Today, Meg was scheduled to drive up to Muncie to get "most" of the rest of her things. (There still seem to be a lot of stuff that hasn't made it back to Plainfield yet--her Kindermusik supplies, her soapmaking supplies, etc.) In any case, we borrowed Ryan Holly's "big brue van" again. I stayed home (because I wasn't welcome). Before she left, Meg and I moved a wagon seat trunk that my father made for me back in 1969, from the computer/radio room where it was under a table and unusued, to the foot of her bed. We stashed a lot of stuff in there...but there were killer cobwebs and general mess under the table where the wagon seat had been. Got that cleaned out, and even did a little spot cleaning of the carpet.
While Meg was gone, I continued the never-ending business of getting the laundry under control. We don't do much laundry during the work week, so I try to get it all done--washed, dried, hung/folded, and put away--on the weekends. It's a tall order. The putting away is the hard part because there are so few places to put everything. I have cleaned out two dressers and a closet for everyone's clothes. (I also keep a "donate" bag going as we run into things that are outgrown, out of style, or just plain not worn. Amvets, the DAV, and Goodwill have all been recipients of the stuff!) It would probably be a better idea to do a load or two of laundry during the week, but with work, dinner, bath/bedtime routines for the children, and Meg and my general fatigue, no one seems particularly anxious to take on more chores!
I also mowed the back yard, put away Easter decorations (!), and took a run to Wal-Mart to get a garden bench and two weeks' worth of dog food. (The two-week dog food supply deal is something I started a year or two ago when I had expenses that cut very close between paychecks. I didn't want the poor puppy to starve just because the bank account was slim!)
And speaking of puppies...it appears that my soon-to-be-former-son-in-law has a dog at his house--"Gracie", according to the children. Huh? What's the deal with that? The dog that now lives at my house was Nathan's. He HAD to have her. Couldn't live without that cute little puppy. No one bothered to housebreak her...then the babies came along...then the original move to a rental house in Muncie. Frodo couldn't go. Nathan cried and cried. I relented and took the dog, even though I warned them years before that she wasn't a welcome guest because they hadn't done right by spoiling her and not training her. (It seems that I take in all of Nathan's strays!) I've worked with Frodo for two years now. She is better, but they didn't want her back. And now this?
When Meg got back, she indicated that Nathan had apparently not had a good day with the kids. When she got there, Ryan was locked in his bedroom, and Robin was shut in hers. Nathan was in a bad mood and announced shortly after Meg got there (court ordered to get her stuff), "Could you just leave?" Uh...no. Apparently he told Meg that HE spent more time with the kids than SHE did. Well...HE was the one who wanted the kids every weekend, even though the state visitation requirement is every OTHER weekend.
When Meg returned, we drove to the storage unit to deposit the things that she brought back, then went to dinner before returning the van. The children have new beds in Muncie...bunk beds (separated) that Grandpa Phil built eons ago. Over dinner, Meg asked Robin if she slept in her own room like a big girl. She said she did. Then she said, "No, I'll tell you the truth. I spent all night in Daddy's bed with Daddy and Kendra (Nathan's girlfriend) and there wasn't much room." Kids say the darnedest things! Meg and I were not amused. Meg had some conversation with Nathan on the phone thereafter about that. His comment was that it wasn't "right", but that Robin woke up and came in. Meg's response was, "Then you should have taken her back to her bed." He's been warned.
Call me old-fashioned, but I figure a man who has found Jesus, as Nathan has professed, would know better than to expose his children to this nonsense. What he does in his personal life is his affair...but it wouldn't hurt if he would first be divorced from his children's mother before he did it, and then use some common sense where the children are concerned. He wasn't raised the way he is acting. And everyone needs to understand that **I** am the bad guy because I stood up to him when he called my daughter an "f-ing bitch" in front of thechildren...and me...back in February. Because I yelled back, he doesn't like me around. The insanity abounds!
The rest of May is gangbusters. The children will be with us next weekend (Mother's Day) and we plan to go to the circus in Mooresville on Saturday. Weather cooperating, maybe the zoo on Sunday. The weekend after that is the Dayton Hamvention.
I am so proud of Meg. She is doing all she can...as I am...to make our situation livable. I will do better with it all when the school year is over. Come on summer!
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