Well, that was sudden.

My kids know the best way to get my attention early in the morning is with a note.

They leave notes for me, on Ol' Bessy, my ancient laptop (the one that no longer gets online, but is useful for keeping documents).

Notes asking for an early wake up.  Notes telling me "I'll need the car today" or "I won't be home tonight."  Once a note telling me there was a cottonmouth snake downstairs, and to please not let the cats do down there until the very venomous critter could be returned to the creek.

So i never quite know what to expect when coming downstairs in the morning, and that's not just how high dishes are in the sink of which cats are screaming for food.

#1 Son has been trying to move out and be on his own for quite some time.  He has managed a couple of times to get going, and then have the rug pulled out from under him, landing him back here.

The other day i came downstairs to this:

His "I'm moving out!" note.

Later, before he went to work that day, he gave me the details.

"Hey, mom, did you get my note?" he asked.

Of course i did, i said.

"Well, remember Sam?" he asked.

How could i forget the person who dropped SissyCat/Tripod off here 'for a couple of weeks' and never came back for her? i asked drily.

"Well, yes, there was that.  But SissyCat is better off here, anyway.  Remember what a mean, nasty cat she was when she got here, and now she's sweet and loving and lets everyone pet her.  But anyway, I'm moving in with Sam and Fred!"

Sam owns the trailer she lives in, right?  And Fred is her fiancé?

"Yes.  She owns the trailer, and her family owns the land so there's no danger they'll be kicked out.  And she and Fred are only using the one bedroom on one side of a double-wide that has three bedrooms.  And they've been talking about getting someone to rent a bedroom on the other end of the trailer, and last night when I was over there I was telling them I was still looking for a place, and they said they were thinking of getting someone and could I move in tomorrow!  So, it's tomorrow, and I'm moving in."

Except that you will have further to drive to work, it sounds ideal, i said.

"It's only $300 a month, and that's the room, electric, water, TV, and internet, so it is ideal!" he said.

"They said I can bring the cats, too, but not right away.  It's going to take me a few days of moving stuff a bit at a time around work to get everything there.  And I'll take Mikey in the next couple of days, get him used to things, and then EnigmaSissy."

Do they have other pets? i asked.

"They have an iguana, and a huge fish tank, and a dog," he said.

Well, you will have to watch EnigmaSissy, i noted.  You know she attacks other animals, and she's likely to camp out in front of an aquarium and plan on how to get fish for dinner.

"Huh, I'd like to see that!" he said.  "The aquarium is a giant one with coral reefs and there's no way she can get it in, although she will probably love watching it.  The iguana is bigger than she is, and mean, and whips you with its tail, she'll leave him alone after one encounter with that.  As for the dog, you are right, we will have to watch.  She used to chase Meatball and Luther around the house, and they were pit bulls."

Sweetheart, i'm glad for you, i said.

"Thanks, mom," he said.  "And thanks for being so patient with me while I looked for a place."

Glad to.  Really, i was glad to.

Today is

Buffalo Soldiers Day -- US (as designated by Congress)

Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval a/k/a Expulsion of the Acadians Day -- Canada
        
Festival of Hedjihotep -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (goddess of weaving; date approximate)

Imp-Handling Conference -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day -- Peru(1821)

Liberation Day / Anniversary of the Fall of Fascism -- San Marino

Nagasaki Peiron Senshuken -- Nagasaki, Japan (two day dragon boat racing festival begun in the 17th century)

National Milk Chocolate Day

Olavsokuaftan (Olavsoka Eve) and the Olai Festival -- Faroe Islands (St. Olav's Eve, the night before the opening of Parliament and the festival of St. Olav; through tomorrow)

Soma-Nomaoi -- Haramachi City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (three day wild horse chase which recreates a battle from over 1,000 years ago)

St. Arduinus of Trepino's Day (Patron of Trepino, Italy)

Terry Fox Day -- born in Winnipeg on this date in 1958, he raised $24 million for cancer research by running over 3,000 miles on an artificial leg before his death in 1981 at age 23

World Hepatitis Day -- International 


Anniversaries Today

The first Singing Telegram is delivered, 1933
Henry VIII marries Catherine Howard, 1540


Birthdays Today

Lori Loughlin, 1964
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox, 1958
Hugo Chavez, 1954
Sally Struthers, 1948
Linda Kelsey, 1946
Jim Davis, 1945
Rick Wright, 1945
Bill Bradley, 1943
Phil Proctor, 1040
Darryl Hickman, 1931
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, 1929
Jacques Piccard, 1922
Earl Tupper, 1907
Rudy Vallee, 1901
Joe E. Brown, 1892
Beatrix Potter, 1866 
Thomas Heyward, Jr., 1746


Today in History

Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of treason, 1540
Bermuda is first settled by Europeans, survivors of the English ship Sea Venture en route to Virginia, 1609
Maximilien Robespierre is executed by guillotine in Paris during the French Revolution, 1794
Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina, 1865
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, guaranteeing due process and establishing citizenship for African Americans is certified, 1868
First flight of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1935
The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad foils a bullion robbery in the "Battle of London Airport", 1948
The Tangshan earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 moment magnitude flattens Tangshan, the People's Republic of China, killing 242,769 and injuring 164,851, 1976
Andorra joins the United Nations, 1993
Australian Ian Thorpe becomes the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single World Championships, 2001
The Provisional Irish Republican Army calls an end to its thirty year long armed campaign in Northern Ireland, 2005
The U-550, a sunken German U-Boat, is discovered off the cost of Massachusetts, 2012

Cramped

It's a bit cramped over at Ms. P's new place.

New place, tiny closets.

For those who want to know, Ms. P was married to the ex for over 10 years.  When he dumped her for a new honey, he had been lying to her for a long time about a lot of things.  He didn't tell her that their house was far enough behind that it was in danger of foreclosing and that they were in serious trouble with the IRS.

Because he has now set himself up to receive almost no money from his job, but for all of it to go to the new honey because he opened the business in her name, he can claim he's too poor to pay child support or anything else.  He provides little or nothing for the kids, and only takes them for his weekends on occasion.  He is most likely to take Eldest Boy and leave the rest.

The Big Boss had known Ms. P for quite a while, and when he realized the IRS was only letting her keep about $150/week of anything she earned, and that she would soon be homeless, he stepped in to help.  He has made sure she and the kids have what they need.  Having her family to be his pet project and take care of them proved to be the best thing in the world for him when everything blew up at work and he had to retire.  She and the children have kept him from wallowing and fretting and having nothing much to do, and they all love him dearly.  When he has needed support, he's had it, from them and us.

Stuff everywhere in the new place

Ms. P still needs to get the house sold, however, which she has known from the beginning.  Even if she is found to be an innocent spouse and not owe the IRS money (after all, the ex worked and she just signed where he told her to when tax time came), there's no way she can afford the house.

She and the kids are now living in one of The Big Boss's houses that he usually rents out (he owns several).  This one is over 60 years old, so the closets are small and the whole thing modest and compact.  

The hallway -- suck in your gut and get through!

For the time being, she wants the children here and wants them to understand that they are not still living the lifestyle they had when their father was "taking care" of them.  She doesn't say a bad word about him in front of the kids, none of us do, but they will understand as they get older.

Especially as they now live in such a cramped place, compared to what they are used to.

Today is

Ascension Day -- Christian; related observances
     Procession of the Holy Blood -- Belgium (religious historical procession recalling the adventurous crusaders, especially Count Thierry of Alsace, who was supposed to have carried back relics of the Holy Blood)

Brown Bag-It Thursday -- it's cheaper and healthier

Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jumping Jubilee -- Calaveras Fairgrounds, Angel's Camp, CA, US (the "Super Bowl" of frog jumping contests; through Sunday)
     Frog Jumping Day -- for those of us who don't live in Calaveras County, you can still celebrate Mark Twain's famous story and go play with a frog

Carabao Festival -- Pulilan, Philippines (to honor their patron, St. Isidro [St. Isadore the Farmer], hundreds of carabaos [water buffalo] are dressed up and paraded, and eventually blessed in front of the church; through tomorrow)

Dance Like a Chicken Day -- no idea why today, but i'm waiting for wedding season

Drunk Driving Memorial Day -- not sponsored by MADD, or anyone else i can find, but let's all work and pray for the day drunk driving by anyone is just a bad memory

French Fairy Awareness Day -- Fairy Calendar

Gesta de Independencia -- Paraguay

Izumo-taisha Shrine Grand Festival -- Izumo-taisha, Japan (through tomorrow)

Marshmallow Fluff Day -- Mr. Durkee and Mr. Mower announced, on this day in 1920, that they were in business producing this sweet confection

Mars Invictus Festival -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Midnight Sun at North Cape -- Norway (the sun will not set until July 30)

Miles City Bucking Horse Sale -- Miles City, MT, US (a celebration worthy of the city that inspired "Lonesome Dove;" through Sunday)

National Buttermilk Biscuit Day

National Unification Day -- Liberia

President Kamuzu Banda's Birthday -- Malawi

Runic Half-Month Ing (expansive energy) commences

"Stars and Stripes Forever" Day -- first public performance this day in 1897

St. Bonifatius' Day (4th Ice Saint)

St. Matthias the Apostle's Day (Patron of carpenters, reformed alcoholics, tailors; Gary, Indiana; Great Falls-Billings, Montana; against alcoholism and smallpox)

Underground America Day -- Malcolm Wells wants us to imagine what our landscapes would look like if more of our buildings were under ground

Anniversaries Today:

Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark marries Mary Donaldson, 2004
Carlsbad Caverns National Park established, NM, US, 1930


Birthdays Today:

Miranda Cosgrove, 1993
Amber Tamblyn, 1983
Dan Auerbach, 1979
Martine McCutdcheon, 1976
Cate Blanchett, 1969
Danny Wood, 1969
Jose Da Silveira, 1965
Suzy Kolber, 1964
Tim Roth, 1961
Valerie Still, 1961
Ronan Tynan, 1960
David Byrne, 1952
Robert Zemechis, 1951
Meg Foster, 1948
George Lucas, 1944
Jack Bruce, 1943
Atanasio "Tony" Perez, 1942
Bobby Darin, 1936
Laszlo Kovacs, 1933
Patrice Munsel, 1925
Otto Klemperer, 1885
Robert Owen, 1771
Thomas Gainsborough, 1727
Gabrile Daniel Fahrenheit, 1686


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Kids Are Alright"(Documentary), 1979
“It’s Time for Ernie"(Ernie Kovacs' TV premier), 1951
"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd: A Requiem for those we love"(Hindemith composition), 1946
"Die Hebriden/The Hebrides"(Mendelssohn Op. 26), 1832


Today in History:

Jamestown, Virginia is settled as an English colony, 1607
Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox  vaccination, 1796
The Lewis and Clark expedition sets out, 1804
Paraguay  gains independence from Spain, 1811
The first edition of the London Illustrated Times is published, 1842
Gail Borden patents her process for condensed milk, 1853
Vaseline, the first petroleum jelly, is marketed, 1878
Lina Medina becomes the world's youngest confirmed mother in medical history at the age of five, 1939
Israel is declared to be an independent state and a provisional government is established; immediately after the declaration, Israel is attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, 1948
Kuwait joins the United Nations, 1963
Skylab, the United States' first space station, is launched, 1973
The Institute for War documents publishes Anne Franks complete diary, 1986
The last episode of Seinfeld airs, with commercials going for $2M per 30 seconds, 1998
Scientists at Stanford University invent a working bionic eye the is powered only by focused light; the eye could eventually restore the sight of millions of people suffering from macular degeneration and retinal pigmentosa, 2012

It finally happened.

Ms. P and the kids moved.  And like most moves, it has its complications.

First, the house wasn't really ready.  Despite loads and loads of handyman work in the past two or three months, there are problems.  The kitchen sink drain got disconnected by one of the workers (we figure one of the ones who used the opportunity of being in the house alone to steal a few items and order a couple of porn movies on the TV) the day before they moved in, and didn't get reconnected.  They didn't find this out until they turned the water on.  You can imagine how much fun they had there.

The washing machine is hooked up wrong, so the hot water is hooked up to the cold water valve and vice versa.  When i went over to do laundry on Tuesday, i figured it out when everything came out of the "cold rinse" blazing hot.

One toilet doesn't work, the workers left grout and crud where it shouldn't be, and because they hadn't finished the work, the place wasn't cleaned up thoroughly before the move.  Everything was moved in on top of the construction/repair dust, dirt, and detritus.

Ms. P's wonderful Sunday school class at her church helped with the actual move.  They were wonderful, but they took it upon themselves to move almost everything, not just what she had packed and indicated was to be moved.

The result is that they've tried to cram the furnishings and everything else from a 2,000+ square foot house that had 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, a bonus room, and generous living and dining rooms into a space about half the size, 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, and a tiny living/dining area.

To say it doesn't work is an understatement.

Today i am back over trying to help sort.  This could take a while.

Today is

Beaufort Wind Force Scale Day -- birth anniversary of the British Navy officer whose wind scale, in refined form

Box Camera Day -- George Eastman patented the Box Camera on this day in 1888

Childhood Depression Awareness Day / Children's Mental Health Awareness Day -- US (sometimes also called Green Ribbon Day, and sponsored by SAMHSA;  SAMHSA's "Caring for Every Child's Mental Health" public awareness effort)

Day of the Soldier -- El Salvador 

Doodle 4NF Auction Days -- Neurofibromatosis Foundation's biggest fundraiser, from today until May 17, go to Ebay to bid on doodles drawn by celebrities

Experience the Awesome Stomach-Churning Wonder of a Thrill Ride Day -- internet generated, and they can have it!

Feast of St. Nicola -- Bari, Italy (celebrates's the moving of the relics of St. Nicholas -- yes, later Santa Claus -- to this town, where they still are; here he is patron of orphans and pirates, and the date of his body's arrival is celebrated as a huge three-day festival with fireworks included)

Fire Escape Ladder Day -- Joseph Winters patented a wagon-mounted version on this day in 1878

Hamburg Harbor Day -- Hamburg, Germany (founding of the city)

Homeland Defender's Day -- Kazakhstan

Homespun History Day -- internet holiday often exploited by Modern Drunkard Magazine as a day upon which to drink specifically so the stories will sound better

Lag B'Omer -- Judaism (began sunset yesterday, ends sunset today)

Martin Z. Mollusk Day -- Ocean City, NJ (if the hermit crab sees his shadow, summer comes a week early)

Mom's Night Out -- sponsored by momsniteout.com

National Barrier Awareness Day -- US (declared by Presidential Proclamation in 1986)

National Day of Prayer -- US / Interfaith

National Day of Reason -- US Humanist alternative to the National Day of Prayer

National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day -- US (SAMHSA's "Caring for Every Child's Mental Health" public awareness effort)

National Roast Leg of Lamb Day

Nones of May -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Radio Day -- Bulgaria; Russia

St. Domitian of Huy's Day (Patron of Huy Liege, Belgium; against fever)



Anniversaries Today:

Founding of Univerzita Karlova in Prague, the first university in Central Europe, 1348


Birthdays Today:

Owen Hart, 1965
Peter Reckell, 1955
Amy Heckerling, 1954
Tim Russert, 1950
Johnny Unitas, 1933
Teresa Brewer, 1931
Darren McGavin, 1922
Eva Peron, 1919
Gary Cooper, 1901
Archibald Macleish, 1892
Gabby Hayes, 1885
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1840
Johannes Brahms, 1833
Robert Browning, 1812
Francis Beaufort, 1774
David Hume, 1711


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Strike It Rich"(TV), 1951
Choral Symphony in D Minor(Beethoven's Ninth), 1824


Today in History:

The dome of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople collapses, 558
Joan of Arc leads the final charge in the Battle of Orleans, 1429
Louis XIV of France inaugurates The Palace of Versailles, 1664
The city of New Orleans is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, 1718
Jews are expelled from Ukraine by Empress Catherine I of Russia, 1727
Chief Pontiac begins the "Conspiracy of Pontiac" by attacking British forces at Fort Detroit, 1763
The independence of Greece is recognized by the Treaty of London, 1832
George Eastman patents the "Kodak Box Camera," 1888
In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning  detector — a primitive radio receiver, 1895
German  submarine  SM U-20  sinks RMS Lusitania, 1915
England lowers age of women voters from 30 to 21, 1928
Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded with around 20 employees, 1946
The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress, 1948
The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer, 1952
Canadian Patrick Morrow became the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits, 1986
The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission, 1992
Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for $40 billion USD and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history, 1998
The tomb of Herod the Great is discovered, 2007
A new study reports that all Europeans are related to a small group of ancestors dating back only 1,000 years; researchers believe it's likely that everyone in the world is related over the past few thousand years, 2013