GRATITUDES:
1. My kids are officially high school graduates!
2. Basil’s passport finally arrived. Hello, trip to Europe!
3. A warm purring fur-ball snuggled up against my leg
4. A quiet day with nowhere to go and nothing to do

YIPE. It’s been a month since my last post! I blame that partially on the fact that Dr. Bachier has graduated me to only once-a-month visits to the clinic, and the time I spend in the waiting room is typically when I write my posts. Well, okay, that’s a convenient excuse, but honestly, the past month has been one hell of a white-knuckle ride, what with Lauren’s driving lesson snafus, Basil’s passport being delayed, the emotional upheaval of graduation, scheduling all the travel arrangements for getting one of my kids to Maine in late August for the start of art school… Lordy. I’m exhausted just typing this.

So, yes, my kids are now high school graduates. Just how the hell that ever happened, I have no idea, but they’re suddenly all grown up and nearly ready to leave the nest. Basil can’t seem to leave soon enough, and Lauren’s dragging her feet somewhat, but they both have their courses selected for the fall term and we all seem to be okay for launch. Basil will be flying with me back to Portland, Maine, in late August and I’ll stay with them for a few days while they get settled in to their dorm room. There will be some time for sightseeing but not a whole lot. Our plane will be flying in to Boston and I’ve rented a car to drive the rest of the way. Our first night in New England will be spent a stone’s throw from Salem and you can bet that I’m planning on a short side trip there the following morning. I’ve looked up Plymouth but that’s much further south and quite out of our way, so we won’t be visiting the small boulder of Plymouth Rock this trip. I’m looking forward to some decent seafood and maybe, just maybe, I might indulge in a bit of real, seriously fresh Maine lobster while I’m there. YUM.

Lauren takes her driver’s test on Monday and I’m probably more anxious about her passing the damn thing than she is. Rory and I had originally enrolled both kids in a driving program last summer offered by a local driving school but the behind-the-wheel training proved impossible to schedule. We abandoned all hope and instead opted for a parent-taught program. Now I’m second-guessing myself, wondering if I went through all the material thoroughly enough or if I missed something that Lauren will need to know in order to pass the test. I know it’s been 47 years since I went through driver’s training so I’m sure I’ve forgotten the details, but I’m almost certain that getting a license wasn’t nearly this complex or hair-pulling. You had some classroom time, you had some instructor-supervised time behind the wheel, then you went with a parent to the DMV and took your written and practical exams. Bam. You had your license, providing you passed your tests. Now, at least in the state of Texas, you have to provide written proof, in the form of signed and dated logs and a certificate, that your kid completed 14 hours of observational and actual behind-the-wheel training, as well as another signed/dated log showing 30 additional hours of driving. Oh, and let’s not forget the “splatter” film you have to watch and answer questions about, also with its accompanying certificate. All of this, along with an application and another form signed by the kid’s school showing proof of enrollment, has to be presented to the Department of Public Safety office on the day of your kid’s testing appointment. Oh, right… proof of insurance and vehicle registration must also be provided. Geez. For a state known for its disdain of governmental red tape, Texas’ local and state government offices are virtually drowning in it.