I have three different bruises from various incidences yesterday. I am a horrible, horrible klutz. Also, my feet are always bare when the children decide to accidentally drop something really really heavy on my feet. And I cry and whimper. Oh yes, I do.

Finn dropped a deadbolt on my foot and MAN, it hurt. As soon as he did it, I wanted to yell out every obscenity I had ever heard. But when I looked up and saw Hadley and her little friend at the kitchen table, I had to just spew out a mess of words that sounded like some sort of ancient rain prayer. And then say in that sing songy mom voice "Well, dang! THAT HURT!" through a smile.

I also jacked myself in the face while trying to wrap up the cord to the vacuum. I still have no idea how it happened and have tried, many times, to recreate it in my head. The result, from said jacking, is a bruise next to my lip, by the corner of my mouth, that looks like I had blueberry jam for breakfast and just didn't wipe my mouth. Pretty.

The third and final bruise is a monster on my left leg and the sick thing is I can't remember how I got that one. THAT's how big of a klutz I am. There are too many things that happened to nail the bruise down to one incident.

Aside from the pain, bruises are really beautiful. I love them in the beginning when the blues and pinks are bright and strong. Later as they start to yellow...not so much.

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I finished The Middle Place a few days ago and loved every second of it. I read it the way you eat good chocolate. Purposely savoring it and not reading too much at a time in order to stretch it out. After finishing it, I put it on a pile of things I was supposed to mail to Meg 2 months ago. She called and said her lovely friend R had  given it to her that day. Weird. Meg said "I hadn't even heard about this book a week ago, and now you're telling me about it and R gave it to me!" May you love it as much as I did, sisserita. (Meg says a sisserita is like a margarita, only better.)

Speaking of sisters, a very happy birthday to Peter's sis, Michelle. Happy happy day to you!