Happy May Day

Happy May Day!

We're almost there, Minnesota.

It's All Coming up Roses

"Fan the flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship, and pass the rosy wine."- Charles Dickens

And that is precisely what we did this weekend.  We fanned the hilarity of a blinding snowstorm in the end of April and cracked open a few bottles of what is typically a warm weather libation.  It's pretty salmon hue just called for good friends to gather and celebrate what lies just around the corner- backyard BBQ's, green grass, lush gardens, warm breezes...we hope.  

But remember, I'm not talking about the weather anymore.  
Cheers!

Ignore the Weather and Carry On

It's been one hell of a winter. Horrible. Unbearable and long. Dreary. Downright torturous as far as weather is concerned. But you know what else is equally as torturous? Listening to people complain about it for months on end. I'm guilty of it, everyone is, but seriously it's only weather. If all I have to complain about is the weather then my life is pretty freaking amazing. Seriously. My children are healthy, I have a roof over my head (even though it has been leaking once again in my office due to the God damn ice dam that just couldn't stay away yet again this winter) and food on my table. I. Am. Lucky. Really lucky, so weather, you can kiss my ass.

Even if it is raining ice at the moment and I am still wearing a puffy jacket and my youngest is still required to haul boots and snow pants back and forth to school, this weather can suck it. You can see by my writing habits that I pretty much close up like a three season porch for the winter as I do believe I have posted once since November. Yet we stay. I stay. We endure. We trudge through the slop, the cold, the howling wind and the overall bullshit we must deal with in this part of the country. It is not supposed to snow at the end of April and I'm not exactly sure why I have chosen the single ugliest Spring day I have ever seen to come out of my writing hole, but I suppose I just can't take it anymore. The sun will shine, God damnit. The grass will turn green. I will drink Rosé in the proper weather conditions in my backyard again. My children will swim in an outdoor pool in this state. It just might be a while. But in the meantime I am getting back to writing, so watch out, we have a lot of catching up to do.

Green Balloons

Yesterday I waited in line to purchase green balloons to fly in remembrance of Quinn.  The line was long; a forty minute wait to pick up my three balloons costing less than $5.00.  "Did you know the family?"  "What happened?"  I was asked in line more than once.  No, I didn't.  My children did not know Quinn and I do not know his parents, but today we fly the green balloons.  He was a third grade boy, the youngest of four brothers. 

I tied the balloons to our lamppost this morning with Cooper in tow as he asked, "Is there going to be a parade today?"  

"No, not a parade exactly..." as I bumbled and fumbled my words to try and best explain what happened to a child the same age as his beloved big brother.

"Oh, I get it.  It's going to be a parade of sad people."  And just like that off he went to tend to his melting snowman pile.  Just like that...

How do you explain something like this?  It is inexplicable to us as adults, but how do you explain to a child why a classmate suddenly passes away, or an elementary school in Connecticut so similar to their very own loses 20 students in the blink of an eye?  The death of a child goes against nature, and it is simply, inexplicable.

As I finished tying the three balloons to our lamppost I noticed a small piece of string left from the red balloons we flew for Chase almost two years ago and I thought of each of the children this community has lost in the near six years we have lived here.  It's too many.  One is too many. 

Then I intently watched my own as he played in the snow on a cloudy morning oblivious to the sadness felt today in our community.  

Election Day 2012

I have never used this space to talk about politics or religion, but today is important.  I won't say much, other than just get out and vote.

I respect if this issue is one of religion for you (although I may not understand it), but politics?  I don't get it.  People are people and they deserve to experience love like everyone else.  Period.  Your vote matters.