Thursday, June 30, 2011

Home

Pom Pom's most recent post was about things that made her glad. It has inspired me to make my own list of gladnesses, in no particular order.

1. I am glad, oh so very, very glad, to be home. Home! Dirty, messy, scrungy, scrubby, germ-laden, sticky-floored, dust-covered home!

2. I am glad to have my dog's company again. When I was in New Orleans, I saw a commercial with a dog in it. I wept like a baby. Once you are used to getting your daily dose of unrequited love, it's very hard to go without it.

3. I am glad that I'm not going anywhere for a good long while. I want to stay put--except for my trip to IKEA, which is going to happen, and soon, and how.

4. I am glad that the tomatoes are coming in like gangbusters. For one thing, it makes up for the rabbits eating my beautiful greenbeans and all the radishes and some of my pinto beans as well. (I am researching organic ways of keeping rabbits away. The Man is researching how much damage a BB gun can do to bunny.) We do have squirrels eating tomatoes, but we have so many tomatoes, it doesn't much matter.

5. I am glad that blueberry season is here (local friends, let's go blueberry picking!) and that I've found a recipe for spiced blueberry jam. Let the canning begin!

6. I'm glad I've become a zen Buddhist for the summer so that I don't have to worry about whether or not my children are happy. Jack is in drama camp this week, and I found myself overly-concerned earlier in the week about whether or not he's having a good time. Then I remembered that I am a Buddhist now. I have no control over Jack's happiness. Maybe being happy is not what this week is about for Jack. Interestingly enough, as soon as I stopped worrying about whether or not Jack was having a ripping good time at camp, he started talking about how much he was enjoying it (before, all he said was that camp was "fine").

7. Did I mention that I'm glad to be home?

All my travels were pleasant and pleasurable. There were points during our stay at the beach when I wondered how hard it would be for a 47-year-old woman to disappear into thin air and never be found again (and yet still retain use of her credit cards). Which is to say, all that family togetherness can get to a girl after awhile. But overall it was a good vacation.

New Orleans was fun and beautiful and quite exhausting. I got to attend the Newbery and Caldecott book awards banquet, met some very famous children's book authors (who were nice, because just about everyone in children's publishing is very nice), and best of all, ordered room service for breakfast. I believe one of the loveliest things about visiting New Orleans is drinking the coffee. Oh, and the natives are so hospitable they ought to be named honorary Texans.

So I'm glad to have gone, and I'm glad to have come back. It's lucky when things work out that way, isn't it?

P.S. I was in New Orleans for the American Library Association. If you follow this link, you will find a picture of me (scroll way down) with a bunch of other Simon & Schuster authors. I'm right under the picture of Molly Shannon, the latest Celebrity-turned-Picture-Book-Author; imagine that.

10 comments:

magsmcc said...

1. What is a gangbuster?

2. You are very lovely!

3. Am about to go on family holiday and am not encouraged by your remarks. May need to happify some more apples...

Gumbo Lily said...

I like your glad list. Home is a good place, isn't it? I didn't see anything about "glad the attic is clean" or "glad for ice cream cones."
You look marvelous in your picture. Everyone looks happy and as if they are having a good time.

Happy continued Summer.

Melissa E said...

We apparently had baby bunnies born in our garden...we have 3 little ones running around in there...INSIDE the fence...sneaky lil buggers! Hubby baited a live trap with green beans and caught one today then released it at the power line right-away in our neighborhood.

Pom Pom said...

Oh, Frances. I am so glad you are home and yes I believe you. Home is best, best, best. I have you as one of my favorite authors on Pinterest. I shall have to pop over and look at your celebrity picture! Fun! I think it is so sweet that you missed your pup so much. You love everyday life and you make it so sweet. I am sending you your EG book soon with a few other goodies, too.

Pom Pom said...

Had to come back and say, "Your hair is so cute and so is your face."

debbie bailey said...

Home's the best place of all. Are you planning on converting back from Buddhism after the summer? Ha! I'm not sure that reads right, but you know what I mean.

Angela said...

You look as happy and lovely as I had expected you would. And yes, isn't it lovely Being Home Again?

Still not sure about the Buddhist thing - why are you not wrapped in saffron robes in your picture [or are you an undercover plain-clothes buddhist?]

blessings - and do enjoy the crops in the garden x

Tracy said...

Ahhh home. There's nothing quite like it, even after the most very best holiday ever!

I'd been wondering how the zen Buddhist thing was working for you. We're starting two (three for the kids) weeks school holiday here. I'll have to try it myself I think!

Leslie said...

Yay! I am GLAD you are home! Cute picture and what fun looking crowd.

I hope you figure out a way to restrain the rabbits because that is so frustrating. We put chicken wire around all of our raised beds. It works like a charm. Of course, it doesn't keep the birds away which had me contemplating how to make a chicken wire lid. It is always something....

GretchenJoanna said...

Thankfulness - it makes a summer good. Loved hearing all the details thus far.