“I hear your daughter is sick. Are you not looking after her?”
Sigh. That’s what I heard today. Too many people here equate a child’s illness with a mother’s lack of care. (Note to the panicking grandparents: She just has the sniffles. That’s all. And she’s teething, so she’ uncomfortable. It’s nothing major. She’s fine.) It’s no wonder that mothers feel a need to demonstrate their fitness as a parent by stuffing their kids in parkas and wrapping woolen scarves around them well into April. My child is just wearing long sleeves and a light jacket. This is a lot considering that I’m in short sleeves. Still, she sniffles, so my parenting is called into question. Can I get a collective “Grrrr” from all of you out there? Thank you.
While I won’t miss unwarranted questions of my parenting, I have realized many things I will miss. Here’s a list of some of them for you:
* Stinky cheese. Man, this stuff is good.
* Sour cherry juice
* Having a market on the 1st floor of my building
* Looking out of my window to see the ocean
* The wonderful strawberries
* Sitting on the balcony in the summer eating grapes, drinking fruity fizzy water, and talking
* The slower pace of life that’s more people-oriented
* My dear friends here
I know I’ve griped about some things over the years because griping makes better posts. But, overall, I’m really going to miss some things about this place. I wish all of you could have come to visit before our move — you would really like it, too.
In other news, I got another offer today for the entire house. These people are so behind! The good news: My hub is out with a friend right now arranging to sell all of the rest of it. Hopefully by tonight people will start to come and take it all away!
The mab Blab 