Emerging

I had a great weekend.

I did stay home on Friday. Jrex ended up trapped in lab until 11 pm or so, which was perfect for my need to have a day of nothingness. I stayed in bed reading most of the morning then migrated a great distance and lay around on the couch for a while. 

After so many changes of scenery, I was ready for errands on Saturday. Then, after dinner, we went to see Ironman. We are acknowledged geeks (sci-fi, fantasy, comics--all good), and we loved it. By Sunday, I was emerging from the cocoon and ready for outside people.

Church in the morning was really good. For the first time, Mother's Day wasn't painful at all. Not only is that because I'm at peace with my lack of a live Mom or of being a Mom, but it was cause of how Highway handled it. Rather than passing out flowers, they announced that the money they would have spent on flowers for all the moms in church was being donated to New Creation Home. It's a residential home for teen Moms where they are taught financial planning, job skills, anger management, parenting, etc. I loved that they were honoring Moms, but doing it in a practical, non-exclusionary way.

After church, Smart Girl picked me up and we took a picnic to the beach. Thirty minutes up and over the mountains, ten minutes in traffic, and we were at a free beach near Half-Moon Bay. Apparently it's a beach that is used for horse tours. Watch your step and pretend you like the smell! After lunch, we tried in vain to launch a kite. The photo of Smart Girl shows the highest we ever got the kite. As we walked down the beach trying to coax it aloft, I felt like I was walking a little neon dog. Jump! Jump! Alas, no go.

Saturday night, Jrex and I had a conversation about the island of plastic floating in the Pacific. When Smart Girl proposed a picnic at the beach, I knew I'd end up having to clean up plastic. Sure enough, someone had partied two-hundred feet behind where we sat. They'd even been thoughtful enough to leave the industrial strength garbage bag in which they'd toted drinks. Smart Girl was a little bewildered at my need to clean the beach, "Aren't there people who are paid to do that?" I shrugged, "Probably, but I see it and I need to respond."

Saturday evening was Supper Club. The interactions at Supper Club have gone up a notch. Not because of anything the women have changed, but our husbands are in a book club together. Let's just say, they call it a book club. They even read books to prep for it. However, those books are just a jumping off point for talking and sampling food and brew. Depending which of them you ask, I've also heard it called Drink Club or the Man Club. Last night, Hedonistic Outdoorsman mentioned how much he wants to grow rhodedendrons, Civil Engineer snorted, "I think you might be out of the man club now..." I laughed, "But, you can get back in if you go boar hunting!" The other wives exclaimed, "What?!" Inside my head, I winced, oops, maybe only the boys were supposed to know about that. Jrex tells me about the club discussions, but I don't think the other husbands discuss it much with their wives. . . Turns out Civil Engineer sent out an email asking the Man Club if anyone had an interest in boar hunting. Jrex doesn't, but was amused by the entire concept.

Later in the conversation, Only Child mentioned how happy she was that her husband, Hedonistic Outdoorsman, was learning sound board. She does some singer/songwriter stuff and has always been attracted to drummers or sound men. I nodded and mentioned, "I've always had a thing for bass players. Jazz, rock, folk, I like the bass." Only Child wrinkled her nose in confusion, "But the bass players are usually the geeks in the band." Jrex and I had just had a conversation the night before about how geeks are the overlooked dating treasure: under-appreciated and full of love to give. I smiled at Only Child and silently swung my hand in Jrex's direction--case in point. Everyone else at the table burst into laughter. Only Child looked confused, "Does Jrex play the bass?" I laughed and said, "No, but clearly, I like geeks!"