Baa! Baa!

The glass carafe on my coffee pot broke this weekend. This is not too much of a problem since I had changed over to hot tea this summer after spending time in Ireland. But company? They insist on coffee stateside. I made the trek to Bigbox Wallyworld for a new carafe, and guess what? The glass pot replacement costs almost the same as an entire new machine! To add injury to insult, the only color they had the replacement in was black handled, and my machine is white. Can you say "consumers are being led around like sheep"? We have no choice anymore but to change to what The Company says is the New! and Improved! model or color. And it makes me kind of ticked. All this "going green" is made impossible as manufacturers make items and color schemes obsolete.

And one of the scariest recent changes? I just replaced all the hardware in my entire home to oil rubbed bronze. ("The newest thing!" my helpers at Lowe's promised me.) Sunday night I heard from a good source that (wait for it:) GOLD fixtures are coming back in again. It wasn't pretty in the 80s and it won't be pretty in the 10s. Or whatever we are going to call this decade.

And then? I walked through SteinMart tonight and saw my entire 1976 wardrobe on display for this fall's purchasing pleasure. Sometimes I get a feeling that all unsold merchandise is warehoused and then put back on the salesroom floors about 35 years later. Like we could forget cowl necks and long knitted sweater vests. Again: wasn't pretty then, isn't pretty now.

But during this little tour o'stores after school today? Something wonderful happened. For the first time since July 13, 2009, I had the thought that I like my life. I mean, to misquote Sally Field, "I like it, I really like it." I've moved past feeling disloyal to D if I begin to enjoy things without him here. I appreciated having time to leisurely clean my classroom for tomorrow after school today. Then I did the WallyWorld stop, followed by Target, Steinmart and Bed, Bath and Beyond. (Oh, shower curtain that matches my new bathroom scheme: you are apparently going to be somewhat of a challenge to me.) Not having to rush home made even after-school shopping fun. Obviously, I would not trade this new freedom for having D back. But this is where I am in life. And I'm starting to warm up to it.

And speaking of change: where is Young Son in his bicycle ride across America? Holbrook, Arizona: 1015 miles from his starting point of Austin, Texas. He just saw the Petrified Forest and is heading on to Flagstaff.

The temperatures in my neck of the woods are dipping into the 80s this week, just in time to welcome Fall-- Texas style. Welcoming the "cool". And welcoming the changes.