Well, just when everything seems like it'll settle down around here . . .

. . . over goes the apple cart. Turns out that Charlie is going to be moving in and staying with us for at least six months; he lost his driver's license and therefore his job a few weeks ago, and his plans to move to Ann Arbor and get a non-driving job have fallen through.

And Emma may very well be with us for a while, too, although probably only for a matter of weeks rather than months. (Her fall living arrangements fell through in spectacular fashion - her current roommate backed out, at the last minute, and from another city.) She's scheduled to arrive this weekend, if she can arrange it.

I wonder where we'll put them?

Actually, I really wonder where we'll put their stuff . . . when they moved out, both of them took a good whack of furniture with them, and there's really not a lot of room around here for anything else . . . it's going to take significant reorganization to get everything in. (Just exactly how much work we're going to have to do to help them move back in remains to be seen; since Charles doesn't have a car, we could be rather stuck there, but Emma might be more self-sufficient.)

The irony, of course, is that we've spent the whole summer getting the house organized just the way we like it.

Ah, well. Not like it's totally out of the blue.

Times like this I envy those of you whose kids followed the Conventional Path. Oh, I'm completely willing to agree that I (we) got the kids I (we) raised, but this is one of those times when the sheer unpredictability of their behavior is really getting to me. Most people with children this age know when they're arriving, how long they'll stay, and what they'll be doing when they leave. (Two of you out there, at least, know exactly what I mean: On a very specific date, which you know already, you will deliver daughters to MSU . . . And there's a son out there who, on a specific, already-known date, will be flying back to California . . . ) Over here, nobody has a long-range plan; and although I think I'm better at rolling with the punches and improvising than most people, I'm frankly tired of it.

So, given the impending chaos, we're taking the only reasonable step: We're leaving town. As soon as we get the bikes loaded up, we're headed off to Mackinac for a few days, where I will maybe finally, finally get my poster of the bridge for my study . . . and where it will be Less Than Ninety-Five Degrees in the Shade, unlike down here.

Oh, yeah, some good news: We closed on the Ann Arbor house yesterday, so we're down to one residence. (Well, I am, anyway. Emil's still got a family interest in four more . . . )

And some tentative good news: Emil had a job interview earlier in the week. So cross your fingers! One house and two incomes would really be nice.

Ah, well. Off to the bridge! Yay, yay, yay!!! Pix and details to follow . . .