The hamster got lost for two days, and no one noticed but me. I decided not to say anything. No need to rile people up around here, and either he would turn up, or not…. But no one noticed the cage was empty. It made me realize how much time I spend running this little farm around here, but my older daughter sure likes to take credit. Ah well.

The hamster turned up on the basement stairs as I was doing laundry, with a dusty butt and looking tired. I took him home and he had a bite and went to bed.

Other than that, I’ve been doing odds and ends that aren’t worth mentioning, let alone writing about. Do you ever have those stretches of days where you feel like you accomplish not very much, yet the household keeps running and the world doesn’t end? I am idling. I am always kind of a dud in the summer. They are predicting rain for the next week, so maybe I can regain some of that winter angst that makes me go. I’ve got a bead on a job, though, so I hope that pans out.

Something funny did happen last week when I went on Franny’s class camping trip. We slept in cabins with double bunks, meaning there were two people on the top, and two on the bottom. I slept with my kid, and the girls above me were early risers who had to use the bathroom. I could hear them whispering: “I have to use the bathroom.” “Meee tooooo.” I thought, OH they are going to totally wake up the other mom, because she’s the nice one (I’m the fun one, until someone loses an eye). I wait and wait. There is more whispering, followed by a quiet creep down the ladder. “Let’s wake up SJ.” Darn, but probably for the best as I was indeed awake.

“Fraaaanny,” they stage whispered, “Wake up your mom!”

“Mmm,” I heard her say, waking up. “Mom? Mom? MOM?” The stage whispering grew louder. She was inches from my face as I laid there playing possum.

“BOOO!” I whisper-yelled at her, watching her eyes go ginormous. Heh heh heh. That is a good way to wake up. The girls went to the bathroom and I lay still next to her. She soon got the wiggles and was making Marty Feldman face at me, followed by a rendition of “PYT.” I didn’t even know she knew the words to “PYT.” It’s small things like that that remind you that you maybe don’t know your kid as well as you thought you did, and they can surprise you. For my part, I think I peed a little laughing.