"How I wish it would rain down - down on me"

It has been a crazy couple of days (as you can imagine with all that is happening here).

I had my bottom two wisdom teeth out last Thursday. It was time that I had them removed, but I still wouldn't recommend it. The dental nurse told me that the anesthesia would be great: "It's the best legal high you can get," but I have to disagree after having an epidural. The wisdom teeth extraction drug just knocked me out. I mean, I like to sleep - but I wouldn't exactly call it a "high." I wouldn't recommend an epidural just to compare, but I was much more "high" delivering Buck than at this wisdom tooth business. Of course, I was a bit nervous about the surgery going into the operating room and I knew that the result wouldn't be the same as when having a baby -so that's probably a factor. This is all just for clarity's sake, of course.

After the surgery (which was more than fine), RKZ and Uncle spent the next two days putting in our backyard sod. That RKZ has no "sitting around" bones in his body. He was responsible for Buck, Max (the dog), the sod and his weepy, pain-numbed wife - and he handled all of us really well.

I am waiting until tomorrow to include pictures of the "new" backyard. I reposted old "before" shots so that everyone would have something to compare. Poor Uncle didn't know that he was coming up to do a little back-breaking labor (well, he kinda did). Both Uncle and RKZ did a great job of making a little paradise in front of the "great Wall of China" (what the neighbors are calling the wall). There won't be pictures until tomorrow, but it looks really nice. I'm sure most of you know that no one is allowed to step on sod for about 2 weeks (some places recommend 4) so only tiny Max is able to do his business out there while we watch from the deck. It's the ultimate "turf-tease" to have all of this great grass and not be able to use it. We are planning a big neighborhood party for the end of June. Maybe Uncle and his Sal-pal (she'll probably dislike this name) will be able to come up to enjoy the fruit of Uncle C's labor (labour in Canada).

After all of the work, it has begun to rain. RKZ and Uncle C did have the chance to sneak in a morning of golf yesterday and Buck and I took Uncle to the zoo today during a break in the rain, but with these exceptions, God has taken watering the grass into His own hands. This is good because we've begun to call RKZ the "sod Nazi" as he has done little but worry about whether or not the sod will live and whether or not we've stepped on it for the past 4 days. RKZ has also spent a great deal of this time worrying about just how much or little water the sod needs to live. It's all a very precarious business. I am mostly just trying to remember to rinse my mouth with salt water after every meal (like I have time to do that).

Today is our first relatively normal day. Uncle is upstairs asleep in front of TV. Buck is watching "Ni Hao Kai-Lan" which is basically Dora the Explorer in Chinese with "let's all get along" messages. Cute. ("Ni Hao" means hello in Chinese). RKZ is at work and swamped after three days away. I am avoiding doing laundry and dishes and thinking of talking RKZ into going out to dinner tonight. All is right with the world.