My poor mother and dog are so tired tonight. As we complete the third day in a row of household chaos, the strain is starting to show. Monday, we just had the fellow doing the bathrooms. (Yes, one person. John.) Tuesday, we had John–two hours late–plus the paving company pouring asphalt on our driveway. Today, we had John, the plumber, and the landscaper, here to cut the lawn.

Chappy seems to feel it’s necessary to bark every time John walks in or out of the house, or any time he speaks, and Chappy’s barking seriously gets on my mother’s nerves. Not that he’s really that bad, mind you–especially compared to the dachshunds we used to have–but still. It’s impossible to carry on a conversation.

When I got home from work this afternoon, Mom was tense and fighting a bad headache, and Chappy looked like he felt about the same (grin). I went and sat on the deck in the back with Chappy–that seems to help. The outdoor smells and sounds provide distraction, and he’s not seeing John going in and out as he cuts the bathroom tiles and goes back and forth, so Chappy, at least is calmer. He and Mom were going to try that this afternoon, but with the lawnmowers going out there–it wouldn’t exactly have had the same effect.

Tomorrow, lucky me, I get to go to the dentist to get my permanent crown, which will hopefully solve the achey tooth problem I’ve had for the last two weeks. I still hate going to the dentist, and this will mean another week of missing the Stitch-n-Bitch group. To be fair, though, it doesn’t sound like I’m missing much. It’s a pretty small group and there haven’t been any responses to my “Anyone going?” e-mails. It’s no fun to go and sit alone! If I want to knit by myself, I’d much rather do it here, with Chappy snoozing by my side.

I ordered something for my Secret Pal today, which I hope she’ll like. Actually, I know she will, since she specifically said she would like the item I ordered. (I won’t be more specific, you know, just in case!) I just feel obscurely guilty that I had to resort to buying something she asked for rather than coming up with something brilliant on my own! Silly, I know, but I normally take pride in my creative-gift skills and keep feeling that–nice though this gift is going to be (and it will!)–that it’s a cop-out. (For myself, you understand, not for her. Just me putting extra pressure on myself.)

I finished my re-read of the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde, and please, let me recommend them to absolutely anyone looking for a good read with a sense of humor. They are laugh-out-loud funny and completely creative–with cameos from all your favorite fictional stars, like Edward Rochester! Miss Havisham! The Cheshire Cat! Miss Tiggly Wiggly! Hamlet! Not to mention re-sequenced and brought-back-from-extinction dodos, mammoths, and neanderthals. Plus an evil multi-national corporation called Goliath, an even more evil villain named Archeron Hades, and let’s not forget SpecOps departments like the Chronoguard (policing Time) and Literatec (keeping an eye on all those wacky literary fans, like the Baconites).

Titles: The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots, Something Rotten. And there’s another, non-Thursday book, coming out this summer called The Big Over Easy–a murder mystery with Jack Spratt trying to solve the death of Humpty Stuyvesant van Dumpty III. (Yes, you’re reading that right.) While you’re at it, check out the author’s wacky website. The jokes, I grant you, will be pretty obscure until you’ve read the books, but still, it’s a hoot and a half.

Tags: Family, General, Reading // 3 Comments »