh about that now. there are so many things about my dad that are crazy, but hey, he's my dad, and he's made a profound impact on who i am today.

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on a slightly happier note,

It rained probably an inch today.
IT RAINED OVER 6 INCHES YESTERDAY!!
It rained an inch and a half on Wednesday.

I took these yesterday, when I (finally) got home from school. We didn't leave until five twenty, but that's another story....



Isn't nature beautiful when it is nourished? Everything has turned from a bland, deathly brown and yellow to the most wonderful shade of green and color in just a few short days. And, we got so much rain yesterday, that our pool was completely full. As in, overflowing onto the patio that surrounds it. If you touched puddles of water on the edge, the ripples would move into the pool. Reflections were uninterrupted:






Needless to say, the cats were a tad bit unhappy about this, but they cheerfully greeted me when I appeared, and shook the drops of water off their tails like it was nothing but air. Especially Alice and Gracie, who were not in the rain but kept in the 'Mud Room' because they've just been fixed. They are supposed to avoid vigorous activities and getting their operated areas wet. Alice has been lazily napping on a borrowed Toby bed. But Gracie has taken to climbing the mattress, among the other junk we have stored in the dingy room.



i think this post is long enough. it is really two posts in one. see how lucky you are? think about that between now and monday, when you're dreading going to work and fighting to do the work you've avoided. (now, i have one major essay and two short, one page essays due monday. i avoid work too, you know.)