riding that train...

Back home safe and sound. That last post was from Moms house... a tiny sabbatical in the midst of the month sans Benny. A certain health food store that rhymes with Bowl Moods kidnapped my husband. O.k... he went willingly, but in any case, he is doing all the artwork for the new one going in up here. I am proud and so happy that he is being recognized as the artist he is and able to sustain our family with his talents AND a little sad that I am not able to see him so much this month. All those things, but mostly the proud-of-him-ness. He's painting non-stop... a regular Painty McPantsalot. It's really great stuff too. That store is going to pop. Come see it when it's all done. I will keep you posted on the date. So, due to the Bennylessness we allowed ourselves to get kidnapped also, by my folks, to their house. It is so sweet to be there sometimes when it's just Chloe and I that go down and spend quality time with them. Chloe fell asleep Monday night and I opened this old hatbox I had under the bed in my old room. It's still there, full of memories. With everything I ever had burning instantly in that fire, these old things (notes, love letters, show flyers...) are priceless. I traveled back in time and then she rolled around in her sleep and brought me back to now. This time travel made it feel so surreal to be sleeping in my old bed, in my old room, with these old memories in my head, but then this beautiful new lady next to me that is, at once, only almost two years old and also the greatest love I've ever known and the deepest part of me that feels like it's always been there. We got up this morning, got ready (slowly) and my grandma Betty came over. She is trying to rent out one of her properties so we helped her post it on Craigslist (totally foreign to her). Then Chloe and I followed her over while she showed it to a lady and took a look around. I hadn't been in that one since I helped paint it and clean it for money in high school. It brought back so many memories also, mostly of her other house that my mom, sister and I lived in my whole childhood until we moved into where my folks live now. That whole area of Lakewood and Long Beach have such similar features, the garage even smelled the same. Later we got on the northbound train headed home. The train is always an interesting experience. This one was particularly pleasant... Chloe slept a couple hours and I got into a new book. The kind that make you just close it and hold it close sometimes. Reunited and it feels so good, Benny is working from here tonight, still working, but he's here... and that means I can sleep soundly. Goodnight.