the waiting game

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First of all and most importantly, THE CAT CAME BACK. Looking full-bellied, content and not at all sure why we were making such a big fuss over his return. Phew. All are sleeping easier now.
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I knew setting up internet service and phone service in our new house would be a bit of a bear when, the day before we moved in Dan said to me, "I'm not even sure if any of the phone jacks in the house work. I tore out all the ones upstairs because the wires were all over the trim. Does a house really need more than one phone jack, anyway? One in the kitchen is plenty."

So of course, it takes a week just to get the phone turned on at your new house, between the hours of 8am and 5pm. And then, when a few hours after being on, the dialtone becomes a deafening buzz, it takes another week to get someone to return to your house, between the hours of 8am and 5pm, to fix it. And then, when the nice man fixes it and you hook up your DSL equipment, it takes four calls to techincal support where you get disconnected three times before you finally get on the phone with someone you can barely understand, who then decides that they need to send someone to your house....in a week....between the hours of 8am and 10pm.

I feel like I've been on house arrest--waiting for the phone man, the gas man, the technical support man, the electric man. In one sense, you know, it's okay. Because really, there's plenty of work for me to do at home. And a little house arrest isn't always such a bad thing. But you know, I really need a garbage can for my trash because when you live in the country you can't just put it out by the shed. And I really need a gallon or two of milk and something to put on the grill tonight besides zucchini (thank you, dear farmers that bring bags of zucchini to my husband at work, for keeping us fed). And the girls are itching for more library books.

But Monday is the magic day. The technical support man will arrive and I'll find out if DSL is even possible in my little 'new' old house. I want to come back to the land of blogging. I miss you all. I have things I want to tell you and things I want to write down in this little space so that I don't forget them.

And I want to be able to check the weather radar to look for storms. Because the girlies and I love to watch for summer storms so that they can get good and scared before they arrive.

And look up a recipe I can't find.

And google "safe tick removal".

In the meantime, I'm trying to bring a few quiet, normal moments back in to our day. Painting a wooden bird house--that gets checked hourly for residents. Putting out a big jar of sun tea. Killing time in the backyard under a shade tree and removing all bits of nastiness from a curious one year old's mouth...rocks, sticks, grass, rocks, rocks, and...should I even tell you this? Dried up, flattened, crusty worm carcasses. (more than one.) Tell me she'll have a great immune system when she gets older, from all these germs she's tasting??? Now, at least, when I walk over to her, she takes them out of her mouth and hands them to me. "mum-mum? mum-mum?" Thanks, babe.

Alright. Once again, it's friday night and I feel like I'm the last one in the office. But that's how it goes when you're stealing an internet signal wherever you can get it....

Happy Weekend, friends.