This is the new Hamby Family Motto. Yep. See, we've been in a state of chaotic flux since the beginning of summer, what with putting our house on the market, selling said house, going on a house hunting trip, sending kids to summer camp and Jamboree, one kid working as a counselor at summer camp and getting evacuated due to a fire - while we were on said house hunting trip, purchasing a new house, losing a very, very, very family member way tooooooo soon - my husband's Auntie, and MOVING. Yep. MOVING. Into a fixer-upper.
All I can say about that is that it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Now, 3.5 weeks later, we're suffering from painter's elbow and have probably experienced brain damage from being exposed to paint fumes. Right now, however, I'm being exposed to that "new laminate hardwood" smell, and it's pretty okay. It sure looks WAY better than what was there. Icky, ugly carpet. *Shuddering*. In our excavations of the floors, preparing for the new flooring, we found relics from the 1980s. Linoleum in that lovely mustard yellow that was so popular in the 1970s. A clip for a set of hot rollers. I also found shelf paper with the hearts. Remember that? Pink? Blue? Oh-so-cute, and it SCREAMS "Born in the '80s!" When we moved the wood stove and the platform it was sitting on, we found tri-brown plush carpeting. Yeah. Also from the 1980s.
So, we got up here in our new town of residence - up in the Sierra Foothills, just a couple hours now from our parents. Parents who are RUDELY (whispers) getting older.
To our surprise, school for our middle son started the Thursday after we arrived. Oops. Kids were off visiting grandparents, and had gone from my folks to The Spouse's mother just that Wednesday. We'd been told, you see, that Grandma K (The Spouse's Mother), hadn't had the boys visit LAST summer, and she was greatly aggrieved. The Spouse and I decided "What the hell? Kid can start school on Monday." Why? Because, there would be a Grandma K-led riot if we went and fetched the boys early. Grandma K had PLANS for those grandchildren. And baseball tickets for Saturday night.
Well. You can imagine, coming from a school of 4000 students to a school of 1000 +/- can be quite the culture shock. #2 Son has told new classmates his old school was that big, and that his class was the size of the entire population of this (new) school. Total disbelief on their part. During the first full week of school, there were such events like competitions to see who could load the most hay bales and chickens into the back of a pickup truck. Apparently, the school will have music on at lunchtime. Imagine my urban kid's surprise to find out that up here, folks listen to BOTH kinds of music - Country AND Western. He was absolutely dumbfounded when one particular song came on, and the entire school sang along. Frankly, I'd be dumbfounded too, because I've never met a school building that can sing worth a damn. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know he meant all the kids sang along. I've had a great time since then teasing him about what I call "the school anthem." "Do you know all the words yet? Do you sing along too?" What is the "school anthem," you ask?
"Red solo cup...I fill you up...Let's have a party...Let's have a party."
I dunno why, but the kid just rolls his eyes at me every time I twitted him about this. I have moved on, but every now and again, I'll ask the school anthem was on at lunch.
So, more fun...we were working on the house - painting, cleaning, painting, cleaning, and painting some more, and I'd headed for the car in order to do the first after-school pick up run when #2 Son texts: "We're being evacuated, due to the fire."
EXCUSE ME?
Not THIS again.
He'd been out at PE when the fire started. He, along with every other kid on campus with a cell phone, video taped the event when a tree near the football field caught fire and fell over to burn a corner of the field. He also, in his words, "hit the deck" when the plane flow over and dumped either slurry or water on the fire. Right in the middle of a congested rural area, the fire guys hit this fire hard and fast.
Mostly, I'm waiting to be settled again. We are surrounded by oaks and pines. We are not in a traditional neighborhood with sidewalks and neighbors all around. We have neighbors nearby, but not a mere 15-20 feet away. No tract home for us this time around. Slower paced town, which is a tremendous relief after So Cal. Those parents are close at hand. It's all good. I can't wait to sit out on the deck off my bedroom and write.
I shall leave you with one final thought for the day:
If you're successful and stressed out, you're succeeding in spite of your stress, not because of it.
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