grey gardens

Yesterday I went to visit my mom for Mother's Day. While I had thought it was clear I was coming down, they were surprised to see me. I remember telling Mom I wouldn't come down last month for Easter as I was coming down two weekends in a row in May. Whatever. So as they were unprepared, and my mom was in her housecoat, and as they talk on endlessly, losing track of time, I ventured that we should order pizza for lunch. But they had two frozen pizzas that we doctored up with extra ingredients. I start chopping and distributing onions and tomatoes from a can and black olives and I say "Is that enough?" and my mom says "I don't know. Karen always does this." Then they decide to make iced tea which took the water a while to boil (surprise) so by the time that was done, the pizza was room temperature. (surprise)

So the time meanders by with constant talking about the pets and the neighbors and what Karen will do around their trailer if they get some money and if only she had a computer, she could do freelance medical billing from home and how she might get some certification to be an animal intake officer at the Humane Society for which she MIGHT get paid if some grant comes through. If if if if if if.

About 3 p.m., when I am looking to bolt, my mom says "Is it too late to get flowers and plant them on Daddy's grave?" Of course not! So we get some at Kroger's which were lackluster frankly and plant them. My sister takes her gardening gloves as well but she is too lame (in the true sense of the word) to get down and plant so I did and then we took a tour of various relatives' graves and then they decide we should get ice cream so I drive them through the DQ for Blizzards.

This after my sister says she just can't eat anything because of her meds which unfortunately also make her gain weight. However she was able to wolf down half a 12-inch pizza AND a Blizzard. So much for the inability to eat. She now has an attorney helping her with her disability claim. Which she acknowledges may take 18-24 months to be resolved. "I'll be dead by then," she says. My mom says "Well, I'll be dead, too." You can see how I find this tiresome.

I see The Mystix have another CD out. I will purchase.

Today when I got home from work, there was a temporary sign out by my sidewalk that says No Parking Tuesday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. I hope something is being done about my situation.

Mowed the back tonight and had to rake the hay. Two weeks til the Memorial Day party. Much remains to be done in the yard. I threw out a bunch of junk from the garage for heavy trash so if I'd just get out there, I could get that tidied up, get out the lawn furniture and grill. Yada. Yada.