Magnitude 5.6

My children are gone. They have been at their Grandma's for 8 days now. I have 6 more to go and I can finally be with them.

Everyone tells me that I am so lucky, I will be able to get SO MUCH done. Hah. Liars.

Here is a short list of what I have accomplished in the week (plus) that they have been gone.

• Wandered from room to room.
• Made copious messes that need to be cleaned up.
• Sorted through all of their clothes, folded all that need to go in a yard sale and stacked them on my couch.
• Left them there.
• Purposely left Sophie's favorite stick in the middle of the living room because I can't bear to move it.
• Smelled their pillows.
• Watched "Castaway" for the first time and sobbed when he lost Wilson.
• Bought dill pickles, but have decided not to open them until Maya can have one, too.

So, I admit to being totally mooney-eyed over my kids. Oh I miss them. I want them back.

It did not help that when I talked to them last night I was told some distressing things.

Apparently, Sophie has been having a difficult time sleeping. She always does. She tosses. She turns. She moans as if she is being murdered. For her, this is perfectly normal and she never even knows she has done any of it the next morning. After quizzing Maya on how things were going, she mentioned that Grandma kept yelling, "Shut up!" to Sophie all night. Now, I know that it can get irritating, especially all night long. But "Shut up"? That is a bad word at our house. I know that she did not even hear my Mom, but it broke my heart.

Then, Sophie told me something else. I had asked her if her cough had gotten any better. In the sweetest little voice she says, "I only cough now when I cry." Alarm bells. "Have you been crying alot?" Well, come to find out she broke one of Grandma's sea shells. I did the Mom thing in advising her to be very careful about touching Grandma's pretty things and make sure to apologize. She assured me that she had apologized but Grandma was "pretty upset".

I remember that feeling. There was a time that I broke a serving bowl. I took it into the horse pasture and buried it so there would be no evidence. I know the wrath of that woman.

If that isn't bad enough....while I was brushing my teeth this morning and listening to the news.

"Welcome back to Seattle Live. There was a 5.6 earthquake recorded in Montana between Dillon and Butte."

Let's see, my perfect and beautiful children are exactly in Montana, exactly in between Dillon and Butte. I know that a 5.6 is not that big, but good god! Not exactly earthquake country! Last time there was a big earthquake a brand new lake was formed near Yellowstone park. A lake where there was none before. Shit.

So, I called my Mom's number. Busy. My brother's. Busy. Information for a listing for the Dillon Police Department (where they probably still know me on a first time basis). Before I panicked totally and alerted the police, I decided to call my Mom back. It rang. My Mom picked up. And you know what she said?

"Oh, at first I thought maybe the air conditioning system in the house was going to explode. But then Maya was yelling at Sophie to get under the table and I finally figured out that it was an earthquake. I didn't call you because I didn't want you to worry."

There are many disturbing things in those sentences. But you know what makes it okay? Maya knew what to do. They are going to be just fine.