Jacob is in his crib in the guest room--on the monitor I can hear him talking to himself, Scooby is at my feet, the cat is fed, and the world is in its place. Jacob is spending the night, and he adapts beautifully, only asking twice "Where's Mama?" and satisfied each time when I tell him Mama has gone to a party. Hunter from next door, age seven, came over for a while, and they watched Schreck together. Jacob was fascinated with a "big boy" and threw his pacifier at him, which nonplussed Hunter. His mom and I, with glasses of wine, watched and laughed.
I hate it when little things go wrong or minor errands loom--like I really need to get my car cleaned, and I have to go for a drivers license--I like to clear the slate of such things but they linger. And this week my remote keyboard quit working (probably because I dropped it) and I was so frustrated trying to work on the laptop keyboard. I finally got Brandon on the phone. He said press this, press that, and it was fixed in about three minutes. Made my day.
I haven't been back to my mystery in a week or so. I sidetracked myself reading Lillian Stewart Carl's The Murder Hole, set in Scotland on Loch Ness no less, and then I had work things to do, a column to write, and other distractions. But a couple of nights ago I reread what I've written and began to get back in gear. What I wrote that night struck me as insipid and will probaby go, but I think I wrote good stuff this afternoon. And tomorrow looms long and quiet--I can write. Jacob's parents will come get him about nine--I really want to watch the special "Meet the Press" because I was an enormous fan of Tim Russert. He's one of those figures that each of us feel was a personal friend. Then I have to make banana pudding, and after that the day is mine until 5:15 when Charles will come by, and I'll drive us--and the banana pudding--out to Jordan's for Father's Day, with a stop for the grocery things I forgot today. Until then, I'll eat smoked salmon and leftover cold steak (one of the world's great treats) and broccoflower (really good with butter, salt and pepper) and I'll write and read. Sounds like a wonderful day.
Jordan was watching the floods in Iowa tonight on TV and said, "There's a lot of bad stuff in the world," and I couldn't agree more. The world is in turmoil, and this country certainly is. A friend and I talked about it yesterday, and we see lean years ahead--high, high prices of everything because of the gas crisis and a period of real tough cutting back for most of us. I read a list of things you can do to save money, like stop buying lattes, but they're the things I already do. As Jean said, "I thought that was how we live." But I wonder and worry about trips--will I be able to go to Scotland? I feel secure, but I see some luxuries and treats disappearing. I feel perfectly able to step up and do my part in such a situation, but I worry about the careers of some of my children. Yes, Jordan, a lot of bad things are happening.
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