The Cheese Touch

If you don't know what the cheese touch is, you've obviously never read the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books. In the book, there is a piece of moldy, stinky cheese left on the playground. When one kid touches it, nobody wants to get touched by him, thereby receiving the "cheese touch." The only way to avoid getting the cheese touch is to have your fingers crossed at the very moment your assailant tries to touch you. My kindergartners drove me a little nutso trying to pass the cheese touch from one kid to another.

But in the middle of summer, when your 7-year-old is bored, it's fun and easy to oblige. We chased each other around the house the other night, trying to give (and avoid getting) the cheese touch. There are only four people in our family, so we have unlimited potential of getting it. When I tried to give it to my husband, Jamison yelled out, "NOOOO!!!! He's lactose intolerant!!"

A Good Day

Saturday morning chores. Yeah, I find comfort in that.
Sewing. I'm only two steps away from having a new quilt!
Lunch on the back porch. Have I mentioned there's a river in my back yard?
Craft time with my daughter. We made braided bracelets from some quilt scraps.
Family time. A trip to Home Depot, burgers for dinner, and pool time.

Ah, summer.

Say What?

The house next to ours is a vacation rental, which fills up with all kinds of people. In the winter we get ski bums and ski bunnies, all of whom seem to be disappointed that the house lacks a hot tub and a beer tap. The rest of the year we get golfers whose clubs cost more than my car. Yesterday, our newest temporary neighbor knocked on my door, introduced herself and told me they were holding a family reunion for the weekend. She asked about some of the local flavor, then asked if I lived in my house full-time. She gave me a weird look when I told her that I owned a small island off the coast of Greece, but due to the recent political turmoil there, I hadn't been able to visit this summer.

She then asked me something that I've never been asked by a stranger before. With pad and pen at the ready, she said, "Do you have wireless internet and if so, could I get your security code so that we can have internet access while we're here?"

I have to admit, I lied. There's a reason I have a security code.

Besides, if you're on vacation, unplug!

Losing It

A while back, I lost something. Contained on that something were several works in progress, including about 25,000 words of a certain novel. Please don't tell me about backing up files. Please.
However, I am happy to announce that I have since re-written about 13,000 of the lost 25,000 words. Stronger, perhaps? One can only hope.
And yes, they are backed up and saved in three different places.

G'Day, Mate!

This super-cute girl is my niece, Megan. Tomorrow she will be on a plane, leaving for a semester of study in AUSTRALIA! I have to admit, I'm just a tad bit jealous.

"It is a great piece of skill to know how to guide your luck even while waiting for it."

Good luck on your new adventure, Meg!

This Week's Random Thoughts

The other day at the pool, I spotted a guy with a sunburst tattoo around his belly button and all I could think was, does he regret getting that now that he has a gut?

On Tuesday my son and his friend played "spies." In my car. I couldn't figure out why everything was all out of place. I also found a big stack of quarters that they left behind, which I shamelessly used to purchase myself a big coke - with the good ice - today.

Today someone came into my house and insulted the lunch I was eating, which was not even offered to him in the first place. And no, it wasn't the guy with the sunburst tattoo.

Satisfaction

I just spent the better part of the past four hours writing. Except for a small break to make my kids and their friends some snow cones, my fingers have been flying. I haven't done that in a really, really long time. And you know what? It is super satisfying. Remember my serial killer story? Yeah.

What gives you satisfaction? And please, no standard answers, i.e., hearing my children in laughter, a job well-done, etc. Because, while there is truth in those answers, they are the easy answers. So dig deep.