It Doesn't Stop When They Turn 18

Well, it's been more than three weeks since I published an entry here. The reason is my two "babies" needed me. Big time.

Kyle, who just turned 23, got a job in Aspen and had to wrap up his life here and get out there to start work in less than three weeks. I spent lots of time helping him make lists, advising on decisions from which furniture to take to his new home to buying a car that would be safe for snowy mountain driving. I also helped him pack up his entire apartment. That kid is a real pack rat!

He'll be back the first weekend in December to get all his stuff and load it into a U-Haul truck for the trek to his new apartment. I may go with him to help him get set up, then fly back. That ought to be fun, since he has two cats to move too. But I would love to see the area and be able to picture where he is when I talk to him.

Kyle arrived safely in Aspen on Sunday, November 12. On Monday morning the 13th, I received a hysterical call from Lianne (age 20) that her apartment in Isla Vista was completely flooded. And she was NOT exaggerating! When I arrived two hours later she was still sitting in up to two inches of water and nothing had been done beyond turning off the source of the water in the apartment above hers. Three days and dozens of phone calls and hours of internet research later, she and her boyfriend will be moving back in today. It took a call to the management company's corporate office to get her property manager to take the situation seriously and put the kids up in a hotel for a few nights. On Wednesday, I helped them pack up their entire apartment, including washing every dish, pan and untensil in the place, and do 14 loads of laundry. They've had to grow up very fast and learn how to stand up for themselves and argue succesfully with people in positions of power who supposedly have much more knowledge and experience than they do.

So, my "mom" planet must be in the house of packing belongings and coaching adult kids through big life decisions and crises. Oh, and did I mention Mark was in Seattle at a meeting all week? I barely had a chance to talk to him the entire week because whenever he had a break to call me, I was up to my elbows in moldy laundry or making phone calls to building inspectors and landlor-tenent mediators.

As a result of all this, I've done no artwork this week. I have finished a couple of Xmas gifts in the past couple of weeks, but I don't want to post photos of those here, since they're surprises. I will say they involve wool sweaters purchased at thrift stores and then felted, cut up, and given a new life.

Next week I have a pretty big medical procedure on Tuesday, then Thanksgiving for the family, without Kyle ;-(, here on Thursday. Gotta go order that turkey!