May. OMG. I can’t even. With the CDC lifting some of the health safety restrictions for vaccinated people, it felt like every week had more and more last-minute things crammed into it as people thought, “Oh, we could just do this!”.
As restrictions loosen, James’ finds himself with more hospice visits to make especially in long term care facilities that have been closed to most outsiders since the pandemic began. He has been working at UTSouthwestern every Thursday, which means he works from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm that day. He is the most interesting conversationalist I know. I love the way he walks into a room and says, “Do you know what I heard on NPR? read yesterday? saw on my walk? figured out from the Forney Messenger Newspaper? heard from my friend Stephen?” I have NEVER met a person who doesn’t like talking to James. He also is thrilled to his toes with a new app he has on his phone that identifies birds when you record and submit short recordings of birdsong. He does this while he walks the dogs in the morning, and triumphantly rattles off the name of every bird in our neighborhood. It is equally annoying and adorable.
I had concerts and recitals and rehearsals at all hours of the day and night. (9 professional-quality band solo recordings, 5 voice recitals, two choir concerts, and recordings for graduation.) When I have that much work to do I sort of stop thinking/reading/breathing/eating/socializing/acting normally so I’m glad that is over. A friend asked me, “Do you do that because you feel like no one else can do it? Are you trying to prove that you are indispensable?” I replied that I didn’t think I was the only one that could do it – the world is full of good accompanists and there are probably hundreds of skilled keyboardists in the DFW area – but I was the one who had the opportunity to do it, and you don’t get paid unless you actually DO THE WORK. The kind of work I do is seasonal, so it means certain seasons are just really busy.
Abbey got ENGAGED (can that be real? her Grandpa protested “but she is too little!” and part of me absolutely agreed but here she is doing it! And we all really love her fianceé so that’s a plus), finished her semester and is only a few classes away from finishing her undergraduate degree in social work. There is a complicated plan for a second undergraduate degree in art, and a masters in social work and I have to lie down to recover every time she describes the whole thing. She has several jobs, and one of them is doing afterschool care and Early Learning Center work for preschool kids who call her ‘Miss Abbeygirl’, ‘Miss Abbeycado’, and ‘Miss Abbeykayla’.
Rob slogged it out to the end with AP English and English III. Taking more than one English class in a semester (when reading and writing are not your favorite activities) is a misery. He now has a job at AutoZone and fixes people’s cars. He owns a fantastic black 2001 Honda Civic which he gently nurses along with oil and spark plug changes, headlight changes, brake pad changes, engine part changes, filter and belt changes… I don’t think I have ever cared as tenderly for a child in this house as he cares for his car. On the other hand, he has been talking about selling it and getting something cooler. (Something which possibly requires less changes….)
Rob graduated from North Forney High School. He used his sister’s graduation gown because we are all cheap around here, and refused to use the stole because it said ‘2019’. So he was stole-less. It’s ok; he wasn’t the only one. He and his girlfriend (a quiet and beautiful girl with equally wicked senses of humor and fashion) are recovering from the semester by gradually watching the whole Star Wars movie saga at her house, and putting lego sets together. Together. (Rob is 6’2″ and girlfriend is about 5′. They are so adorable you sort of can’t stand it.)
Corrie finished sophomore year with the highest scores in her unit for all her dual-credit classes. She took one AP and dual-credit test after another. She works harder than almost anybody I know. She walks around, all 5’4″ of her, with a serious expression on her face, straight blonde hair (the only blonde left of all my little tow-headed toddlers), double-pierced ears, giant white sneakers and an oversized brown Harry Styles sweatshirt. Nobody messes with Corrie. She is at the top of her class at school, and has just won the position of Drum Major at her high school. (A drum major is the student who mirrors the director and conducts the band during the Marching Shows. 300 kids in band – they choose 4 Drum Majors – CorrieLise Jarrett is one of them.) And she may end up being one of the captains of the swim team again next year. I am hoping over the summer she might have some fun sometime.
Amos has successfully grown Justin Bieber hair. He smiles charmingly and tosses that swoopy hair from side to side. He is now 5’10” and has been going to the community park to play pickup basket ball with tons of other kids. In two more weeks, he starts Strength and Conditioning Camp for Freshman Football next fall. Sometimes I bump him when we are crowded next to each other trying to empty the dishwasher and I am surprised to realize he is about all muscle from head to toe. He LOVES HIS DOGS. No dogs are allowed on furniture around here, which means I am constantly entering rooms and two dogs see me and jump guiltily off the bed or sofa where they are curled up next to Amos. Amos is watching Stranger Things and likes Dustin the best. Amos knows how to push every single one of Helen’s buttons, and entertains himself with this.
Helen finished Fourth Grade with many rewards and honors and certificates. (My favorite was the Excellence in Music certificate.) She will go on to a different school next year – and intermediate school that only has 5th and 6th grades. Helen, as our resident cat whisperer, grieved the loss of our second older cat, Mochi, who disappeared as cats do, and promptly talked me into adopting two new ones from the shelter. These two new kittens, Squid and Zuko, belong to Corrie and Helen respectively, and lurk about the house leaping out to bite ankles and then run off. They alternate between tiny wild kitten wrestling matches and conked-out napping draped over odd corners of the house. They mutually find the hedgehog entrancing, and swipe at him through the bars of his cage while he eats his kibble. Bessel disdainfully refuses to acknowledge them in any way. They have TERRIBLE fleas and as soon as I have time I am going. to. do. something. about. that.
Helen continues her mysterious science experiments. There are currently several bowls of weirdly colored soupy fluids on the stove with a sign that says “Helen’s Creations – do not touch!”
It is a wonder we are surviving all that. Bring on summer. I think we all need a break.
~Katie
Redbud Drive 