Some days are better than others and some days are worse. It’s been one of those days where I am really not sure. I got up at the buttcrack of dawn to walk 8 miles this morning. Surprisingly enough it was easy. The further I walk the easier the “shorter” walks get. And yes I just used the word shorter to describe an 8-mile walk that took about 2.5 hours to complete. Perspective is everything, isn’t it?

Then I cleaned up my stinky self and headed over the shop to teach. Fortunately I was prepared for my classes. Unfortunately the vast majority of my students forgot to come. That was more than a wee bit frustrating.

Then I came home and got ready to head out to the Boy Scout Court of Honor and potluck. I was prepared – all my potluck stuff was fixed last night except for the guacamole. But my 10 year old aspiring chef made up fresh guacamole for us, so we bug sprayed ourselves up and headed out.

I took my knitting with me, but I didn’t get anything done. It was just hot to knit with alpaca and silk and cashmere. The dinner was good – if not just a bit too long. It is still very hot out there, and 2.5 hours sitting in a muggy Florida forest was not the most enjoyable. Despite copious application of bug spray, the bugs were still biting. And as the awards and announcements went on and on I found myself very sleepy. Until the closing ceremony.

I know what today is. It is impossible to forget. Everywhere in the media you are reminded. Of what happened. And to remember where you were. Everyone has a story. For mine, I worked at a newspaper at the time. Now that was a surreal place to hear about all that was going on.

But the closing ceremony tonight was a Flag Retirement Ceremony. And suddenly scruffy, smelly boys stood up tall in their Boy Scout Uniforms and paid attention. Each flag was saluted before it was lowered into the fire. Moving words were spoken, and all was hushed and reverent. It was  kind of eerie actually. But as the flags burned I remembered what today is, what it means to our country. And so it was one of those days. The kind of day you can’t define, but are too tired at the end of it to even trek out to buy yourself a well deserved drink. Not a better day or a worse day, but a full day nonetheless.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the minivan this past week. And that, combined with my advancing age, has led me to think too much.

1. America is too much the same. Every city has the same restaurants, the same stores. It’s kind of sad.

2. I have an amazing family. All of them. Even though some of the crazy connections are strange fodder for afternoon talk shows, they are made of awesome.

3. It’s hotter in Ohio than it is where I live in Florida right now. That is just wrong.

4. I miss hills and mountains. Jacksonville is too cussing flat.

5. My new favorite curseword is “cuss”. I blame Mr. Fox.

6. Marking time by how fast children grow is bittersweet.

7. I think there might be some niece or nephew to call me Aunt Coco forever.

8. I need more summer dresses if it’s gonna be this hot all over.

9. It’s really fun to wake up to umpteen birthday wishes on facebook.

10. It’s reassuring how somethings (and some people) never change.

11. It’s disheartening that the ones who really need to change never do.

12. I have the best sons in the world. You can’t have them.

13. Ditto for the husband.

14. The older I get, the more proficient I am at hiding my gray hair.

15. Today for my birthday I am getting a pedicure come cuss or high water. Fortunately musing #1 insures that there will be a nice little nail salon in every strip mall.

16. Short hair is way easier to take care of than long hair.

17. The hills in Cincinnati are more beautiful than I remember.

18. Skyline chili never changes.

19. Nor does LaRosa’s.

20. That’s two of those good not-changing things.

21. Yes, I am running out of profound thoughts. Why do you ask?

22. I love having a business that keeps running even while I am away.

23. Ditto when I’m asleep.

24. Vacation can make you a slacker when it comes to things like training for the 3-day.

25. But a nice hike in the ever lovely Rowe Woods can be a reasonable substitute, right?

26. My 20th high school reunion is this fall.

27. I wish I could go, but October is just too busy of a month.

28. You are never too old for Scooby Doo.

29. I can listen to Jim Dale read Harry Potter over and over again – even though I know how every story ends.

30. Wireless internet is a thing of beauty.

31. A knitting designer can never have too many stitch dictionaries/inspiration books.

32. To that end I bought two more last night.

33. Some of the pictures of me that hang in these homes I am visiting are very embarrassing.

34. No, I will not share them with you.

35. Trying to give up a 26 year addiction to diet pepsi during vacation is not the best plan.

36. Writing 38 things without my morning diet pepsi is also not very wise.

37. In order to see everyone I would like to see on vacation, this trip would have had to be a month long.

38. Being this close to forty is a bit humbling. But I’m happier than I’ve ever been and I can’t complain.

UPDATE: I am closing comments on this post. I’ve approved a few more, but you would not believe the amount of spam I get about this picture. So let’s review: I’m not selling mine. I don’t want to buy yours. And I’m not a B. Mitchell painting broker. Sheesh. I have half a mind to make this post private.

There is a mystery that has been haunting me for as long as I can remember. Something I don’t understand, something that I have wondered about. Something I am reminded of every day when I see this picture hanging in my dining room:

When I was a child this picture hung in our house. As an adult my mom passed it on to me. It matches the dark wood on my dining room table. And honestly even though it’s incredibly dated, no where feels like home without this picture. It’s the first thing I hang. My husband likes to mock me for this.

But let’s talk about the mystery. I *think* this is an old Home Interiors print. I don’t even think they have Home Interiors anymore. It was a party thing – like Tupperware – except you bought home decoration items. We had quite a few of them in my house when I was growing up.

The picture has 12 panes. Twelve little mini pictures – all little slices of Americana done mostly in an Autumn theme. Lord how I miss Autumn. Florida doesn’t do Autumn. We get summer and winter here. And winter is short. But I digress. As usual. I know, get on with it.

Each of the 12 panes has a signature in neat print – B. Mitchell. Each pane except one. The bottom right pane – the one with the grass and the broken down wagon does not seem to have a signature. I remember as a child staring at that pane forever trying to find it. It didn’t make sense to me then and it doesn’t now. Did they forget? Did B. Mitchell not paint that one? Was it some anonymous person? Are they trying to drive me insane?

I’ve told this story to my boys and every once in a while they will stop and look at it and try to find the signature. I’ve passed on the madness!!! Have you seen this painting? Did it hang in your mama’s house? Is your 12th pane signed? Can you tell me where the signature is hidden? Or just tell me I will never find it so I can stop looking already.

EDITED TO ADD: I have no idea what the painting is worth. And I have no intention of selling it. I just wondered if anyone knew about the signature in the 12th pane. :/

I hope the boys never outgrow delight. That they always find fun in the little things. That they never need the bigger, better, faster, more sort of thing. Ok, that sounds really corny – considering that it is inspired by a trip to Universal. But the boys really do seem to like the silliest things best. Yes, they are impressed by the flashy and the crazy. But the most fun they had the whole trip was either the One Fish Two Fish ride in Seussland or the Accelatron in the Marvel area – which is basically a teacup ride in X-Men style.

One Fish Two Fish is a simple ride. You ride around in flying fishes. They go up and down. A silly Seussical song is played. And then the fishes squirt water at you. And the boys smiled and laughed and giggled like nobody’s business. They are getting older you know. They will be eleven and twelve at summer’s end. But it makes me so happy that they still can have fun with something like this. It’s not beneath them.

I hope it never is.