THE T & L SNAP WATCH

I have really had a crappy couple of weeks and L isn't exactly doing the "Happy Dance", but you would think that things would start to look up, wouldn't you?

So, the latest event to push me into blog mode was moments ago, when the frame store called to tell me my canvas isn't square. The single only painting I felt frame worthy, and the damn thing isn't square. Perfect! Solution, re-stretch the canvas, $75.00. Well, why not, there is only about $75.00 worth of paint on said canvas, and the canvas was $65.00 to begin with. Framing another $135.00. Sure, what's another $75.00. This must be the pain and suffering of a struggling artist.

That is the ending of the story, here is the beginning. Aside from the fact that my very special daughter-in-law, on a week by week basis, wants to be married or doesn't, I don't care either way, but when she doesn't, I become the proud owner of her husband, my son. In the past month he has been bounced here twice and quite frankly, my tired hurts. Add this to the continuing construction of the T & L Art Studio, grandma's daily problems at the "home"and my husband's dive into depression after the death of his mother and you're lookin' at a whole bucket full of stress. Less has never been more for me, so I can only assume that God was trying to teach me a lesson when he struck me with the POX. A disease so vile that I literally spent two days hallucinating, on a bed in Mesquite, while trying to entertain friends and celebrate my daughter's 18th birthday. Swine flu would have been a cake walk. This thing changed symptoms daily. Twelve days later, I'm proud to say that I can drink water without throwing up, can eat small amounts of food and have stopped shaking enough to type on the keyboard. The only residual effects are an extremely nasty attitude and sixteen rows of fever blisters that haven't quite healed. Wait, I think I had the nasty attitude before the illness.

During our morning discussion, not surprisingly, L voiced my same feelings. It is just a matter of time before someone gets their head snapped off. Mercury may be in retrograde, the planets may be unaligned, it may be karma, but I think we have just had a gut full. We are a fun loving duo. We give to our kids, the community, our friends and clients until it hurts and then one day, you wake up and wonder why they all expect so much. Our own fault, true, but I think there is a new Sheriff in town. Come on, L, let's saddle up and take a little vacation. Hugs, T.