Dad's Duties

Sometimes a dad's work is never done. This past weekend we had to make falafels, or should I say, I had to make falafels, which takes several hours so I usually like to start as early as possible. If I get them going by 6:30, then I can be done before 11:00 and live a normal life like normal people. Afterward I was planning on working on the barn and making supper because we had UF in the afternoon and then I had a library board meeting right afterward. There was a bit of a miscommunication between me and mom and it turns out that I was slated to take N mountain bike riding before UF, which sort of threw my plans out the window.

With no time to spare, I packed up the falafel stuff, made some sandwiches for lunch, and loaded the bikes into the car. It was actually a nice day, the storms they forecast didn't materialize, and we didn't get to go riding the day before when we wanted to. N and I ate out sandwiches on the road and then hit the trails. I have to say, we rather enjoy mountain bike riding. I'm glad he does because it's hard work and I don't want him to shy away from challenging endeavors. I'm also surprised how much I like it because riding up steep hills ain't easy, though I enjoy it because it's our "thing." In fact, being the lazy bugger that I am, I really thought I'd hate it, but going uphill is easier for me than flying down hills that are narrow and squirrelly. It's then that I feel out of control and in danger. One thing I love as I get older is having a little more control. One quick note, we were riding over a hill and stopped at the top because a deer was standing about 20 feet in front of us eating some plants. She didn't seem too fazed by our presence and kept right on eating. It wasn't until we got back on our bikes that she finally took off running. Kind of cool.

We had lots of time to ride, so we did some extra trails and really worked it. Afterward, we stopped at Fraser's for some ice cream, then came home. We had about an hour to spare so I decided to whip up some dinner for R and the kids since I had a meeting after UF. I made a fritata, wheatberry salad, and some meat sauce, leaving R in charge of making the vegetable. By the time I was done, it was time to hit the UF field. The crowds have been dwindling but there's still enough turnout to make it fun, really fun. In fact, I sort of like a slightly smaller crowd because you get more playing time. Also, since it was warm, the weather was just right and we could still play in bare feet.

The game ended a few minutes early, partly because it was hot, and I took the kids home and then headed back to the library for our meeting. So many things to discuss, but we managed, then I went home to eat supper.

Wow, so many things to deal with. It begs the question, how am I going to survive once hockey season begins?

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to JD Hancock for the pic.