Sunny Days

Here in Eugene, the skies are clear blue. I kid you not. Given the fact that I have been to Oregon on several occasions during the last six years and seen only a few sunny days, I am astounded by the fact that the sun has been out for THREE DAYS STRAIGHT. It leads me to the conclusion that I could live here. For a month out of each year. In late June. In a summer house I own because I won the lottery. It's a beach house. It overlooks a sandy coastline bathed in driftwood. There is a large window seat that I blog from just before I lay out for an hour every day. I also eat chocolate all day long and don't get fat. I have clam chowder from Mo's every evening for dinner and I have a personal masseuse named Sven who comes twice a week. When I crawl into my 1500 thread count sheets at 11:00 pm each night, I can hear the waves lapping at the shoreline. Here in my dream world, it never rains in Oregon.

The Rock Star has been having a great time playing with his cousins who he usually refers to as those kids. On occasion he uses their names or the phrase mine tousins. At night he sleeps on the floor of our room (my in-laws guest room) in a pop-up tee pee which he is enjoying immensely. Spud is loving his life as he rarely, if ever, gets put down. Troy's youngest sister, Jana, has taken a special liking of him and has threatened to kidnap him. (Wouldn't that just add a special kind of drama. As if Matthew's four months* haven't been crazy enough). I guess it's only fair that she utters such idle threats. On more than one occasion I'm sure I threatened to kidnap her first born when she was a baby five years ago.

We've been able to spend time with Troy's two youngest sisters, their kids, my mother and father in law, and Uncle Ed. Everyone loves Matthew. He's hard not to love, what with his incessant smiling and giggling. Uncle Ed is a family friend and, well, where Garrett looks like me, Matthew looks like Ed. If only for the pigment in their skin.

We've taken lots of pictures of the kids playing in the yard, playing in pop-up tunnels, playing in the dirt, playing. Playing. Playing. I'll post some of them when I get home. I've meant to work on my retreat stuff. I've meant to. But all I've succeeded in doing is finishing a novel, chatting with family, and watching my boy with his cousins. It has certainly been relaxing...and, well, sunny.

*Four month letter coming soon...