Bronwyn Green

The Corner of Quirky & Kinky

Last Friday, I took Killian, Justin and Not-Kevin out for our annual end of the year breakfast at iHop. I asked the hostess to seat us away from everyone else, explaining that it was just better that way. But she apparently didn’t get the clue, and put us smack in the middle of the restaurant.

While we were waiting for the food, they came up with an idea for a screenplay involving super polite Canadian zombies who actually ask before biting. And there was a Mountie in there too who was too polite to say no when the zombies asked, so…

My favorite part was when Not-Kevin did dialogue illustrating the differences between Yooper, Canadian and Minnesotan accents. It was brilliant.

That same day, Corwin had a civil war reenactment at school involving marshmallows and a water balloon cannon that he’d made with his friends Gray and Andrew using a length of PVC pipe and a little tykes shopping cart. I wish I’d thought to get a picture of it, because it was pretty brilliant.

Corwin was, of course, bitter because “no one was following the rules of war.” I told him I didn’t think there were rules to war. I got the look and a scathing, “they could at least try to have some honor is all I’m saying.”

Saturday was the first of the graduation parties. I was totally channeling my mother, because in addition to the check for Justin, I was also knitting him a pair of slippers. I’d finished one before I’d gotten there, but I still had about four rows plus decreasing for the toe, so I decided to just finish them while I was there. Because I am my mother’s daughter, I’d brought my yarn needle and scissors so I could finish those bad boys up. Justin was thrilled because his feet are always cold.

While we were sitting outside visiting (and knitting) it started to rain, so I hauled my purse and knitting bag inside. It cleared up, so we went back out. Rinse, repeat. Finally, it was time to go and one of the other guests couldn’t find her car keys anywhere. We did the obligatory glancing around, but they were nowhere to be found. I had to get Not-Kevin home, so we took off. We got about twenty miles away when the phone rang. It was Justin’s mom asking me to look in my purse for the keys. I said that we’d look, but I was sure they weren’t there.

Yeah. About that.

Her keys were totally in my purse.

Had to drive alllllll the way back and shamefacedly drop them off. I still have no clue how they got in there. Killian has a theory, though. His theory is that my purse is a black hole and while we were outside, my purse was actually sucking the moisture from the air causing it to rain which is why it stopped every time we went into the house. And at some point, it sucked the keys into gaping maw, too.

So. Embarrassed.

Yesterday was quiet. We were supposed to go out to eat and celebrate our anniversary (23 years! O.O) and my birthday, but the boys and Matt both caught my damn cold…so celebrating will have to wait. But I did have a fantastic post birthday lunch today with Brynn Paulin, Mia Watts and Jennifer Armintrout!

So, I’ve been crazy sick all week with my annual summer head/chest/throat cold. It sucks. Even more so since I have less time than usual to be sick. But the plague waits for no woman. Particularly not me.

I’m feeling marginally better. My chest still hurts, but hopefully, it’ll pass. Soon. I’ve got shit to do.

The list looks a lot like this:

1 anniversary celebration/date type thing.
2 graduation ceremonies to attend (Killian graduates from HS and Corwin from 8th grade) *sob*
1 graduation party to throw
8 graduation parties to attend
1 week long vacation to prep for
40,000 words to write before I leave

Yeah. I am feeling a little overwhelmed.

Please pass the Valium?

But on the plus side, during the month of May, I stayed mostly sane, edited 8 books and wrote 42,546 words!

Killian and Justin have been anxiously awaiting (read: obsessively checking the calendar and complaining that they’re bored) the arrival of Diablo 3. So, I took them to the release, dropped them off and did last minute shopping for Corwin’s DC field trip.

Now, there’s something a little disconcerting about grocery shopping at 11 pm. The stockers all look vaguely pissed off that you’re daring to take food off shelves they’ve just stocked. And there are four classes of fellow shoppers: the parents with exhausted, screaming kids in jammies, the sleep-deprived/angry glarers, the zombies, and the people who are coming in mid-partying for refills on booze and chips. There’s a surprising amount of these guys on a Monday night.

After I finished getting important supplies like rain ponchos and salt and vinegar pringles and sour gummy worms to be eaten on the bus, I drove back to the video game store and picked up Killian and Justin from their Diablo 3 shopping adventure.

Killian: (caressing the Diablo 3 box) Loookkk – it’s so pretty.

Justin: Must install now.

Killian: (looking around at the bags) You went to Meijer? Did you get us anything?

Me: No, I didn’t get you anything. I had to get Corwin’s field trip stuff.

Justin: Don’t you know better than to go shopping at night? At Meijer? There are creepy people there, man. Creepy people.

Me: Yeah. I ran into a couple asshats in the parking lot on the way out. But meh. As long as no one steals my purse and the iPad, we’re good. I’m in the middle of a really good book.

Justin: No worries there. No one else can lift your purse.

Killian: Yeah. It’s like Thor’s hammer.

Justin: You can fight crime with that bitch.

Killian: Just swing it around and WHAP! Instant unconsciousness. 

Justin: (makes whipping through the air sounds and mimics swinging an imaginary purse around) Or death.

Killian: Hey I bet you can fly with that thing.

Me: What?

Killian: You know how Thor swings Mjölnir around and when he let’s go it flies off and clobbers someone, and when he hangs on it drags him through the air? You know, it’s how he travels.

Me: Yeah…

Justin: Right! You can do that with your purse! (more sounds and mimicking) You can be slightly more badass than Mary Poppins.

Me: Wait. Only slightly more badass?!

Justin: Dude, you’re using a purse to fly.

Killian: (shrugs) It’s no Mjölnir.

So yeah. I’m apparently only slightly more badass than Mary Poppins. 

Good to know.

The end of the school year is winding down and I’ve been completely crazypants trying to keep up with everything.

Killian graduates from high school next month, and Corwin graduates from 8th grade. I’m trying to plan Killian’s grad party and if I learned anything from throwing my mom a surprise birthday party in March is that I hate planning parties.

I don’t mind going to parties. I don’t mind bringing a dish to pass, but I hate planning parties. There’s “food math” involved and logistics. And anyone who’s read this blog more than once knows that neither math, nor logistics, are my friends.

Or schedules, really.

So basically, I’m pretty much screwed, here.

But I did finally get around to ordering Killian’s senior pictures. The ones we had taken way back in October. o.O And they look great. And we did plan a menu for the party. So…that’s something.

I think mostly this is all about me hating change and not being ready to have one kid in college and the other in high school. I’m not ready for them to grow-up. I realize that’s the point of the whole thing, but dealing with it gracefully doesn’t seem to be in my skill set.

I think it’s one of the reason’s Maurice Sendak’s death hit me so hard last week. One more constant from my kids’ childhood is gone. But, even though it makes me rashy and nervous, change is inevitable, and I’m proud of the men they’re becoming.

Now, it’s time to make sure Corwin has everything for his field trip to Washington DC. His idea of essentials and my idea of essentials compromise two very different lists. Any guesses as to which one of us has deodorant at the top of the list?

I just got home from the morning school run to discover that Maurice Sendak, beloved author and illustrator of books Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There (and so many more) died today at 83.

I can’t tell you how many times I read those books to Killian and Corwin and all my daycare kids. I can still recite the entirety of Where the Wild Things Are from memory.

The world is a sadder place today.

Rest in Peace, Maurice. We’ll miss you. Wherever you are, let the wild rumpus begin!

It’s been almost five months since I’ve had a book out (bad Bron) but I’m happy to say that Sensuous Summoning, the second book in my Witch Way series is finally here!

There’s a contest for the first two books in the series over at the Day Dreaming blog!

Here’s the Blurb:

While casting a protection spell, Rowan Spencer gets the shock of her life. The spell goes very, very wrong, and she accidentally summons an ancient Celtic god.

A gorgeous, naked god.

Until Gwydion’s duty is complete, he’s bound to the human who summoned him. But as the poisons of earth drain him, he finds binding Rowan for his pleasure is sensuous task he’d enjoy for a lifetime—a lifetime that isn’t theirs to have.

And here’s the cover. 

The other day I was taking Killian’s friend Torin home and we passed a sign.

I immediately turned the car around so I could read it again.

Torin: What’s going on? Did you forget something?

Me: I…um…need to see what that sign says.

Killian: (looking at Torin) Bet she read it wrong.

Yes, dear readers. I did read that sign wrong.

Killian: (reading aloud as we passed it again):Cash For Disabled Autos – Running or Not. (Smirking at me) What did you think it said?

Me: (muttering) Cash for Authors – Writing or Not.

Killian: Isn’t that a Freud thing? No wonder you needed to turn around and reread it.

Yep. That’s the one I have. 

It’s been a weird day. Our neighbors came over and asked if they could have our swing set for their kid. I get it – their kid looks longingly at it every day from two yards over and my kids are too old to play on it.

It’s a nice one though. It’s one of those wooden ones – two swings, a slide, a little clubhouse type thing with a roof and a sandbox area underneath. Matt built it when the boys were about four and two, and it’s been very well-loved.

I couldn’t really say no when she asked. Seriously? What am I hanging on to it for other than the fact that I don’t want to admit my kids are too old for it? So Matt helped the neighbor dude dissemble it and moved it two houses down. I hope the little boy loves it as much as my kids did.

In other less depressing (to me) news. Killian and Corwin and their friend Torin (who used to live where the swing set now lives) have been making a movie for Torin’s school project. It’s a violent, sword fighting version of Green Eggs and Ham.

Yeah. I don’t know either. But apparently, in this version, Sam-I-Am is willing to use all out force to get the other guy to try the eggs and ham.

So, obviously they needed green eggs. So I was explaining to them that they needed to whip the eggs to get them to scramble properly.And all three boys immediately started singing the theme from Indiana Jones.

Yep. This is where I live.

I’m thrilled to report that I finished the freaking book!

To celebrate (the book being done and me not being a giant stressed out bitch anymore), I took Killian, Not-Kevin. Justin and Johnny-boy D out for shakes after school. On the way to McDonald’s (because we’re classy…and also on a schedule) we had a singalong.

We sang Dance Magic Dance, 500 Miles (there’s nothing like four teenage boys singing at the tops of their lungs in bad Canadian accents and stomping along to The Proclaimers) Safety Dance and by the time we got to the drive through order thingy, we’d moved on to Like a Prayer.

When we pulled up to the window, they were still singing and the clerk cracked up. I introduced them as my backup singers and dancers and at that point, she joined in and sang a few bars with us.

Best drive through experience in possibly ever.

Sadly, I now have to write a blurb.

Maybe we’ll go out for shakes when I done…