The chicken and the cow and the horse and the pig and the goat!

I always whine about how stressful and exhausting it is to have people over, and it’s true — but the after-feeling is sooo expansive and lovely. It’s like the old folktale about the man who felt his home was too noisy, so the wise man told him to move all his livestock into the house… and later to move them out again. Now that Al has gone and the housewarming party is over, I’m like the man whose livestock has just been removed from his house. Everything feels so peaceful and spacious! And what previously felt like a chore — sifting through emails, cleaning the house, tidying my desk — now feels like an indescribable luxury. AND it’s only Tuesday!! (When Tuesday during some weeks feels like midweek!)

This morning Al and I got our asses soundly kicked by Lorien at Precious Life; then we indulged in Angelo’s sammiches and Allstar donuts, and a nap, before Mommy carried Al off back home. I skipped drawing class this evening and have been delightedly email-sifting and desk-tidying and budget-balancing ever since, and I couldn’t be happier.

We’re so excited about joining Bridges climbing gym!

I stayed up late last night reading about Michael Jackson’s life, and now I want to write about it. I’ll do that in a journal entry later this week.