detritus /n./ rock in small particles or other material worn or broken away from a mass, as by the action of water or glacial ice. any disintegrated material. debris. fragments. garbage or waste. matter. rubbish. scree. silt. tuff. rubble. shavings. leavings.
detritus /n./ 1. I have always loved this word. The letters themselves, put together in this combination, sound like the leftover sand and rocks rolling around in the bottom of a beach bag. And in addition to that, it is my constant companion. Detritus and entropy dog me ceaselessly.
detritus /n./ 2. I have to admit I almost discontinued "word-of-the-week." It felt almost like the detritus of another time, and that maybe I ought go in a different direction with my blog this year. But then I realized I had only posted once between my last two SPT's. Apparently, I need more reasons to post, not less.
detritus /n./ 3. Last week was rough. Re-entry into regular life after two weeks vacation with my darlings was harsh and shocking. It always is. When I commented just that, David only said resignedly, "I knew it would be." Last Monday, when I found myself surrounded on all sides by detritus of every kind (laundry, holiday decorations, suitcases and boxes from our trip to Michigan, ashes in the fireplace, and new toys with no "home") and simultaneously deserted by everyone I live with, a small rebellion ensued. Not to mention a hearty resentment stew boiling away in my hard heart. There was enough there to last more than a few days. But eventually, I cleaned up both the detritus and my heart (you can guess which one took longer), and by Saturday night, it was livable here again.
detritus /n./ 4. By the end of last year, working (blogging and editing pictures) on our home computer was just about impossible. There is so much detritus on there from programs the kids have uploaded and downloaded and generally unloaded on there, that it has brought it to an almost excruciating standstill when you're trying to do anything requiring even the least bit of memory. David, seeing my plight, bought me a brand new Dell laptop for Christmas. And in particular, a red one. He was very specific about that last point. I was so shocked and confused when I opened it (I thought it was an electric skillet?) I started bawling from the surprise. (I'm sure that will shock most of you, considering my decidedly un-lachrymose nature. Last night I did start bawling while I was making hamburgers, but my blood sugar was low, so there.) Anyway, I am feeling extremely blessed to be using it. In addition to all this, David spent a good two and a half hours on the phone and on the computer getting my wireless internet hooked up on Thursday night. I know how lucky I am. (Especially considering everything in the paragraph above.)
detritus /n./ 5. It seems we barely put away the detritus of the space station project, and Caleb is already nudging me to help him start his science project. He told me yesterday, "Mom, I really think we need to order those petri dishes today." I really think Target should have a petri dish section.
detritus /n./ 6. In an effort to clear up some of the detritus leftover from last year and "start fresh," we finished reading the Book of Mormon this past week. We read the last chapter of Moroni together on Tuesday night and then ate cake. We believe in celebration around here.
