Nitpicky

I am mildly OCD. I like certain things done in specific ways.

If I love you, you very likely know how I like my peanut butter and jelly to go. As my sister describes it, the peanut butter and jelly cannot meet until the moment the two slices of bread are united in holy matrimony. The truth is, I hate the taste of peanut butter when it has been contaminated by jelly. I use a knife for peanut butter and a spoon for the jelly. I am always careful to keep the pb jelly-free.

But I digress.

Who doesn't love to see the note posted at your kid's school?

A case of head lice has been reported in your child's classroom.

That's one of my favorites.



Phthiraptera, au naturel


Four year ago, I saw something hop off of my baby's blond head. LICE!! Somehow I had made it through 18 years of parenting without having to deal with the real deal. I scanned every one's head and M and D were struck. Dominic's scant blond fuzz soon gave up the critters. However, lice love curly hair (but according to Wikipedia, not so much the curly hair of black folk).  A happy family went to town in Michael's mop. Eight weeks later I was about ready for Broadmoor Hospital.

The infestation came to an abrupt end when in a fit of hysteria I grabbed a teeny beard razor and shaved my bewildered baby's head. Oh happy day!

Unfortunately, the night before we found proof positive of lice, the boys had slept at my sister's house. Poor Shannon was inflicted with a serious case of pseudopediculosis. She itched and scratched long after Michael was bald, and nary a nit did I ever spy on her head, as she popped by daily for a head check.

Lice are wingless insects of the order Phthiraptera, obligate ectoparasites.  Ectoparasites means they dwell on the skin of humans, versus endoparasites, and obligate (parasite) means they cannot live without their host. Which would be Michael, in this case...again...

So this past week, the last day of school before half term, the day M and D were supposed to dress in "fancy dress" for flight week (M was going to be a NASA astronaut, and D Peter Pan), M woke with an itchy head.

Can I curse here? Can I scream the F word?

Fucking Phthiraptera! (Say that ten times fast.)



Let it fly in the breeze and get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas, in my hair
A home for fleas, a hive for the buzzing bees
A nest for birds, there ain't no words
For the beauty, splendor, the wonder of my hair

Mike and I have had some amazing talks, one enormous plus to our current life in England. On my birthday we had a great one about my fear of going crazy.

Birthday flowers from Babette, and Virgin by Anna.

I love my husband so much. He is a person who is constantly trying to maximize every experience, which can get annoying. He occasionally hijacks our friends' plans, interjecting (in a super friendly way, as only he can manage), "That sounds great, but what if we...(insert Mike's better idea here)..."

His brain never stops trying to improve you name it. We had an addition put on our house that was quite disruptive, causing us to move out for 6 months and dipped deep into our savings. Within months of moving back in, he was planning the next improvements. He is ambitious. He envisions an outdoor hallway connecting important parts of the house, built entirely of glass (doesn't that sound cool?).

I love him for many reasons.  I will never forget the day, years ago, when I feared my reason was leaving me and he suggested I let myself go there. "Don't be afraid," he told me. I was stunned by my fellow human being. Embrace the darkness. So bold and scary.

He tries to improve/change all things in his life, but never me.

On Friday I treated M and D with hair cuts and Permethrin, and the lice seemed to enjoy it excessively. I got lots of great tips on Facebook when I posted my distress. I LOVE Facebook. So we are going with olive oil head soaking (which makes Dominic ask for a bowl of pasta with olive oil and salt), applying conditioner to clean hair and blow drying and lots and lots of nitpicking.