we thought the phrase "pancake sammich" was REALLY funny, too

WOW. This week has been kinda sucky. Mainly icky stress due to the tornado that I live in. The bright side – it’s SUNDAY and that means the week is officially over and if there is one thing that I know for sure right this second its that next week could not be any worse. It just can’t. Seriously, it’s not even possible. WHEW! THANK GOD! HALLELUIAH! HIGH FIVES FOR EVERYONE! Could someone please cue Barry Manilow’s I Made It Through The Rain, please? I’d like to sing and sway along to that right about now.

To cheer myself up, I got the hell outta dodge (in a rented Chevy nonetheless) and headed for Wisconsin to visit my parents this weekend. I felt like I could breath there and I don’t think I even knew how much I needed that until I was sitting on the deck with my mom getting tipsy off these crazy strong sea breezes with lots of ice served up in Green Bay Packer mugs. Ahhh, home.

After waaaaay too much cheesy bread and pizza, we talked some about my desire to see squirrels, chipmunks, mice and other furry woodland creatures in sweaters. Striped ones for squirrels. Autumn colored cardigans for chipmunks. Argyle for mice (obviously!) Maybe even little tubular polka dotted ones for friendly garden snakes who are the perfect shade of bright green. (hi A.)

It was PROBABLY the THC talking, but my mom and I thought that while furry woodland creatures would never recognize the benefits of donning the little sweaters I would like to knit for them, they may see the benefit in taking a tiny patchwork quilt back to their quaint log cabin houses. A little something to lay on top of the crunchy dry leaves and pokey twigs to make them all soft and comfy. OH, we laughed and laughed…

and then bought all the stuff I’d need to make one today before I left!

It’ll be my special little fall project. When done, I’ll leave it at the base of a stately oak tree surrounded by peanuts with a little note pinned to it letting them know it’s up grabs and to send me a photo of the kids all curled up in it if they can, please.

I’ll get on that as soon as I finish my paint by number.

The drive home was nice. I like to drive. I listened to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel, a healthy dose of The Replacements (I think they are my official road trip band,) and about 45 minutes of TV theme music. I thought about my life here and what I want to do with it and I balanced it out with thinking about how I’ve never eaten a Funyun when I wasn’t going at least 55mph.

Nice to be home, kinda. Nice to just be.