Whereupon disaster was neatly averted

Before the weather finally broke on Wednesday, it had been quite warm and unusally humid here. Fridy evening the boys worked on the gate in their "half-naked" look, as JT likes to call it.

We decided to head for the hills Saturday and get a night of camping in before the campgrounds fill up for Labor Day. We stopped at JT's school, where I had the pleasure of spending three hours steam-cleaning the carpeted areas. (The rental and return of the machine nearly took as long, and I even had to point out to the supermarket employees how to fill out the rental form, where the identification number was on my license, which reciept to give me, etc.) Finally we headed out.

So the near-misses we encountered along the way:

1. the campground was nearly shut down, and nearly all the sites were closed because of dangerous tree-falling-likly-hood. But we were early enough to get a nice flat spot! And no trees or branches fell down. Nor was there a dangerous rattlesnake living at this site like there was at out last camping excursion site.

2. Although I managed to build a great fire using only one match, I burnt a pudgie pie. Luckily we had another one, and I only burnt one side, so the other half could be folded to make a smaller sandwich.

3. The veggie-potato pockets also burnt. (That great fire was way too hot.) But luckily, the top layer was still eadible.

4. I burnt my finger and thumb trying to pick up a said pocket. (Again, blame the hot fire!) Luckily, I did not burn them too badly, and the tips of those fingers only look like I put glue on them and did not pick it off when dry.

5. After the marshmallows, JT asked if we were going home. Although he had LOVED camping and hiking up to that point, he all of the sudden lost interest. He did not want to sleep in the tent. But a few minutes of classical music in the car brought him around again. But next time he is getting his own mat and sleeping bag or else I will sleep in a different tent.

6. He moved around so much! Each time I woke up, I had to check to make sure his head was on the mat and not the tent floor. I was certain he would wake up with a headache. Luckily it was actually quite warm, so the fact that he kept wiggling around without covers didn't matter.

7. The waterfalls were meager, due to little rainfall, and the only "pool" that had really formed was occupied. But we found another little spot to dip our feet in.

8. We decided to drive back to San Diego and go swimming at the Y. But the pool was closed to fix a chemical imbalance. But hey, it opened 10 minutes later!

9. The pool had to close again 30 minutes later because a boy slipped a hurt humself (not badly) and the lifegaurd had to wait for the paramedics. Luckily, we were done and JT, who claimed not to want to get out, had a reason to get out.

10. The shower at the Y with the spray hose is still out of commission. JT's favorite shower. Luckily, he discovered that the hot water in the regular shower feels really nice on your back! He almost didn't want to get out. (This is a very strange turn of events. Normally he runs away from the showers. Today he even wanted extra shampoo!)

11. He skipped his nap again today. For the millionth time. But LUCKILY he is now sleeping and it is not even 9pm!

We even made it home in time to get in some chores:

washing dishes, taking off the back door and shaving it, sanding and painting the front door frame, washing clothes, attempting to get soot off my only pair of shorts that fit since I have gained 5 pounds this summer (no luck there, I will have to make a Target run tomorrow), putting away the camping things, folding clothes, and all those sort of lovely things that you just have to do to make it through an ordinary week.

Which reminds me, next week JT's school is closed for a break before the Fall "Semester" starts up (UCSD has quarters, but the school is on its own bizarre calendar. Which as a board member, I should vote to change). So I still have to prepare 2 lectures, come up with an alternate writing assigment for a student, grade their midterms, and teach, all with a toddler attached to me. Alright, that is an exaggeration. JK will take off most of Tuesday to play with him and JT goes to a friend's house Thursday. But my prep mornings of M and W are GONE! Smoke on the water. Just gone. I will have to get cracking now. So, no more blogging and writing on and on and on and you are wondering if I will ever stop writing...

PS Good luck with the surgery tomorrow, Mom! We will be thinking about you!