JC Day, Minus the Heels and Pearls

    Days, days, days... a continuous flow of time that changes very little. Then there is a random day that is so completely sporadic and exceptional I feel like June Cleaver. Everything in place, children clean and happily playing without destructive bents. The deep sigh of housewife satisfaction. Today has been a June Cleaver Day. I can actually say there is an entire floor of my house that's clean from ceiling to floor. Of course, we're not talking about the floor of bedrooms, which is one reason I'm tempted to sleep on the couch. Ah, clean and fresh upholstery.
    Today also began my foray into canning. Hey, something has to be done with the tomatoes in the garden. I know for a fact, that the writer "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" had a garden full of tomatoes. Our little garden has produced much more than we had even thought feasible. In the last week, I have picked three gallons of the small varieties that we have growing and I've picked twenty of the heirloom tomatoes that have the potential to become killer tomatoes. They are massive, some rivaling the size of Caelan's head. Before they became 'killer' I knew I had to can them. I have been queen of my kitchen today. It's been cleaned, the dishes have been done, and I've even baked cookies. Whoa. And my children are pleasant and strangely calm.
    The canning has gone well. I have succesfully canned four large jars of tomato sauce, like a spaghetti sauce. I am in my June Cleaver element. Then I recall a conversation I had with my Grandma a couple of days ago. This amazing woman, in the midst of telling her my great canning plans, tells me of her canning. I looked proudly at my four jars, in all their red, juicy, yummy goodness and my June Cleaver moment paled in comparison with my Grandma's abilities. In one day, this woman who is an amputee and had knee surgery on her only knee only eight months ago, told me that she had canned twenty jars of peach jelly and ten jars of plum jelly, the fruit from the trees of the homeplace. Burn. Forget June Cleaver. I want to achieve a Grandma day.

After much deep and profound brain things...

Well, to say that the last few days in the Brannon household were less than epic would be a complete fabrication caused by acute denial of the situations I've found myself in. I won't list them. It's exhaustive and-- exhausting. Ha, it's utter pandemonium. I hate days that are solely reactive, me on the offensive, and lasting12-15 hours. I would be the first one to say that there are no 'jobs' in the out-of-the-home workforce that have required what this one has since last Wednesday. We've had a few more 'movie' times than normal, but desperate times equal desperate measures. I have enjoyed movie time this week, for more reasons than should really be good, but oh, well, another few days of this and I think we might actually make it. I have found peace, calmness and laughter-- sheer inspiration-- from their movie choices. The characters are truly inspired and speak to me at this point in my life. I have felt to be in many of these same scenarios and might have said something similar to these characters. Mind you, I said similar. So in light of all the negatives of the last week, I choose to be encouraged by the following quotes, beginning with the title of this post, well-spoken by King Julian of Madagascar.

• Madagascar, King Julian:After much deep and profound brain things inside my head, I have decided to thank you for bringing peace to our home.
• Mort the Mouse Lemur: I like them, I like them! I liked them first! Before I even met them I liked them! As soon as I met them I liked them right away! You hate them compared to how much I like them!
  Julian: Oh shut up, you're so annoying!
• Alex the Lion: They should call it the San Di-lame-o Zoo. First they tell you, "Hey, we got this great open plan, where animals can run wild." Next thing you know, you have flowers in your hair, and everybody's hugging everybody.
• Mason the Chimpanzee: If you have any poo, fling it now.
• Marty the Zebra:Yeah! You don't see that on Animal Planet.
• Marty the Zebra: Aw a thermometer!Thanks!I love it Melman, I love it!
  Melman the Giraffe: I really wanted to give you a personal present. Do you know that was my first rectal thermometer?
• Alex the Lion: That is your side of the island, and this is our side of the island. That is the bad side, where you can skip and prance around like a magical pixie horse, and do whatever the heck you wanna do all day long. This is the good side, for those who love New York and care about getting back.That's not the fun side. THIS is the fun side! This is the fun side where we're gonna have a great time surviving until we go home! Whoo! I love this side; this side's the best! That side STINKS! You're on the JERSEY side of this cesspool!
• Melman the Giraffe: Augh! Underpants!
• Kung Fu Panda, Oogway: My friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours until you let go of the illusion of control.
  Shifu: Illusion?
  Oogway: Yes.Look at this tree, Shifu: I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time.
  Shifu: But there are things we *can* control: I can control when the fruit will fall, I can control where to plant the seed: that is no illusion, Master!
  Oogway: Ah, yes. But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.
  Shifu: But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung!
  Oogway: Maybe it can, if you are willing to guide, to nurture it, to believe in it.
  Shifu: But how? How? I need your help, master.
  Oogway: No, you just need to believe. Promise me, Shifu, promise me you will believe.
• Tigress: It is said that the Dragon Warrior can go for months without eating, surviving on the dew of a single ginko leaf and the energy of the universe.
  Po: Then I guess my body doesn't know I'm the Dragon Warrior yet. It's gonna take a lot more than dew, and, uh, universe juice.
• Ice Age:1-3, Sid: I'm a single mother with 3 kids. I could use a little compassion.
• Sid:Come on, spit him out. If you don't spit out little Johnny right now, we're leaving the playground this instant! One... two... don't make me say three...
• Sid: Is this how you resolve conflicts? No wonder you're single.
  [Mamma Rex roars]
  Sid: oh, that's your answer to everything. I don't exactly call that communication. I say they're vegetarian, you say "grrr". I say can we talk about it, you say "grrr". That's not what I call communication.
  Mother T-Rex: GRRRRRR!
  Sid: See that's your answer to everything!
• Manfred: Diego (Caelan), spit that out. You don't know where it's been.
• Sid: [about the baby] I bet he's hungry.
  Manny: How 'bout some milk?
  Sid: Ooh, I'd love some!
  Diego: Not you. The baby.
  Sid: Well, I ain't exactly lactating right now, pal.
  Diego: You're a little low on the food chain to be mouthing off, aren't you?...
  Manny: Enough!
• Manfred: Hey, buddy, want a lift?
  Diego: No, thanks. I'm saving what little dignity I've got left.
  Sid: You're hanging out with us now, pal. Dignity has nothing to do with it.
• Traffic Vulture: Parents: Please do not leave your children unattended. All unattended children will be eaten.
• Manfred: Okay. Thanks to Sid, we're now traveling together, and, like it or not, we're gonna be one big, happy family. I'll be the daddy, Ellie will be the mommy, and Diego will be the uncle who eats the kids who get on my nerves.
• Sid: I'm gonna be the first one to jump off the Eviscerator, and then you guys are gonna have to start showing me some respect.
  Manfred: You jump off this, the only respect you're gonna get is respect for the dead.
  Diego: Come on, Manny. He's not that stupid.But I've been wrong before.