Squirrel!

     Last Day of School!


     I have never been so happy. We were pretty ready to be finished.


     It did end with a break up. The little girl who requested that Joe be her Valentine, and then announced they were dating, apparently broke up with him. This was discovered by Lexi, who leaned out her classroom window and asked the Jezebel in question if she knew where Joe was. The girl informed Lexi that she did not know, because she had broken up with him. Lexi searched out her little brother, and attacked him with a hug, telling him how sorry she was. Joe shoved her off and asked why the heck she was sorry, and Lexi burst out "Because Soandso broke up with you!!" at which Joe replied "She did?"


     "She didn't tell you?!"


     "No. This is the first I have heard about it."


     By the time the story trickled down to me, it was to inform me that Joe had decided the best way to deal with it, was to have a bonfire, and start it with all mementos related to the girl in question. Who, by the way, has decided that she is now back to dating the boy that she dumped to announce she was dating Joe.
     Joe happily burned all love letters written by this girl, while I breathed in relief that she was not going to be coming around and hanging on my (entirely too young) kid anymore.


     Joe was hanging around last night while I made dinner. The end of the story went as such: Yesterday  He and this girl ended up sitting next to each other for something or other. She mentioned that she was now back to her previous flame. Joe calmly informed her that all her love letters made lovely fire starter, and he enjoyed watching them burn. She became mad, and Joe told her to never even think about dating him again, because he would never take her back.
     I told Joe that I was kind of happy, because, honestly he is too young for these things, and next time around, we are just going to tell girls that his Mama said "NO." until he is much older, thankyouverymuch.


     Joe responded with "By the way, what am I taking to school for my special snack tomorrow?"


     "WHAT?? WHAT "Special Snack"?!" And, thus began an entirely different tangent.


     I went to get my hair done by my sister last night. It was getting pretty bad, and needed her help. I walked into her salon, and she said "What? No kids with you?"


     "Joe is figuring out his new telescope, Lexi and Kaila were doing something or other, and I don't know if George lives with us anymore, truthfully."

     "Oh. Run off with the wolves, did he?"


     "That is a possibility. I rarely see him anymore. The neighbors down the street have a pool. He spends most of his time at their house now. I think that may have adopted him at this point."


     "Does he eat at your house?"


     "I don't even know. Sometimes, he and his friend come through the house, raid the fruit bowl, and leave again. The fruit bowl is still pretty full, though, so, he could have eaten the wolf pack he ran off with, for all I know. Sometimes I think I see him, and I think he has blonde hair now. And, I see superhero underwear in the laundry, so, he presumably comes home at least for clean underwear sometimes."


     We sat down and had a family meeting of sorts last night. George was given a two hour limit to his off-site social activities, He responded with "I would probably stay home more if we got a pool, Mom."
The kids were informed that there was absolutely no reason for them to spend the summer as they did last year - lying around the house in various stages of pajamas and watching TV until shortly before the parental return from work. They were told that there were expectations, and that there were chores and responsibilities. They were all pretty stuck on the possibility of a pool though.


     "It would be great exercise."


     "We would be outside more."


     "Pool parties!"


     "It would be so perfect!"


     "We wouldn't have to drive all the way to Machias to use the town pool!"


     "We NEED a pool!"


Bearded Man said "NO. I am not putting up a pool. I am not getting the ground under it ready. I am not dealing with the installation. That isn't even counting the chemicals, PH balance testing, vacuuming, cleaning. NO."


     "Well. Here's an option. You can all fight it over, and hash it out amongst yourselves. WHAT IF, We use next year's vacation money, to put in a pool, and have it installed. That would mean NO vacation to Black Lake, or wherever we decide to go" (I have been pushing for Maine for years now.) "IF you kids are willing to trade off, and Bearded Man is okay with someone else installing it, then, I would be willing. Discuss this at your leisure, and let me know."


     "KID MEETING IN THE FAMILY ROOM!!!!" they all shouted, and ran off with Bearded Man hustling right behind them. He was sent back when they pointed out that, though he is regarded as one of the kids sometimes, this was not one of them, so please leave the meeting. A pool was voted down 3-1, and, after the probable cost of braces for Kaila, and possibly Joe next year, we will probably book the same vacation again.


     The Million Step Challenge continues. This week, I surpassed the halfway point. Also this week, my sister in law, Deanna, invited me into a "Workweek Hustle" challenge for the week. I will never ever again agree to two simultaneous challenges at the same time. At this point, I am walking at every possible moment, including and right up until bed time. Turbo seems to love the late evening walks, but, I am kind of tired.
     Thrown into the Million Step Challenge was a NEW twist - there are 27 large squirrel sculptures around Olean, where I work. They are scattered all over the place, and each one has a different theme. We have until June 30, to get a selfie with each squirrel. I figure I will have a life again sometime toward the end of July. So far: I have accomplished ONE selfie. and it isn't even the squirrel right outside the front door of the clinic where I work.
    
    Oh, while I am at it - Christmas has been saved this year.


    We have this yearly tradition. Every year, on "get the Christmas Tree Day" we go to a local Pizza Hut, where, some Boy Scouts (Not our troop) sell Christmas Trees. We eat Pizza for lunch, and then we stroll outside at a nice reasonable distance with minimal inconvenience, and select a tree. The Boy Scouts then wrap it up into a tidy bundle and secure it to the top of my vehicle. It's probably the kids' favorite Christmas tradition.
    
     (Before we think Moriah is a princess here, you need to know about previous attempts at the frozen tundra of hiking  through and picking  out then cutting down trees. The last time we tried this, I was less than a month away from having George, I had bartended a big/loud/very late Christmas party the night before, I was in nursing school, I was exhausted, and I had to hike all over the place. We froze, kids cried, Kaila had a friend with her, who lost her "favorite scarf EVER!" someplace, so we had to RE-hike the whole thing.
     Another year, I somehow ended up bouncing along, FREEZING in the back of Bearded Man's pick up truck, 7 months pregnant with Lexi, while we drove to the lot. I still cannot recall his reasoning for myself being in the back of the truck.
     We have NEVER had a good experience in "Cut your own" tree lots, and I avoid them at all cost. While trying not to feel all guilty as my friends post happy perfect family pictures of themselves at all the local tree lots, with trees their husbands all just cut down. None of them are ever frozen, pregnant, angry or hostile.)


     Anyhow, back on track here, last Christmas, the Boy Scouts announced that they probably wouldn't be selling trees at Pizza Hut anymore. Or, anywhere, for that matter.
     We were all horrified by this news, and probably Christmas would be ruined forever now, because it just wouldn't be the same anywhere else. This is tradition!!!!! Every time we drove past Pizza Hut, we mourned a little more.
     Well. There was a Christmas Miracle. I spoke to the Mother of one of those Scouts, whose husband is a scout something or other (helper? Leader? Saver of Christmas??? I don't really know.) and he announced that the Scouts will, in fact, be selling trees at Pizza Hut this year.
     So, Christmas is saved! Glad Tidings and stuff.


     I think that is it. I need to run down town and find a color map of all the Olean Squirrel Sculpture locations, so I can run around town taking selfies.