Two Pine Trees

I walked out my door this morning resigned to the saga of the leaves. Armed with the blower, I was determined to handle the leaves in the only way someone of my stature - short, and tired - can handle them. Blow them into the landscaping, and hope for a miracle storm to decimate them. But then I saw the flags. Three garden flags, the third one added last year when our older son left for college. The ECU flag (MINE) still stood upright. The Tennessee flag (hubby's) still stood upright. But the Clemson flag, that tiger paw flag which is orange on one side, and purple on the other, had been very unceremoniously yanked out of the ground, flagpole and all, and thrown down. Seriously? Sheesh. I mean, yeah, I get that not everyone likes Clemson. Personally, if they ever play ECU in anything my purple wearing self will NOT be cheering for the Tigers. I mean, yeah, I pull for them to see our kids happy, but I've got my priorities, and the word Clemson shows up no where on my diploma...

And it's a wrap - well, almost a wrap. One awards ceremony, and one commencement left to go and I can move on from the secondary school system portion of the motherhood program. Truly this has not been me at my best. Maybe not always at my worst, but definitely not at my best. I am not someone who enjoys large crowds or gatherings except at college football games. And when you think college football games you should think about this - the crowds are usually large enough that you are anonymous in a crowd. But at school events, no such luck. School events are where you get to see the Royal Motherhood, the Queen Bees, the Perfection of the Hairdo, the GOOD MOMS . AND THEY ALWAYS SEE YOU COMING. Seriously, it's like they have radar or something. Maybe they are activated by the whiff of desperation and anxiety coming from my armpits, I don't know, but it's like I would turn a corner, and there it was, that condescending smirk of disapproval wrapped up in a smile. Think Chesh...