It's Awful to Say, But Thank Goodness....

Last Friday there was an incredible thunder & lightning storm here in central Massachusetts. After it passed my parents called to say they were okay, but a tree in their next door neighbor's house was hit by lightning and they went out of their chairs when they heard it. The problem was it was a 90' tree and could fall on either it's owners house or my parents. Dad spoke with his neighbor and the neighbor said not only were they dealing with that, but all the electronics in their house had blown out when the lightning struck and their TV set had blown up. Yikes! But he promised he'd have the tree taken out. This morning Mum & Dad noticed that a tree company was over giving it all a once over for an estimate. This afternoon, a wind struck up and my parents heard another loud noise. They looked out the window to see most of the tree had fallen on the neighbor's roofline and most of his back deck.

Naturally, being curious creatures, we rushed right over. I couldn't help but stand there and think, "Thank goodness the wind was not blowing towards my parents house, otherwise it could have been their master bedroom anihilated by that pine tree." Then we talked with the neighbors parents who are visiting from Canada. She said another half an hour and her son would have been out on the deck grilling up their dinner. Instead, they were looking to get take-out for the night.

And Now For The Utterly Inane

J spent the last 2 weeks taking daily swim lessons at the local YMCA. It's a half hour long class and since I'm not a member, I can't go walk the track or on the treadmill. Thus I am forced to sit in the lobby and listen to the inane chatter around me. If there was ever something that would send me over the edge to start binge drinking it might be if I had to spend more than a half hour sitting there listening the most ridiculous of conversations and observing the sociology class that is a typical soccer/swim mom and her offspring.

There is so much fodder in my brain on this, I may have to select just my favorites and reserve the rest for another time.

Musing #1: It doesn't matter how sing-songy you make your voice towards your darling little cherub as they are beating another child over the head. They aren't going to listen to you if you make it sound like Mary Poppins singing "A Spoonful of Sugar". Trust me, they will continue to bludgeon their playmate.

Musing #2: After dropping off your child at the swimming pool, you are supposed to exit the area via one of the locker rooms, not the emergency exit with the sign telling you exit via the emergency exit. Ergo, you have NO RIGHT to complain that the chlorine has corroded the metal door and that you'll get rust smears on your white pants as you butt your way out the door to herd your other children out of the pool area.

Musing #3: The lifeguard is really serious when he tells you to stop your child while they are running around the pool area, despite the numerous signs that clearly state in large red letters, "NO RUNNING!"

Musing #4: The whole lobby does not need to hear how you and your diet buddy are doing eating 2 ounces of chicken, a quarter of a potato and a HUMONGOUS salad for dinner and then wonder why half an hour later you are starving and wanting to eat all the ice cream treats you bought for the kids. And further more, it is amazing how a grown woman can make herself look utterly ridiculous wearing a cropped Hello Kitty shirt with her hair in two on-top-of-the-head pony tails and her yoga pants because "she's going to go work out on the treadmill for two hours" while her kids are in the Child Watch.

All that said, I'm off to the YMCA to sign J up for day camp for a week next month. The one saving grace, I can drop him at 9AM and leave the facility until 4PM. The inane is avoidable.

Happy Independence Day!

Thank you to all of our American servicemen and servicewomen, whether you are stationed abroad or here at home. You are all wonderful, valuable people. Thank you for loving your country enough to protect it. God Bless you all for protecting our independence.