The Blackburn Digest

It has been a good day, all in all, but I’ve sort of drifted through it in a sleepy fog. I’m just not getting enough sleep to “stay sharp”. (It’s making me cranky, too!)

DD & DS are both trying to cut back on their caffeine intake, so I made a quick dash to the market for Arizona Green Tea & a proper dinner. (Still have to get back into the habit of writing a 2-week menu & getting the main shopping done all at once!) I found an “Easter cactus”, loaded with bright pink blooms and buds, and brought it home for DD.

DD, DGD & DS all got mired in heavy traffic trying to reach Casa Blackburn this afternoon; a combination of early rush-hour and Spring Break drivers. I should have grabbed a nap while waiting - instead, I painted one half-inch scale chair and built another.

[If I forget to spell-check before posting this, forgive me; I’ve been awake for over 20 hours and am absolutely foggy brained!]

I suppose I should not expect a day which began at 3:30 AM to be “normal”, should I? DS was ticketed out on an early flight back to “Sand City, TX”. On ‘airport duty’ days, I need time to 1)actually wake up before driving and 2) reach his apartment on time while obeying the posted speed limits. (During daylight hours, I tend to add 5-7 mph over the limit. . .at 5 AM, I can’t spot the local police, sheriff’s, constables, state troopers!) This morning, I also had to add a stop at the first gas station I encountered (sadly, not the one with the lowest prices)!

Whew! I didn’t remember that it was St. Pat’s day until I walked into the market! Why is every store employee wearing a green bit. . .odd, sparkly green hats, green vests, happy little shamrock pins???? Uh oh - - -shamrocks! By happy coincidence, I happened to be wearing my olive green “Genuine Chevrolet Parts” t-shirt. Guess my Irish brain cells are misfiring:)

DS is flying back from El Paso early this evening. The end of the not-so merry go-round is, at last, within sight; unfortunately, he has a few more rotations to complete before he tuck the over-worked suitcase into a corner. (I’m sure he’s getting dizzy - I know I am!)

Since I haven’t done a proper two-week shopping in mumbletoolongmumble, I made a midday dash to the market for something which would cook quickly when we returned from the airport. Passed DD’s sleek & pretty Ford Escape Hybrid just after leaving the Casa. . . O.K., make that lasagna & green salad for four!

DS’s plane was delayed, but he still got some time to visit with his Sis and play with his Niece.

Sara’s first birthday was celebrated at a park near her home, with both sets of grandparents, lots of aunts & uncles and a host of cousins. We all had a great time (especially Sara, when she was allowed to grab a handful of her birthday cake! LOL!)

The weather was clear and sunny, with enough of a breeze to keep us cool. That breeze is the reason Sara & I are both sporting the “wind-swept look” in hairdos;)

Tomorrow is DGD’s first birthday, and DS will fly in from *Sand City* on Sunday. That means there’s a lot to be done today! All of the laundry I have allowed to fill up the hamper and laundry basket must be done before DS arrives - preferably today. (DS takes over the washer & dryer each time he returns, to deal with the ten days of dirty clothes he has accumulated.) DGD’s gifts still need to be wrapped, “Grandmeow” (me) gets to bake and decorate the first (of many, hopefully) dozen cupcakes for tomorrow’s party-in-the-park, and I have to do some catch-up blogging. (Not that I have anything *deep* to say, but it’s a way to keep up with what I’ve been up to!)

Cool coincidence: after I finished decorating the cupcakes with frosting swirls and fancy sprinkles, DD sent a photo of them to DSIL via her Blackberry. DSIL replied with a photo of the special Lucy’s birthday cake the other set of grandparents had ready for the party. They match beautifully - LOL!!!

DD and I have been eagerly awaiting the San Antonio appearance of first-time author Robert Rummel-Hudson so that we could take our copies of his book, Schuyler’s Monster; A Father’s Journey with his Wordless Daughter to be autographed. DD has followed Mr. Hudson’s blog since before Schuyler’s birth, and got me hooked on it several years ago.

For a time, we were both convinced that the book signing event was scheduled for Saturday, March 22nd. This morning, DD checked the BookTour schedule and fired off a quick text message to me: “It’s TODAY!!” Yikes! DH & I went to the Barnes & Noble location as soon as his workday was finished - I had my copy of the book in hand and planned to buy another copy to be autographed for DD, as week-day plus active baby doesn’t equal peace while standing in lines>