Tuesday ramblings

The StepPaternal Grandmother said she wanted someone (turns out that person is me) to pull weeds, ‘before they get out of control.’ I did not realize she meant the front and side beds which most people see when they pull up. The one bed that is hidden from the street and most areas in the back, courtesy of a big wooden bench with a back, was a good two weeks beyond being out of control. It was not fun.

Between this and moving furniture around the house yesterday afternoon, I was wiped out. However, the dining room/kitchen area looks much better.

We have had one of the Twins every night this week. They alternate in order for them to not be ‘twin-ed’ and it is less overwhelming. Sunday there was a huge fight over who got to be first. It was the Elder Twin’s turn but the Younger put up one hell of a tantrum. The Elder offered to switch nights. The Younger stopped crying. The Elder then said, “Just teasing” which lead to me carrying the Younger out to the car, strapping her in, and the combined strength of Mom and I to remove the Younger’s grip from the back of my neck where she had each hand holding on the other wrist (right hand on left wrist and vice-versa).

When at last it was the Younger Twin’s turn to stay the night, she had a blast while her sister was by all accounts lost without her twin.

While answering phone’s at Mom’s office so the staff could attend some required class, I managed to finish Erasmus’s In Praise of Folly. Honesty, I did not expect to finish it at all this summer. I am well past the half-way point in Sir Barrie’s novel, Tommy and Grizle. At this point, I do not see them marring each other after all; especially given that Tommy has once again realized that he does not live in the world he created and that he does not, in fact, love her in the way of most men or in the way she loves him. The whole was Barrie gay or liked little boys school of thought appears completely fabricated when examining this text. If Barrie was gay, would there not be more male homosocial scenes and themes? And where are the boys here? The only one I can find in 310 pages out of 509 is Tommy himself and there only references such as his boyhood nickname, Sentimental Tommy. Wait; when he first came home, there was a chapter where he and his friends (of both sexes) went back to their childhood haunt. To Tommy, everyone became a child again. It was Grizle, who broke the spell and Tommy saw everyone including himself instantly transformed back into adults. He goes on to imagine his best friend taking his newborn son to this place as the son grows into a small child, however, there is no return for the father and the son never sees the place his father speaks of. It seems to me then, that Barrie is projecting unto his main character a child’s ability to imagine a world greater than this one or a world that is perfect.

Wow, that was longer than I thought it would be. Sorry about that.

Knitting has been slow today. I am nearly out of the burgundy yarn for a Harry Potter scarf. No pattern, just inspired by the scarves I saw in the movie. And while this is the most pleasant experience I have had of knitting socks, I am not moved to use the itty-bitty needles. Nor am I so inspired to knit more of them than necessary.