Grrrrrr…

Day 1711

Sorry in advance. You get pissy, bitchin’ Brian today. But I’ll try to end with a pretty picture. Certainly not one of me. I’ll also try to keep this brief (heh – I know I know)

So. The back story. Y’all know I am a card carrying member of Al Anon, the group that teaches people how to deal with living with alcoholics (and other things too, but that’s another story). Because I just can’t help myself, I’m also the Group Representative (GR) for the Tuesday night meeting group I attend. As a GR, I get to attend 2 state level conventions/assemblies a year and report back to the group on what I learned at these meets. Usually it’s a readers digest version of what’s happening on a national level, and how we’re driving for membership, new literature, public outreach campaigns, all sorts of good stuff. Additionally, I get to attend a meeting once a month that deals with the politics of the organization on a more local level – like county wide. This happens to be our “District”. Our district meetings usually take place at a local in-patient substance abuse treatment facility. At 7:30 in the evening, they have a lovely meeting room in the public portion of their facility that they let us use. At one time, it was also a requirement for families of patients to attend at least one Al Anon meeting, so a group was started there. Having the district meetings there was just a natural follow on. Plus the rent is really cheap.

‘Scuse me – gotta go burn a Ubuntu CD image. If writing gets a little choppy, it’s the burner intercepting my thoughts . . .

Anyhow. District meetings don’t happen in July & August. Even co-dependents can occasionally find interesting things to do in the summer. To sort of put an official end to the meeting cycle, the June meeting I usually held at someone’s house. We have a picnic style dinner, engage in a little chit-chat, then conduct the business portion of the meeting. In all, the blessed event takes maybe 3 hours. (Can you see where this is headed yet?)

Unofficially, I mentioned to our two district reps that geeze, our porch is finished, the kitchen & family room are done, why don’t we have the picnic meeting at my place. If it rains, we’ll be under cover, and if the weather is nice we’ll be in the shade! Plus everyone would get to see the remodel job I’ve been mentioning for the last year plus.

Officially, about a month ago I mentioned my desire to host the annual picnic meeting at our house to Cindy. There were two options for dates – a Saturday afternoon or a Wednesday evening. Cindy was, of course, invited (as all spouses are for this meeting – not everybody is married to their qualifying addict), or if she’d rather she could do what ever else she liked. At the time she was rather non-committal, mumbling something about the dates being awful soon after the wedding (I called bull on that, it’s 2 weeks after).

Well, last night I kinda wanted to firm things up, so I asked Cindy again about how she felt about me hosting the picnic meeting here. Bottom line – she was ‘uncomfortable’ with it. Felt she wouldn’t be welcome in her own house. Thought she’d be giving up a Saturday.

Funny thing, that. Three or so days after I first pitched the idea to her, she declared that she was hosting some jewelry party in early May and we needed to get the porch finished. Talk about feeling uncomfortable! Talk about losing a Saturday! (I jest – it’s a perfect excuse to get the hell outta dodge and go for a bike ride or get in a leisurely 9 holes of golf)

Still – Cindy declares her plans and I’m left to do what ever. No consideration on her part about what I’m going to do while the house is full of more estrogen units than is considered safe for one man. Maybe she (safely) assumed I’d go golfing. I really don’t know. But we’ll be talking about why I ask for input from her before committing to a gathering, while she just declares what she’s going to do and I’m left to fend for myself. Does that sound right? Not to me.

Now for a little photo journalism . . .

More springness

No idea what they are.  2″ tall, flowers are maybe 1/2″ wide.

Arborvitae pruned by deer

The body of that bush should be thicker than that little tuft at the top.

Flowering plum in the front yard busting out in bloom

When the flowers are gone, it still has nice, rusty colored leaves.

Last one – what I did on my weekend ‘vacation’

looking northeast

Furniture will finaly get placed this week – as soon as the last of the floor paint dries.  Did you know paint dries really, really slowly when it’s only 40 degrees out?