We spent last week in Boston looking at colleges with Wyatt, and then watching his volleyball tournament. He’s really good. He’s also very tall—6 foot 3.5 inches—and I am so proud of his height. I want to tell everyone we meet that he is six foot three and a half, like “hey, how have you been my son is 6 foot 3 and a half.”

Is it human nature to feel proudest of something you don’t really deserve credit for? My side of the family is pretty short. Calvin’s side is a little taller, but no one is that tall.

I’m also proud of Venus the cat, who can fetch now and is very affectionate toward me, and only me. I do enjoy the exclusive love of cats when it is directed at me. I am also the most sedentary of the Ditmarstons, so I should probably not be so proud.

The neighbor news you came her for

She’s still pretty crippled but is peeping out of doors more. Last week, when we were gone, she attended a Town Hall given by AOC, our congressional rep. Yesterday I walked down the block and was shocked to see her on the stoop, just sitting. It was unseasonably warm and someone had helped her down the stairs. I did not say hello.

She has accused Calvin on stealing her Gay Pride flags–this is on Instagram and Twitter/X. But no cops, no fireworks, no nothing on our endless lawsuit against her that will never see the light of Queens Civil Court.

Anything else?

I am unemployed and it is nice. It’s very quiet in my biz right now but I think I’ll get picked up by an agency soon. Still, I love it. I’m also getting fatter and I don’t love that. I’m also not speaking to my mother for a while, trying to get my mental equilibrium more equilibrated, and that is nice. I’ll probably open the chatting lines in a month. She is 83 and as healthy as a horse, so I didn’t feel too bad about taking a few months off to gather myself.

Growing up as an unmothered person was no fun, and I think I did mother my kids. I know I did. Somehow that makes me feel more exposed when I’m with my own mother since I know how things might have been. Now, as the my kids evolve into young adults, I depend on Calvin to give me nudges as to things I am missing in my current parenting. He loves to give advice and guidance, and sometimes can deliver said guidance without acting like a total dick.

That’s it. It’s very warm, Maggie is quiet, cats are flourishing, tall son is tall, daughter is coming home from college for a two-week break, and all is mostly well with us. Happy false spring.

peep peep.