You know the saying that things come in threes? Well, last night when I got home here is what faced me in order from minor annoyance to Worry-creating Situation to BIG FUCKING DISASTER:

1. We seem to have hired the painters in perpetuity, finding ever more jobs for them to do. They are now working on the outside of the house, sealing cracks in the stucco that may or may not actually exist. Additionally, they power washed the deck and the arbor that leads into the back yard. The deck itself is made of a material called Trex, a composite made of oak and plastic. It's cool in the summer, with no splinters, but it gets really really dirty. The last guy who "washed" it couldn't get the grub out and I thought it was a lost cause. These guys did get it clean, along with the railings, which are made of mahogany. After the cleaning the wood parts needed to be sealed, and I made an amateur mistake, assuming that the sealer would be clear. Yesterday evening, in the waning light of the day, the deck railings and arbor screamed out in an agony of faux-redwood looking stain, ugly and orange and hideous beyond belief. My husband had apparently given the ok for a tinted stain called "Mahogany", not realizing that the name comes not from the color of the wood itself, but from the blood that is spilled to wrest the wood from the rainforests. All other members of the family like it. The cats, as always, feign indifference.

2. Caitlin, who was supposed to be grounded for an indiscretion better not documented here, ignored my admonition not to go to a concert she was supposed to attend, and instead walked into town, took the train a few stops to the town where the concert was being held and told me she'd return on the midnight train. I picked her up instead, and, although we had words about how she thought "I didn't really mean it" about the grounding, saw how happy she was that she had had a chance to see this group play on their last tour. I'm impressed with how independent she's become - I would not have gotten onto a train and gone anywhere when I was her age. She's going again tonight. I am such a sucker.

3. Rebecca, the child with the sunny disposition, was suspended again yesterday, this time for 10 days. The story is a bit murky, but it involved another altercation, this time with a boy, and somehow Rebecca braces ended up cutting his knuckle. We have a conference with the principal next week, and the boy's parents want a statement from our doctor that Rebecca is in good health! (They're obviously not going to get that from us.) Rebecca is at home, working her way through a monstrous list of chores. When she gets them done she's allowed to read, but all TV, phone and computer privilges have been revoked and she's grounded for at least one month.

Oh, and by the way, happy fucking Earth Day.