Whatever Happened with That?

I thought it might be a nice idea to tidy up around this blog and close some open loops. Sometimes with the blogs I read regularly, I find myself thinking, variously, "Well how did that paint job/tummy tuck/potty-training/in-law visit finally turn out? Did she keep her closet organized? Is the baby still waking up every two hours?" So here's a follow-up on some very pressing issues of the last couple of months. If I've left out something that has you wondering, do ask.

So whatever happened with:

1) Our expired car tag?

Lord, renewed, finally. We had a bizarre paralysis around this issue. Like, Matt and I are fairly with-it, smart, and productive adult humans. But this was just not getting done. I think we were playing chicken with it. If that makes sense. We had the following conversation:

Matt: Okay, if you will figure out what I need to do this and print out all the forms, and hand them to me in a stack, and tell me where to go, I will do this.

Me: Okay, there is nothing to hand you. I already had the emissions inspection done. Just go to the tag office, next to the park.

Matt: Okay, isn't there a form?

Me: Okay, yes there is, but they'll fill it out right there for you.

Matt: Okay, so can I have the emissions inspection report?

Me: Okay, but you don't need the paper. It's all electronical.

Matt: Okay, I will go at lunchtime.

Me: Okay.

2) My iPhone that got dropped in the toilet?

It works beautifully. This wasn't, perhaps, something you were wondering about. But I am reminded of it daily by the legions of people who arrive at this blog by googling "Oh noes, my iphone got dropped in the toilet!" or something similar. Let me tell you, EVERYONE is doing this. Let's be careful in there.

3) Mitch the Shy Landscaper?

Well, he returned, with a vengeance. As I said in the linked post, he apparently mowed our grass weekly while we were away, because there was an invoice waiting in our crate of mail when we got back. Before I could get my bearings he sent another invoice. Dude was somehow billing us for 8 weekly mowings in a 6 week period. I don't know how he has the power to warp time. When he came back the next time, I asked him to come inside. Then I laid out the calendar next to his invoices, then he agreed he'd gotten a little crazy with the billing. I think we'll cut him loose when the grass no longer needs mowing.

4) Eating the Pantry?

Reader, we eated it. For the month of August, we made a major dent in our stored food. For the first time in ages, there was room in the freezer for the actual cold air. We never did eat that box of instant pad thai. The instant pad thai, we shall always have with us. Then, imagine my surprise when one day on cnn.com, they were featuring this video, "Family goes without shopping for a month."  (I would embed it but it's, like, hard.)  I thought, "Whoa, to be on cnn, this family must be really hardcore about it."  Not so!  They had the SAME RULES  we did: eat what's here, we can buy milk and fruit fresh.  Except they allowed themselves to eat out once a week. Well, Matt brought in take-out a couple of times, but we certainly didn't eat out once a week.  Then I was all, "Why didn't I get to be on CNN? Me! Somebody call the wahmubulance!"  That nice lady totally stoled my idea. (Never mind the fact that all the froogie bloggers have covered this at various times in the past. Shh.)

So we ate our pantry until Labor Day, when it was Matt's birthday and we had a friend visiting. So I shopped.  But I feel another pantry-eating bout coming on.

5) Hank in school?

About the same. Not totally loving it.  Actually, he's managed to miss both Monday and Wednesday this week, due to his cold virus with fever.  We're on day three of his running a fever.  His condition is not that serious, but I might be going crazy.

6)  New niece Grace?

Growing in beauty and wisdom.  Her doings are chronicled by Amy, who, like the rest of Sydney, is currently covered in a layer of weird orange dust.  Amy, keep the dust off the baby, okay?

Any other old business?  Now, I encourage everyone to take a moment and police her area.  Do a blog post telling us how that all turned out.

Your friend,

S.M.