Baseball Season

A bunch of my older girls, the Biggers, were here today. This week alone contains birthdays for Yolie (26), Cristy (29), Gina (28) and Marcela (25). Jojo will be 9 and Jonathan 8, both on April 8th this week. Sitting on the sofa is Deysi, holding Alexander, Cristy and Gina with Yolie in the back.

Gina brought me a deli sandwich, and Sarah is on a mission to re-create a sandwich of her childhood. There used to be a downtown sandwich shop called Yogurt's Last Stand. When I was in my 20s, a dirt poor schoolteacher, we'd , Sarah and I, join some friends of mine once a week, and splurge on their veggie pita sandwich. Sarah didn't get it quite right today, but it was so delicious, she's gonna keep trying, and I'll be her fat and happy guinea pig.

Got in yet another tense squabble with Edgar, I asked him to walk away from me, before I said something rude. Later he dug up two garden beds for me, hugged, and apologized. Never one to let well enough alone, I irked him with, "don't be acting like you don't need a mama anymore."

Shocked, he turned to me, "I never said that."

"No goat, boy, but you're acting like that."

"I didn't mean to."

Oh? It just comes naturally?

This week I am bound and determined to get us all back on track. None of us went anywhere, Edgar starts a new job tomorrow (Thank God), and we are facing down some recurring issues that are getting on my last nerve.

We need togetherness, we need no soccer practice, I've just come in from a bunch of Bubbas helping in the garden, the kids are playing soccer in the meadow before it gets dark, and I'm concentrating my efforts on different children such as getting my three fifth graders in a happier mind-set about leaving elementary school in less than two months. We just need time home, without outside pressures like school, to get our heads above water, to get things done and to readjust some stressed out emotions that have been set way too high for too long.

Javy, Teresa, Jose and Vanessa's behaviors have stunk lately and we are addressing that as well.

Cristy brought me a new Braves jersey to wear when I'm yelling at the games, I got to watch the last 4 innings this afternoon as they beat the Dodgers. Life's good. But the poison ivy is crawling up my forearm.