Sunday Chores (And A Story)

AllTheRakingThatFits
AndDecorativePilesVille

"...Unfortunately, the big cardboard cut-out Cadillac went down with our old house when the wrecking ball killed the entire neighbourhood for condos in the Spring of 2005.

There's a Crazy Janey-type tune in there somewhere, I think.

And I'm pretty sure Bigger E. will write it someday.

After all, it's not like she hasn't had the inspiration or anything..."

From: 'There Is No Darkness In This Town'

The Pacific Gazette, April 4th, 2008

So.

My dog Rosie and I had a job to do when the rain stopped for half-an-hour this afternoon.

Which was to get the metric ton or so of banana leaves up off the boulevard and the road in front of our current house before they turned to a soggy, leaden mess that would up everything for the rest of the winter if they weren't removed.

So we did that.

And then Rosie turned her attention to the red mini-maple leaves on the front lawn shown above.

So I kept on raking.

But the little red points were so beautiful that I couldn't bring myself to pick them up.

Which is how, maybe for the first time ever, I suddenly became an exterior decorator...

****

Now.

Here is something you may, or may not, know.

Which is that our other kid, littler e., named Rosie.

And she named her after 'that' Rosie.

You know the one from the old, old Springsteen song.

****

Last night the kids I work with, most of whom are not really kids anymore, and some of whom have tiny kids of their own now, had a party.

Well, actually, it was more of a baby shower for one of the techs who is getting ready to go on mat leave.

Weirdly, our littler e. was the oldest real kid there and she did a whole lot of very fine babysitting-type stuff all night long. 

And when the shower games and the dinner were done, one of the young Dads, who is clearly still a little bit pre-toddler sleep-deprived, asked me the E's and I were going to see Springsteen when he comes back to town in a few weeks.

And that's when things suddenly became very strange.

Because even more weirdly (which will become clear if you punch up the podcast below), I haven't really given it much thought.

After all, I've got other shows to go to before Christmas time comes.

Shows that include performances by the likes of 'Mother Mother', 'Hannah Georgas' and 'Lauren O'Connell' that my kids want to take me to rather than the other way around (the seeming bizarity of which will also become exceedingly clear if you really do punch up the podcast below).

Man.

This crazy, mixed-up life really does go by so fast...

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