I can’t believe it! Today with the help of Jerome, Janet, and Alice, I actually got Kelley Ridge liveable again. After I moved all the stuff out of 4th Street, I had no idea where to put everything and still make room to have some semblance of order. Jerome and Janet have “the eye,” and with Alice’s help they moved and arranged until I actually have a home again! Also, now I can have Christmas at Kelley Ridge for the kids and me. We loaded Jerome’s truck with furniture that I didn’t need for Norman, Janet’s brother. Overall, it was a very productive day. Then, to top it all off, we went back to Richmond, and Deb had chili, cornbread, salad, and lime tarts for us. The weather was the most beautiful fall day imaginable. God is good.

I left as soon as I could after school. I had to to the Valley to get Greg. Then I dropped him off at Deb’s before meeting Nancy and Mor-Mor at the Hampton Inn. We talked for a while and then went out to eat. We wanted to go to Red Lobster, but there was almost an hour wait so we ended up at the Gardens (Madison Garden in Richmond). It was fine, but noisy. We went by 4th St. so they could look at progress, and Alice was already there. She had decided to come down on Fri. night and stay in the downstairs bedroom. Unfortunately it was filled up wtih junk from the upstairs apartment, but she managed to clear off the bed and get some rest. Nancy and Mor-mor and I talked for a while longer at the hotel and then I crashed at Deb’s. Thank goodness–much easier than driving back to Kelley Ridge.

For the past two times at Calvary, the book fair has been in there, so I have had to give up what little shared space I have to the literacy program’s book fair. It wouldn’t sting so much if the library got a little bit of the profit, but it doesn’t, even though I have to work it. Oh, well, that’s the way they do it there. In two weeks I have to do another one at Lebanon, but I do get the profit from that one. It’s A LOT of work so I hope we make some good money.

I went to my 4-6 weeks appointment with Dr. Jerome. He is a miracle worker. My family has prophet in our midst, and we don’t even recognize it. I’m just so fortunate that I can have him work on my aches and pains. Last night he worked on my shoulder, and it was really painful, but by the time he was finished, I had NO PAIN. He used some kind of electrical stimulator in addition to manipulation, and then when I went home I had to put some kind of infrared light on it for 1/2 hour. So Janet and I watched CRIMINAL MINDS while I did that. Then I went to bed, got up, and had NO PAIN. I reiterated because this is significant!! Now I just have to give up all white sugar, white flour, and coffee, and I would probably feel like a million bucks! Ok–yeah. . .

I tried to make it to Mass at Sacred Heart, but I was too late. It was really disappointing. I had been looking forward to it all day. But then my principal wanted me to do some other stuff for report cards, and so I was late. I feel as if I’m missing my chance to hear Fr. Chibundi as often as I can before they move him somewhere out of reach. He is a prophet of the Holy Spirit in Casey County, KY, and I don’t know if people realize what they have. I guess some do. He may be gone before they know it.

I got to the Valley before Jerusha brought Mombo home, so I fixed dinner. That made me happy because I never get to cook any more. It’s always fun to be with Mombo. We usually get on the computer, talk a lot, and watch her soap. Greg was fine, so that was good.

Now before you think how trite that is, Mondays don’t usually get me down because I am coming off a weekend where I’ve had a break from my work and I am energized. And I was going to complain about the rain until I remembered that it was not freezing rain and that I should not whine. Then I saw that Ian posted his beautiful picture, and I got to talk to both Ian and Caitlan today, so I’m pumped because I have two such handsome chiildren (and the third will soon post his picture, I hope).

Now when I hcome home to Jerome and Janet’s I have to play rooster. This is when Winston Churchill, the yorkie, comes to you and puts his toy rooster on your foot and says little “woofs” until you try to pick it up, and then he grabs it and runs, and you chase him around a circle saying “Gimme that rooster. . .you gimme that rooster. . . that’s my rooster!” and finally you grab it and play tug o’ war with it for a little bit and growl at each other, and then you let go and say,”You win!” and then he will leave you alone until the next night when you come home. I miss Pookie.

You must look at my daughter in England. Click on England Blog link on my main page. Caitlan is at Oxford looking matriculated. I want my sons to post pictures of where they are in their respective cities.

Last night I should have done all kinds of business, but I accidentally started watching FATHER OF THE BRIDE II on TNT at Deb’s. I realized that I had never seen it. I always liked the first movie bacause it was so impossible and because Steve Martin reminds me of my brother Jeff and because I want to be Diane Keaton when I grow up. Watching the movie made me sad that I don’t have a husband to grow older with. But what is unimaginable is that I wouldn’t have children to grow older with. Maybe some day I will have grandchildren to take care of me and grow old along with me. Children, take care of your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, too. You may not as yet understand your value to them. They see themselves and the ones they love in you.

Today when I got home to Kelley Ridge and to 4th Street, I was so glad that my plants had not frozen. At Kelley Ridge I have a big pot of impatiens that I have kept alive since I was at TwoTrees, and I was certain the frost on Thursday night might have nipped them. As it turns out everything was fine–the Boston ferns and the white geraniums at 4th St. and the Uncle Art red geraniums at KR, too. Then as I looked at the crowded living room full of stuff that I had moved out of the 4th St. apartment, I noticed how many things were from Uncle Art’s house–cupboards, table, plant stands, and of course, red geraniums. I remembered his hands had touched them all. His hands had touched them. His hands.

Tea is so very fine. It all started with Verla and me when the kids were young, and we decided we liked teapots and wanted to make tea cozies. Caitlan liked to collect little tea sets, but the most amazing tea set was the beautiful water blue one that was Mombo’s when she was little. But maybe it was before all this when I first went to a tea room and had little sandwiches and soup and dreamed of having a little restaurant with Jeanne and Mombo that was only open each day from 11 until 2. When I’m with my groupies we frequently have tea, usually herbal. Sometimes when I stay at Deb’s, I’ll be working at the computer, and she will silently bring me a spot of tea. Of course we had a tea party in Perryville for one of Mombo’s birthdays, but last summer going to England and sipping tea daily with Bob and Carol and Sharon was the clincher. I will never think that life can be fine again unless there is tea available. I started to drink it with milk then. Last night Janet was so cold because of the temperature change that she couldn’t get warm and was snuggled under a blankie on the most comfortable couch in the world (their leather one)with her yorkies trying to get the chill off her, and we had English tea (from Sharon) with milk, and I hope it helped her get warm.

Bill Moyers’s son is a crack addict, but he has been sober for 12 years and is now a vice-president of Hazelden. He just wrote a book. Bill kept coming after him and getting him out of crack houses. Damn.