Projects, Projects, Projects

If I had a theme to this year, it would be this: Projects.  Granted, we are less than six months in, but if the last half goes anything like the first, we have ourselves a theme.  If you've known me for a while, you know I can't turn down a project (especially the kind that come in a ready-made kit.  And especially if it's a plant in a box.  Ask my sister about that.)  Now, I can't say that all of these projects have been a success...I can't even say that most of them have, but the list of attempted "things" just keeps growing, and, in turn, so do I. 

First on my list (of attempts and of failures):  My pumpkin plants.  Actually, these are Patrick's pumpkin plants, as the Easter Bunny left him in his basket.  I had grand plans for these pumpkins and we planted three seeds.  We grew three plants.  I have since killed all three plants.  (In addition, I have killed three hydrangea plants since 3/20.  The first one I actually killed in two days.  I believe that to be a record.)  Thankfully, Patrick has hope.  The brown, wilted remains of the plants are still on the back porch in hopes that they can be revived.  Eventually, when he isn't looking, it would be nice to switch them out with three healthy, thriving plants, but I know I'd probably kill those, too, and the effort would just make no sense. 

Secondly, and one of my first successes, I barreled my own bourbon...and rocked out some pretty delicious stuff.  Now, you may be thinking, Does Catie drink bourbon?, and the answer to the question would be no.  However, I would like to, and when I found out that my beautiful friend and her husband had this cool business venture (Risky? Whisky.  Check it out here: www.i-byob.com.), I absolutely had to check it out. Now, if I had to do it all over again, I would read the tips available on the website and added in some vanilla or the like, but as it is, it's pretty good.  Adam loves it.  He's teaching me to sip on it...and I'm working on it.  (Our plan is to do the Bourbon Trail later on this fall, so I am easing myself into the acquired taste.) I did have pictures of the project at it's various stages, but I have replaced my phone since then...and have yet to recover my old pictures.  Trust me that it was a success, though.  This project comes highly recommended.

I started my birthday project, which really did go pretty well.  I learned fairly far into it, though, that 32 acts of kindness is a lot of work.  A lot.  So my project remains unfinished.  I did have a couple of kind acts here and there, but none so noteworthy as of recently that I felt the need to record them.  I try to be nice in general, but I kind of felt like that was a generic "out" for what should have been memorable acts.  I thought about sending cards or gifts to 10 or so random people to actually finish my project, but that also seemed a bit generic and, well, desperate, so I didn't.  Then, I got a call from my neighbor:

I have to preface this by saying that I live by a handful of elderly people.  And that I, with every ounce of my being, love eldery people (probably even more than I love babies...which is a lot.)  The elderly women walk up and down the street during the day, visiting one another.  They know exactly what is going on with everyone in the neighborhood, they attend neighborhood meetings and host bridge club.  They are, in a word, adorable.  So, on Sunday morning (after my sister's bachelorette party, so you can imagine how I was feeling), when my phone rang and it was Mrs. L next door, I knew something was wrong.  We call each other four times a year at most.  It's generally something like "Did I close my garage door?"  or "Can you call the power company for me?" or "Did you get your mail today?" or "Do you have any lime juice."  I had just talked to Mrs. L earlier in the week about something mundane, but knew that her 86 year-old husband was ill.  So, when she called again a couple of days later, I just sort of knew. I ignored her call.  (Terrible, I know, but review how I said I was feeling. I was in no condition to handle bad news.)  When I finally started to recover that evening, I nervously called her back.  She was sobbing.  "Bob died."  My heart broke, and there we were, two crying women on the phone, trying almost entertainingly to have a conversation.  (Interestingly, I had not seen Bob in a while and sort of wondered to Adam not long ago if he hadn't died earlier.  The fact that he hadn't and I wasn't a completely negligent neighbor was actually sort of a relief.  Selfish, I know.) 

Mrs. L invited me to the services.  She invited me to the showing, to the funeral, to the graveside services, to the luncheon, and to the family get-together back at her house.  She asked me to bring her dinner and to come over and visit more often.  She was lonely, she said.  With Adam gone most weeks, I am lonely, too.  So I decided to make Mrs. L my project.  I had grand intentions for us.  (I should mention that in addition to my affinity to ready-made projects, I am also a bit of a dreamer.)  I envisioned us having tea on her back porch, of her making cookies for the boys while I tidied up her house and brought in her mail.  In my daydreams, the kids never broke anything and I didn't even break a sweat in her house, which is kept at a balmy 80 degrees, so you can see that my envisioned relationship was nothing more than a dream.  Still, I was intent.  So, I called a few days later.  No call back, which in a way was strange, especially considering that she was by herself and I knew she was lonely.  When the ambulance showed up very early the next morning, I stood at the window for several minutes before heading over.  (I don't want to be a nosey neighbor, but I also didn't want her to be by herself.)  She had fallen and hit her head.  She is still in the hospital.  So, now I am torn between wanting to take care of her and not wanting to look like the intrusive neighbor.  Bleh.  Social norms and expecations are stupid.  What do I do?  I'm not giving up hope that I can at least help her out, but I am not exactly sure how yet.  Still, there we are: kind of back in Project Be a Good Person Limbo.

As far as other projects, Patrick and I have been painting quite a bit.  I am working on a diet overhaul (lost eleven pounds!), moved Leo to his new room, tried with decent success an ombre effect to my own hair, have started to potty train (almost a giant failure, but not giving up just yet), and have a couple of events in the books to plan.  This summer should be a good one, for sure.  At least that is my plan...my biggest project of all. Ready...go!