Reluctant hostess

Today is my last day of vacation. It's raining like crazy outside, and I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I'll know enough next year, though, not to take my vacation around my week of exams. I thought I was being smart doing that but in fact, I spent the first week of my vacation stuck in the trailer suffering death by stepchildren, and stressed about not getting my school stuff done. Then I spent my second week away from work in classes. Then my third week away from work (second week of vacation) was spent with HB's sister here, who apparently has moved in with us.

Don't get me wrong. She's lovely. It's just that I am used to down time, and our lifestyle gives me plenty of that down time by myself. We might go like wild people between gigs, works, kids, commitments but then I'll find myself all alone in the house for a few hours or even a whole evening, and I will lap it up. Not so much since she arrived.

There's a part of me that feels horribly guilty for even writing about it. You see, her husband of 20 years up and told her in May that he no longer loved her. It has taken her until now to get the balls up to actually leave the kids with him, get on a plane and start thinking about herself for a change. She told him she needed to be with family, and over she came last week. She came camping with us for our two day "let's get away by ourselves" time, and then just never got out of the car when we got back into town.

She told me today that she only bought a one way ticket. And then made a request for me to help her hook up with the people she needs to talk with in order to start her own business.

HB and I were sniping at each other in the kitchen today because we're both kind of at the end of our ropes. There have just been too many people around in this little house all week, and no room to put them or us or the tension.

I'm on the road most of the next two weeks, which probably isn't a bad thing. I'm hoping she'll get lonely enough to think about buying another one way ticket ... or if not that, to think about moving back to her mother's place. Damn me for being lazy this summer and not getting that bed out of the spare room thrown out and replaced with a chair and new computer desk! Did I mention that the only space left in this house that I've managed to protect for my own is this one little computer desk space, which just happens to be in the guest room? I start back to classes in 2 weeks, and given that I'm doing an online program, having a guest in the computer room will not work well.

HB assured me today that the lockdown is still on for Labour Day weekend. I hope he understands that lockdowns do not generally involve inviting your sister along.

M'kay. Bitching done. I'm putting my hostess face back on and headed downstairs now.