.
Wildebeest and Zebu a couple days ago, working the camera in their unique ways.
(In keeping with the spirit of Rio Olympics, Batman stuck it on the dismount!)
.
Yesterday I took Zoey to the vet for a thorough check-up because I was sure there was something seriously wrong with her. I was sure she had a tumor, just as our long-ago Packy had a tumor that made her mid-section feel just as Zoey’s did on Sunday.
I was wrong! Zoey does not have a tumor. Zoey is overweight and may need medication for her blood pressure, but otherwise is doing pretty well for an older gal.
Hooray for being wrong!
Yesterday was tough for a variety of reasons, but I didn’t realize how much of a toll it was taking until late last night when I was practically giddy with happiness. What happened?
I received a follow-up phone call from Wildebeest who earlier in the day had expressed major angst and panic about a college assignment. He called back to explain how he’d managed to turn SS Catastrophe around and emerge victorious. As we talked, Wildebeest’s insights into his earlier behaviors and reactions, and my efforts to disengage from his panic, made me feel as if a heavy weight had been lifted. It was one of those Gold Star Parenting Moments.
Right after that call Zippy and I went to the high school to watch Zebu play his last home basketball game. He’s a senior this year and it’s been a disappointing season for him. He was seriously injured during a pre-season conditioning workout and ended up in the hospital for three days with a lacerated liver, and then couldn’t play for eight weeks. By the time he came back, his confidence was low and he never really hit his stride. But I’ve been mightily impressed with how he’s carried himself throughout those disappointments, and so was especially thrilled for him last night when he played his best game of the year. Talking with a relaxed and happy post-game Zebu felt like an absolute gift.
So that’s how my emotionally difficult day ended on a giddy note. As we got ready for bed, I repeatedly told Zippy how much better I felt; I was like an awestruck little kid taking out a shiny new toy to inspect over and over. I couldn’t stop staring at the Happy.
We all make our own happiness in this life, I can’t create it for my children and they aren’t responsible for mine, but it sure feels good when those positive feelings overlap and we’re all basking in the glow.
Picture this: Tracy trapped inside her house, armed with nothing but a camera, as rain pours down outside.
So far all this rain in my neighborhood has only added up to really, really soggy ground, but just 20 miles away the city of Boulder is flooding. It would be best if the rain stopped falling. I’ve got no pull, but perhaps the weather goddesses will listen to Batman:
“I am vengeance. I am the night. I. AM. BATMAN!”I believe the rough translation is: KNOCK IT OFF WITH THE RAIN, YO!!!
Yesterday I printed out the first eleven chapters (about 80 pages)
from the second draft of my middle-grade,
and am quite pleased with how it's coming together.
It's the first book I've written from an outline
and I must say it's a more civilized approach to writing a novel.
Ahem.
Anyway, because this sense of well-being will certainly fade
in the not-so-distant future, I'm documenting my current emotional state.
Please join Batman and me as we do the
Check-Me-Out-I'm-Feeling-Pretty-Damned-Good-Dance!
(And yes, that is red lace. Thanks for noticing.)
This morning as Zebu and I drove to his friend's house to pick him up for school,
we passed a house with trash cans set out at the curb.
And next to those trash cans, was Something Unexpected.
We picked up Zebu's friend and then drove back past the trash cans.
I stopped and after a hurried consultation, Zebu jumped out and grabbed The Caped Crusader.
© Tracy Abell 2011
I offered Zebu and his friend dibs, but neither was willing to carry him through the school halls.
Not to mention their uncertainty about him fitting in their lockers.
So Batman came home with me and Lebowski hissed when he got his first look,
but The Dude's over it now.
I'm thinking today is going to be a very special day.