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Monday, Aug. 22, 2005 - 9:16 p.m.

A busy few days (as opposed to what? I can�t remember the last time I was able to just do�nothing)�plus a long rant about mother dearest, and a photo of pigs�

Over the weekend, I was able to accomplish the following:

Canned 22 pints of mild salsa. Total for the year (regular tomato salsa) is near 100 pints. I�ll make maybe 2 more large batches before frost hits.

Finalized vacation plans for Lease and I. We tried to find a nice cabin setup in the Shawnee National Forest like the one we stayed in at Gatlinburg, Tennessee last year, but everything that looked good was already booked. Since we are a little strapped for cash this fall (had to write an unexpected $2200 check to Codeman�s college last week- they had miscalculated his tuition total, and it was too late to get more in student loans. Hopefully, they will get it right for the second semester), we decided that a stay in Carbongdale would be the ticket.

We were able to book the deluxe whirlpool suite at a motel we have stayed at before for around $100 a night. But for only 3 nights- it is booked for the rest of the week.

So�

The gave us another room for $54 a night for the last 2 days.

Bargain.

We will probably just fish, shop a little (outlet stores nearby, plus plenty of antiques too). Might hit an orchard or vineyard, too.

Lease said she wanted a relaxing vacation- no big cities, no crowds. Just someplace where we can enjoy nature and each other�s company.

Carbongdale has worked for us before. It�s not like we have to go someplace new every year anyway�


Sunday, I wrote a long-overdue email to my mom. She has been dumping a ton of guilt on me recently, mainly because she wants to stay at our house for 3-4 days while she catches up with old friends and such here in Mohall. I have tried to deal with this problem for 15 years, and every time I think she understands she just invites herself up again.

If you haven�t been here long, let me reintroduce you to my mom- She left my family for her lesbian lover when I was 12 years old. Her lover was my 6th grade teacher, and I had to finish out the spring months with them already living together.

Not a pretty picture, eh?

She didn�t contest the divorce from my Dad- she also didn�t fight for any form of custody. Having children around would slow her new lifestyle down.

I talked to her on the phone occasionally until I was about 17. I told her I didn�t want her in my life any more. That was 1978.

She didn�t fight me.

I had nothing to do with her until a couple of months before my son was born (1985). Then, my sister (who at the time was still somewhat getting along with mom) convinced me that (the son to be born Codeman) should know who his grandmother was.

So I tried to reconcile with her.

Not long after that, my sister decided she couldn�t deal with my mom any more. SO that left me to absorb her constant guilt tripping.

A few years ago, her lover died. Since she had moved to Kentucky to live with her (they kept separate houses- can�t be �out� in Hillbilly country, no can you?), she now lives alone. Her main things in life now are the Catholic Church (bet they don�t know her secret) and volunteer work at a school library (she retired a couple of years ago).

Things went downhill (even though are relationship wasn�t on much of a hill- more like a small burm) when she had an operation last summer. She hinted around that she wanted me to come down to her hometown to help her recuperation. She said it would take her 6-8 WEEKS to get on her feet again.

No fuckin� way. I couldn�t take a leave of absence from my job. Even if they would let me do so, we couldn�t have paid our bills without my income.

So she had to get visiting nurses to help her out.

BTW- I cannot imagine changing my mom�s surgical dressings. This is someone who I barely have a relationship, and now that everything wasn�t going her way, she expected me to run down and be her good little boy.

Since I didn�t, she has become increasingly nasty towards Lease, can�t say a nice word about her only grandson (mainly because he wouldn�t give her one of his seats at college graduation this spring), and has turned up the sigh/guilt machine to high on me.

She used to stay at her aunts house in another town near here, but this time around she made a bunch of excuses so she wouldn�t come up. So� she called about 2 weeks ago and wanted to know when we could have her up for a few days.

Like we had never discussed this before, so many times.

And no, it�s not because she is poverty stricken- she takes all kinds of quilting trips and antiquing to the mountains with groups of her �friends�. She retired on a decent government pension (she went to college once she left my Dad, and was a respiratory therapy teacher for 25+ years), and her house has been paid off since my grandfather died back in the early 1980�s.

No, this is just a way for her to both take advantage of our lodging (she spends most of the time here visiting all her old friends anyway) and to try to control us in her odd way.

She left a sigh-filled message on my answering machine on Friday.

I snapped.

Rather than call her up and have to listen to her switch from crocodile tears to anger towards Lease and myself, I took my time and wrote her a long email, explaining how I have reached the end of my patience with her act. Told her I made a mistake allowing her to manipulate me for the last decade or so. And I told her that I just don�t want to deal with her drama anymore.

Sent it yesterday morning. She called here about 30 minutes later, but her tone was bitter, not upset.

I didn�t answer the phone.

And she hasn�t made any other effort to contact me since�


Oh yeah- the weekend:

Lease and I took it relatively easy. Watched a few on-demand movies and the Bears game Saturday. More of the on-demand Sunday. Got up early and hit rummage sales Saturday, slept in Sunday.

Ate too much good food, drank a little too much too.

Nice weekend�


Made my first batch of pasta sauce after work this evening. It has to go into the freezer- I can�t can it safely in a water bath.

Started with 2 5-gallon buckets of ripe tomatoes, plus a bunch of garlic and onions. Ended up with 9 quarts and 2 pints of orange-colored (all those yellow varieties, don�t �cha know?) goodness.

Not bad for an after work project�


Long enough entry, right?

Had to get that middle part off of my chest, that�s all.

I better leave you with a sunny photograph (even though it was raining when I took it). It shows some of the racing piglets at the state fair. Rubes and Angie were �cheerleaders� for the races- but that�s another story�

Cute, aren�t they?

Antique - Futuristic


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