because

Because the day is cold and gray and the boys took the only working car, in our possession, to school I will sort and empty and clean boxes and vaccuum while the cat sleeps on the couch. Because it is misting outside, I will apply to the lawn the grub killer which a guy at the store helped me pick out. That is the thing to love about Westlakes, the number of men just so willing to help out, offer opinions, whether they work there or not.

Last night Ray came into the living room where I sat with a book and the laptop. "Where are you going?", I asked, because he was dressed to go out, jeans and a sweatshirt with phone in hand. "Rockbridge."..."For what?"..."To listen to a concert."..."What kind?"..."Choir.".."With whom?"..."Will Smith"..."Ok, drive carefully."..."I will Mom." said with a sigh as the door opened and closed. And later, only about an hour, when he returned, he sat on the couch and started looking up things on the laptop concerning agriculture, while just this afternoon I could have sworn that he was still considering Engineering. So with a mother's love or just plain snoopiness, I began questioning him about his internet work: "So you are still considering agriculture?".."Unh-huh"..said while staring at the screen. "Well here, I have some magazines from my sister." And so I trekked up and retrieved the basket of magazines from my room. "oh, okay..this one's good"..he said, pointing to one of my favorites "Acres, the voice of Eco-Agriculture."...because, sometimes, the apple really doesn't fall too far from the tree*.

*His dad and I used to keep a huge garden, with lovely tomatoes and okra (my favorites) and sunflowers and beans, peas, etc. We gardened by the organic method and had a large mulch pile where the garbage and kitchen detritus (not fat) would be thrown. And every spring or late summer there would be volunteer plants which we harvested before turning the pile.