Too...sday

It's Tuesday, that sadly neglected, easy to forget, non-important day of the week. It's the day that doesn't make the songs, doesn't merit the Facebook gripes or someecard taunts. What to do with Tuesday?

How 'bout a list?

But a list of what? What's worthy of a Tuesday list?

Hmm. Well. Uhhhhm.

How about a list of other sadly neglected and overlooked things in my life?

1. My bell pepper plant. I planted it too closely to the zucchini, which has grown into a gargantuan, mutant plant and has overtaken my little raised garden to the exclusion of almost everything else. The tomatoes and squash and cucumber are holding their own, but the bell pepper is lost amongst the giant zucchini leaves. Zucchini is a Monday, for sure.
2. This blog. Crimeny. I posted once in January, once in May and now twice in June. Sad. Sad, neglected little space. Dr. SmartyPants texted me yesterday and told me that he missed reading my blog. "It warms my heart," he said. (I am not neglected and overlooked by my sweetheart.) 
3. Housekeeping. Good lord - who can blame me. But it's grossing me out. Just the sheer volume of canine hair alone is disgusting. Send help. And a dumpster.
4. The backsplash tiling project in my kitchen. I started with a bang and it's currently at sizzle levels. I look at it often. I sigh. I turn my back and go do something else. I put up one 12x12 section of pretty glass and onyx tiles. I repeat that a week later. I should be done by Thanksgiving.
5. Artistic endeavors, although I did pick up my guitar and play a little last night. My fingers remember what to do, but they've grown soft and I couldn't play very long. I took a few photos, but then remembered that I hadn't processed them. My sketchbook is very dusty and probably misplaced.
6. My friends. Cyndi and I keep talking about having a girls night out, but we haven't managed to actually schedule one. Linda and I saw each other for about 30 minutes so I could borrow her 100mm camera lens, which I still have. Girls - it's time.
7. Exercise. My foot surgery in March has derailed anything like healthy activity, but I'm over it. Dr. SmartyPants and I played tennis on Saturday, and it hurt and felt great at the same time, so I'm hopeful that this is one area that is going to get un-neglectified. I can too totally use that word, as I just made it up, thank you very much.
8. My children. HA. Just kidding. Mostly. Kind of. Wait - where are they?
9. Reading other people's blogs. Not sure what happened, but I've let my whole bloglist get backlogged. I love reading your blogs. I've missed you all. I'm coming back...
10. Laundry. There's just no excuse for this one. I'm just too lazy to deal with it.

I think that's enough. Now, I'm getting depressed about my lack of order and serenity. But wait! Tomorrow is Wednesday! Hump Day! Top o'the week - downhill to the weekend!

Poor little Tuesday...

GSM, People.

We're taking Dr. SmartyPants camping for Fathers Day this weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We haven't been in almost a year, which is completely nuts. We used to go once or twice a month, but the boys' tennis schedules have interfered, as has life in general and all that goes with it.

But this weekend it all slows down. We'll be waking up early to watch the mists rise off the mountains and staying up late to see the last of the synchronous fireflies blink (lightning bugs!!). In between, we'll saunter and stroll, nap and read, photograph and sketch, ride bikes and hike and just generally enjoy being together.

No television. No internet. No iPhones.

The days fly by so quickly now - my boys are growing into young men faster than I'd ever imagined they could. I look for my babies and see tall, lanky pre-teenagers in their places. I listen for their sweet voices and hear their deepening husky tones instead. I expect a hug where I tuck their head into my chest and it ends up under my chin and I wonder how it got there.

I can remember my mother and mother-in-law telling me, when the boys were babies, to hang on to those precious moments as long as I could - that they grow up so quickly you won't believe it. I knew then that they were right, but I couldn't really imagine it - that the space between sweet babe sleeping in my arms and sweaty 5'2" tennis player draped over the sofa could be so microscopic in size.

Blink. I have a baby.

Blink. He's starting kindergarten.

Blink. He'll be starting middle school this year.

Blink...

So. This weekend away is meant to be a breath between the blinks. A pushing of the pause button of life just to let us catch up a little. Even the pause will be less than a blink in the grand scheme of things, but it'll be worth it.

Sometimes those little pauses are the memories you hold forever.