peevish mama

All these years in, and I still manage to be taken unawares by MEA weekend. The kids have four days off – most people go somewhere. Me, I just wake up surprised to not have to make lunches. In fairness to myself, usually Dash is working so trips aren’t an option. This time, however, he’s got time off too. We briefly entertained a jaunt to a cabin – somewhere we could take Foxy, but we didn’t get our acts together. And you know what? I’m happy to be sticking here. We’ve been going going going – no time to breathe, no time for anything, so to be here with four days yawning before us feels as luxurious as a spa. Well, that’s overstating it for sure, but it feels good. Here’s what’s on my very loose, open to tampering list:

1. get our pumpkins

2. go to an apple orchard

3. rake the damn leaves

4. make waffles

5. square away Halloween costumes for the little peeps

7. work on Supergirl’s book puppet project

8. go see the Minnesota Stars play in the Championship Series on Saturday night – along with the pre-game Joy of the People soccer frolic and tailgating.

9. make pizzas

10. go to the farmers market (always)

11. have people over

12. go for a hike

13. pull the dead flowers out of the damn window boxes

Lucky 13. We’ll see how much of this we actually do, but it helps to have a list. Happy long weekend, all. May it be as busy or restful as you need it to be.

                           Princess Kurt 1995 – by Elizabeth Peyton

I’m in the home stretch. Twelve more days. I think I’m going to make it. I’m coasting on the fumes of wishful thinking and the kindness of others. In no particular order, these are things I have promised my children, promised myself and to which I am clinging, tooth and nail, for Twelve. More. Days.

1. Tie dye t-shirts with my monkeys.

2. Find a recipe for egg drop soup and make it with Supergirl.

3. Go see the Elizabeth Peyton Exhibit at the Walker.

4. Go shopping and buy something freaking fabulous.

5. Farmers markets every weekend.

6. Take the Red Betty and the Bony Finger out on a bike date with Doctor Dash.

7. Go to Shoe Zoo and buy my kids some decent shoes. We will undoubtedly walk out of there with three pairs of Crocs, but also, hopefully, some cute sandals.

8. Go to Cooks of Crocus Hill and buy a juicer (preferably not electric), buy a ton of limes, and make margaritas with all the delicious tequila my sweet friends left on the front porch that scary, sleety Sunday before my knee surgery.

9. Put on a pair of heels and go see New Congress with my betties and anyone else who loves me and who’s up for a ripper on a Thursday night.

10. Put on a pair of Chucks and go to a show at First Ave. (Tickets for Santogold May 28 and Matisyahu July 1 are in hand).

11. Cook a feast, possibly in connection with no. 8.

12. Design and plant a shade garden in Melancholy Corner (it’s a spot of the back yard that gets no sun and just plain gives me and Dash the heeby jeebies).

13. Plant my window boxes. 

14. Walk around my lovely Harriet.

15. Unplug.

So there’s this Mighty Girl. I don’t know her, but I feel like I do, having read many many of her lovely and funny words. She has this list of things she would love to do in her life, which is not only a very cool idea, she pretty much throws open her arms and says Hey, I want to see your Mighty List too! She appears to be crossing stuff off her list at a good clip, but in no way does her list seem to have been construed for ease of crossing-offness. And neither will mine be. Here’s to dreaming.

1. Run with the bulls of Pamplona (from a terrace perched right above the action, with a cocktail in hand and a red flower behind my ear).

2. Learn to love sake. (Maybe I need to get off the drinks here).

3. Shake my booty at Carnival in Rio (O.K., not quite yet – Caipiriñas?)

4. Write a book.

5. See the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform live.

6. Hike the Inca Trail and watch the sun rise and set over Machu Pichu.

7. Go to a soccer game in Buenos Aires with Saint James.

8. Go to yoga classes with my daughters because they want to.

9. Touch the spine of a book I wrote in a real book store.

10. See the Grand Canyon.

11. Have a dress tailor made for me by a tiny seamstress with an accent – the dress would be the color of sapphires or rubies. Hell, make it one of each.

12. Go to India.

13. Take a cooking class in Italy or Vietnam.

14. Finish learning how to snowboard.

15. Go snowboarding out west where I can carve for hours.

16. Take a humid road trip through the South for Gospel, Blues and barbeque and drink a tall, cool glass of lemonade in the shade of a Southern Magnolia.

17. Learn to meditate.

18. Learn to nap.

19. Visit farmers markets in at least twenty five different cities, near and far.

20. Learn Italian.

21. Learn to garden.

22. Go on a yoga retreat somewhere beautiful.

23. Go on a writing retreat somewhere beautiful.

24. Find my faith.

25. Smoke pot with my mother. 

26. Find work that I love.

27. Eat a lunch of bread, cheese and red wine, which Doctor Dash and I have pulled out of bike paniers.

28. Go on a horse pack trip in the Andes with my family.

I purposely stopped at 28, because it will force me to keep contemplating and adding to the list. Check back from time to time. Better yet, sit down and write one for yourself. Feels gooooood.