I’ve been breaking into spontaneous renditions of the Battle Hymn of the Republic for 24 hours now. I’ve been afraid to post anything for fear of jinxing myself but my joy is overflowing so I must share.

My husband’s mentally ill brother had a breakdown. He lives far away from here and he went on walkabout for a week. Eventually the police found him and returned him to some friends. Ok, that’s normally not something to get excited about but the evil mother-in-law has decided that she is the only person who can properly supervise his recovery. So, tomorrow she’s out of here to go bother another of her offspring! She thinks it is temporary. Won’t she be surprised?

For those of you who don’t know the story she came here for a three week stay in May 2003. Since then she could not find a job she deemed worthy of her, went bankrupt, and basically stayed here and made us support her. All the while she complained about how we weren’t doing enough for her. I would have thrown her out long ago but my husband wouldn’t. All she’s done since she got here is complain – about us, about people not hiring her for jobs she wants, about what’s on TV, about anything and everything. This was all complicated by her mother (who came here with her) having several strokes and ending up in a nursing home. My husband didn’t want to kick his mom out while his grandmother was in a local nursing home but unbeknownst to his mother he had plans in place to have her gone within a week if his grandmother died.

But now she’s going 600 miles away of her own free will! There will be much rejoicing when her car (which we bought after hers was repossessed – she bitched because it doesn’t have air conditioning) pulls out of the driveway. Realistically I’m telling myself that she will probably be back and forth for a while because of her mother. But once her inertia has been overcome my husband will not let her back in here full time.

I do think it’s sad that his family doesn’t get along but I understand it much more now. When she asked to stay here for a while because she was moving to the area and needed a place to stay while looking for an apartment, my husband didn’t want to let her come here. I thought that was just horrible. I have a close family and couldn’t understand why he didn’t interact with his. I had only met his mother a few times. Once for a weekend after we were engaged, once she visited overnight while driving cross-country, and once we went to visit her in Seattle for a weekend. She seemed ok. Guess I’m just a horrible judge of character.

But it is going to be all better now!