Messages

You know how in home decorating magazines, people with chalkboards in their kitchens always have important things to remember like black tie soirées, wine tastings, dates to the opera, and meetings with with CEOs?  Or, they post menus of several courses that involve pan-seared something-or-other and wilted baby arugla salad and brandied Asian pear compote?  The words on their chalkboards speak of magical and elegant and exclusive things, and those words are always written by professional calligraphers.

I can imagine that my chalkboard will be used by my family more than me, but that most of its messages will be directed to me: 

"I need cookies and juice for my school party by 11:00 today!  You HAVE to bring them or I'll get in trouble!"

"(nameless child) drank all the milk"

"We need bandaids"

"Can I go to WalMart after school?  K, thanks."  

(Scrawled, so as to disguise the culprit's handwriting) "Poop"

And somewhere near the bottom will be an inappropriate drawing of some sort, most likely created by a 6- or 7-year-old.  

And you know?  I might post the day's menu there.  And we might have wilted baby arugula.  But only because someone forgot to put it in the fridge and left it sitting in the sun.