What We've Been Doing Since The Leaves Fell Off The Trees

Why, yes, it is unusual for me to go two weeks without blogging. Thank you for noticing. You may blame it all on Richard Ford. Well, start there, anyway.

Perhaps you've heard of Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novelist Richard Ford? I hadn't until he came to speak in Boise. Nor had I read any of his books, which include his big winner Independence Day. But I read an interview with him in our local paper, and he beguiled me with his attitude toward writing. His closing comments in the interview guaranteed that I would be purchasing a ticket to hear him say more things that I desperately wanted to be true:

"Read. Be a reader, and if reading moves you, then there's no reason for you to think that you shouldn't try to write something that could move someone."

The man in person did not disappoint. Instead, he was so witty and sincere and fascinating, that it became paralyzing to even attempt to write about his talk. Most striking was his emphasis on redemption, and his feeling that one should have sympathy for one's characters; that writing itself is a sympathetic act. It is brave to write in this unfashionably affirming way.

So, overwhelmed by Richard Ford, I did not blog.

The next day we found out that Shaun's job will be outsourced (probably to Bangalore) in the spring or summer. That was big news. I went into "let me hunker down and absorb this" mode. Suddenly the future is wide open, but it's too early to for me to do much, if anything, about it.

Next we decided that it would be wise to put our house on the market. The house I love. The house we've lived in for less than a year. This was a prudent thing to do. Didn't keep me from shedding a few tears over it.

Somehow it slipped my mind that putting our house on the market meant we needed to show it to people. And have photos taken of it. We hadn't even moved in all the way yet. The timing was not good. Shaun's folks were coming. It was Willem's birthday. Willem was having hernia repair surgery. I became stressed and crabby. Un-fun times around here for me and my longsuffering loved ones.

But good did come. Willem turned two! He has a surfeit of charm. And questions. My ears, they are tired.

Better yet, his hernia repair surgery went well today, and he is on the mend. The hospital is only about five minutes away, and very nice. They have a really amazing area for the kids to play in before they go in for surgery. Good thing, because things were running late and we waited there for two hours. Before they take one's child away to put him under, they give him a little something to take away all of life's cares. It's a bit unsettling to watch the "silly sauce" kick in, but it's extremely entertaining.

Willem was a champ, the staff were all great, and we are thankful for all the prayers and concern of our friends and family.

The rest of the week holds house cleaning, house cleaning, and more house cleaning. We will have an open house this coming Saturday. After that things should be as in shape as they ever will be, and perHAPS I will be able to get back to keeping this blog up to date. On the bright side, at least you'll be able to check out our listing and finally see pictures of what our house looks like.