The Lone Modifier

A friend I didn't even know was a friend came and is staying in Emma's room. She hardly takes up any space and is one of those kind of people that could be comfortable at a subway derailing.

She came and the first night she was here I found them all on the floor of Emma's room where she had barfed out a huge load of jewelry she had made. She had an entire (small) suitcase filled with jewelry that exploded all over the floor, and the kids were no kidding, knee deep in necklaces. Lilly had bracelets all the way up one arm.

We took away bags of the stuff. She wanted us to take everything. She was sick of her jewelry. Had gone to one craft show and hated it. So even though she had obviously spent years tediously bent over tiny beads and ruining her eyes, suddenly we had a ton of it displayed all over the children.

We would have liked her without the jewelry.

She does loan modifications for a living (wait, stop yawning) and is just moving out here. My dad said that sounded like a really boring kind of cowboy - The Lone Modifier. She is a smart, fast-thinker and an activist for people who are losing their homes. She's one of those people who reads fine print, and tells banks to go blow themselves. She knows the rules better than the rule-makers, and she saves people's homes, because the banks don't seem to know their own rules. Or the temps at the banks, that the banks hire so they can fire them at 6 months without having to pay benefits.

She's the kind of person who stands on top of the wall during the French Revolution and waves the flag until she's stabbed with a bayonet. And then goes down in glory.

The Lone Modifier, to the rescue.

She also loves bunnies, dogs, and horses. She keeps bringing different sweets to the horse in our yard but so far the horse rejects them all. Jellybeans. Donuts. Carrots dipped in molasses.

And today she sat in the kitchen and cut up about 40 pounds of fruit and then came out with that and a professional looking chicken salad display on amazing bread just in time to feed a load of swimming family and friends. No fanfare. She just set it out and then sat around. I'm not kidding, it's like having a staff. But tomorrow she starts her job so that's a real bummer cause she's entertaining and I liked the food.

Luckily, she's staying awhile cause she has to find a house to rent for her family. So we have a boarder, who cooks and cares about people. But is self-sufficient. She'll talk all in a burst about what she does and how she saves families from losing their homes and then she'll sit cross-legged and shrug. Go feed jellybeans to the horse, for fun. Those firey Irish.