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WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING

Unpacking books. I am pleased to report that we can actually glimpse large patches of garage floor, because all the paperbacks have been shelved and last night I got as far as the Fs in the hardcovers. The only casualty so far has been an overlooked bag of hardcover Bs, which surfaced last night while I was in embroiled in the Ds, far too late to reshelve everything for the benefit of a recalcitrant bag of B authors. So those books will have to wait until there's room on the B shelves. That'll teach 'em.

Kip has been trying to make sense of the kitchen. This really isn't an odious task for him, because he is so happy that he finally has a real kitchen in which to cook. The presence of almost too many cabinets, a huge refrigerator, a pantry, etc., etc., is enough to make him do periodic little happy dances while holding fistfuls of utensils. (He's not quite as thrilled by the fact that we have an electric stove now instead of gas, but I myself am ecstatic because it's one of those flat-top ranges, which makes it very easy to clean, and Kip is not one whom I would describe as a neat, tidy, non-messy cook. It's one of those genius things. And not that I'm complaining, considering the dishes that result from his cooking technique, which apparently -- based on the resulting necessary cleanup job -- involves standing in the middle of the kitchen and flinging great handfuls of food in all directions.)

Andrew is very busy making friends with every young male child on the street, and they are plentiful. When he gets home from school he *races* outside to play. It's great, because at our old place there weren't any other peanuts in the vicinity for him to play with, and he's a very sociable sort. I don't know where he gets it, because his parents are both shy and reticent.

WHAT I'M WEARING

A long jean skirt with a slit up the front, a pair of 9 West black slides that I found at a rummage sale last weekend for $1 and a pink shirt with black lace over the top and black lace see-through elbow-length sleeves. I'm not describing it very well. I would suck as a writer for Women's Wear Daily.

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO

A compilation CD called "Totally Country 4." This is completely out of character for me; I usually break out in hives at the mere mention of country music, but I bought this because "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" was on it, and I've become so addicted to it that I was listening to it yesterday afternoon while shelving books in the garage (at least until Kip came in and threatened to poke knitting needles into his ears if I didn't turn it off). Though I must say that Gretchen Wilson and I do an awesome duet on "Redneck Woman." (Although I may not be a redneck woman per se, nor am I a high-class broad, to use Gretchen's elegant phraseology. And BTW, doesn't Gretchen seem like a weird name for a country singer? I'm just saying.)

WHAT WE'RE DOING THIS WEEKEND

We're going to the drive-in Saturday night to see the new Spiderman movie. The second feature is "Ghost Rider," but I predict that we won't make it that long. And on Mother's Day we plan to have brunch on our lovely deck and then play it by ear. I am hoping to receive Michael Buble's new CD as a gift.

What are YOU doing, wearing and listening to?

Don't forget to call your mother this weekend. Or, in the alternative, remember her fondly. Send her a balloon, like we did last month on my father's birthday.