Friday, January 16, 2009

The Trouble with 20.

I could coast a long time on the good feelings associated with generating new business. It’s no coincidence of course, but my enthusiasm is carrying over into a new love for football. I am actually watching the playoffs on TV. This also helps distract me from thinking about Michael’s potential job in Charlotte. I have another distraction: Natalie’s impending birthday. She’s about to turn 20, and as she lives with us (some of the time anyway) I feel that we should have a party for her. This task is way more difficult than the cupcakes and party favors of a Delia or Andrew party. I don’t know most of Nat’s friends, wouldn’t want to, and doubt she wants to mix them with family anyway. I compromised by inviting my sister and her husband out for a weekend visit. They haven’t seen their errant teen since last Christmas and now she’s about to be an ex-teen. I too, have been less than involved with Natalie lately as she’s been working at Stefan’s parents’ winery and living with their son in a tree house anyway, and well, we’ve had some drama of our own at this house... I realize that I never asked Nat what became of the idea for the “Skynyrd in the Vineyard” concert. Nor had I had that talk with her yet about her having told my son “clothing is optional”. She at least needs to know her philosophy does not extend to kindergarten circle time… I had really hoped that her time here (almost a year so far!) would lead to something other than various legal and professional mishaps, tattoos and a high school boyfriend. But Red House’s first and ex-intern has other plans, I just hope she knows what they might be.

My sister and her husband will be coming out and staying in our Natalie-occupied guest room, so I’ll need to move Nat into Delia’s tiny room, and plan the birthday dinner and one or two outings for the seven of us – eight if Stefan’s interested. I learned that Nat’s parents are surprising her with a car for her milestone birthday, an Indian Tata Nano that they are driving out from New Jersey themselves. (Why didn’t they just start from India? That would be fun!) They chose white –check it out at tatanano.com – looks like a golf ball, but what’s not to like about a $2,500 car?! And, as the insurance will be carried by someone other than myself I think this is a great idea!

I had asked Natalie several times to come help clean up the house for her parents’ arrival, but as she and her boyfriend have weatherproofed their tree house platform she’s over here pretty much only when Stefan has to study. I know I shouldn’t let her slide, but it is her birthday so I decided to just get the work done myself - starting with her room. I learned early on to insist that she keep the door closed but I was unprepared for the wasteland before me. Even with rubber gloves the task was daunting: dirty clothes covering every inch of floor, and underneath? Lots of science fair-worthy surprises - apple cores that had to date back to her arrival last winter, half-eaten containers of yogurt, and bottles of nail polish, with one missing its top! I got flat on the floor next to the bed and slowly lifted the dust ruffle - fearing vermin. And what did I see? A long line of used gum affixed to the bedrail! The globs were equidistant, suggesting purpose. How appalling! And what I saw next made me gasp - the most science fair-worthy surprise of all – a box labeled DYNAMITE!