One of Those Wow Moments

Just had one of those "wow" moments. I've been busy all morning chopping wood and cleaning and getting ready for lunch, and the kids were mysteriously absent. It was so quiet, so I went upstairs and there they were, doing their school work. How cool is that? Then again, it shouldn't surprise me, they're great kids, but I'm not the most objective person in this regard.

Thanks for reading.

Going to Work, Late as Usual

The question of the day is, "Where does all the time go?" Sure, it's a cliche, but one I live with on a daily basis.

I've been going into work a bit more lately, and though it feels good to sink my teeth back into research, not to mention interact with people over the age of 10, going to work does disrupt our daily routine, and as a consequence, we're always scrambling for time. Funny how a job can do that to you.

I generally go in during the early morning, I'm talking around 6:00 AM, get my work done, and try to be home by 10:00 so R can get to work at a decent hour. This works out well in the grand scheme of things, but I can't get as much writing done because I only have about an hour to do it. Once I get home, the kids are up, wanting to be fed and entertained. I can pull of the former, the latter is up to them.

Also, since we are so busy around here, heading off to work disrupts our schedule. Case in point, drama rehearsal. This is complicated by the fact that the rehearsals, which take place on Thu and Fri, occur at different times, and have been held in different locations each time. For a guy like me who is scattered and disorganized, this can spell disaster. I was at work the other day and driving home, I realized I had about 15 minutes to get home and take A to rehearsal. When I got home, we were already late, so I told the kids to get their clothes on and get in the car.

R was confused, she thought it was in the afternoon, but that is on the other day. Today, it was earlier. My fault, I won't dispute this, but the confusing schedule doesn't help. We ended up being about 5 minutes late, not the end of the world, so life is still good.

I think music teacher, however, thinks I'm a big loser because I'm always bringing A late. She's not too far off on that one.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to chris gilbert for the pic.

Summer's Arrival - Our First BBQ

Wow, does it feel like Summer, or what? This week, temperatures reached the high 70s/low 80s, which made for beautiful weather, but is not a good sign for July/August. It could be brutal, and all the more reason to get a second car so we can make it to the pool.

On the home front, you can really feel the beginning of warm weather because we broke out the hammock and grill, and had two consecutive meals of BBQ, or "barbie" as they say Down Under. The kids are thrilled to BBQ because our grill is a bit on the diminutive size (hey, it works), and they can throw all sorts of combustible material into the coals. Pyromania is definitely hard wired in all children.

After dinner, we usually make s'mores over the glowing coals, but we didn't have the fixings. So N and I jetted over to the store and got marshmallows and chocolate bars. We also used these all natural graham crackers at the UVFC that don't have high fructose corn syrup. Not easy to find, high fructose is everywhere. Interestingly, only in the US. Other countries have much more sense. Now I'm not a big marshmallow fan, but the s'mores sure were good.

We also got to try out our Cloudland Farm beef and was it ever tasty. Makes a delicious burger, so I think we're in. The next test will be the ribeye. Nice to know that there's a source of beef that we can feel good about and like the taste. Thanks to B&CE.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Digital Delight

In the constant quest to find something that really gets the kids pumped, we may have one viable candidate: movie-making. The other day A and I was hanging at the local coffee shop while N had his class and we did a little browsing of stop action animation. R and I have though all along that some form of animation would speak to the kids, especially A, because she loves the right elements. She loves to draw, she loves to tell stories, she loves to create worlds of her own making, and she really gets into creating the details. She enjoys making cartoons because they incorporate these elements, and they can be really fun. Naturally, we thought that animation would be the next logical step, but felt like we needed a video camera, so we sat on it.

Well, wouldn't you know it, but once we did a little investigating, we found out that all you need is a digital camera. You just take a series of snapshots with small increments of movement, and then you upload them into iMovie, and voila. It makes them into a movie. Too cool for words. A got a huge kick out of it, and, at least for the moment, there's no stopping her. The picture is one of her screen credit frames.

I think the most fun she'll have is making animation from her drawings, but one step at a time. For now, we'll enjoy her time lapse creations, and may even post them on YouTube. Hey, you just never know.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

New Beef and Making Dumplings

We found a new source of beef. I hate to bail out on our old source because not only is he a great guy, but he's just down the road, but his meat was just okay, and not only was it lacking a bit in flavor, but the roasts were tough and the ground beef filled with chewy, hard bits. Not what you're looking for in a hamburger.

A friend had purchased a share in a cow and got loads of beef from a local farm in Pomfret called Cloudland Farms. He raved about the meat and said they'd been doing it for years. We made hamburgers one night and they were so good, so I decided we had to get some. I've heard somewhere in our town there is a farm that makes good beef, but I've got to find out who it is.

I also bought a ribeye steak, my favorite cut, though I'm not sure when we're going to cook it. We're not a big steak eating family, but maybe for special occasions.

Either way, we made dumpling with the new meat, and they were good. The true test, however, will be when we make burgers on the grill. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Rob Owen-Wahl and lekyu for the pic.

Riding the Rail Trail

A&R have been doing their regular "girl's day out" gig, so N and I have been making the most of our "guy time." We usually go bowling, which is a lot of fun, but sometimes when the weather is nice, the last place you want to spend your day is in a decrepit bowling alley.

So we decided to switch gears and do a biking day out. N and I, that is. There is an old railroad trail in Lebanon that has been converted into a dirt trail called the Rail Trail. It goes on for miles, and is relatively flat, so it's perfect for biking. I loaded the bikes into the car and we picked up the trail where it begins. It had rained the day before, so there was going to be mud, but I figured it comes with territory when real men go mountain biking.

The day was beautiful, a little cool, but no rain. N and I cruised for about 3 miles and then turned around, but what a nice ride it was. He got a huge kick out of it, and we got to spend a nice day outside. Plus, it's free. We took frequent water breaks, but I think over time his endurance and strength will improve. This was, after all, probably the longest ride he's done in awhile. Me, too, for that matter.

Next time we'll bring the ladies long, we just have to get a bike for mom. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Bill Owen for the pic.

Crazy Afternoon

On our weekly sojourn to our friend's house, GK&T, we decided to add some more complexity (and thus more value) to the picture by throwing in some swimming, as well. Usually we head over to their place after (her) school, but it was supposed to be cold and rainy, and G mentioned that he wanted T to get more swimming under her belt in preparation for summer. I completely understand, though our kids are like fish, you can't get them out of the water.

This, of course, added to the list of things we had to get done, and made them all the more complicated because by the time we went out the door, I had to everything prepared, because we weren't going to come back home.

These sort of days can be challenging because the earlier activities mean we have to leave before the main event and thus be ready for all planned activities. So, while we have places to be around noon, we also have to be prepared for the thing happening around 3:00. Factor in meals like lunch and dinner, and yours truly has his work cut out for him.

The plan was as follows: we were going to meet our friends around 3:00, but before then, we had guitar lessons at noon, a library meeting at 2:00, then to the pool at 3:00. After the pool we were having dinner at GK&T's, and we were bringing a salad, which I had to make. R had yoga, so she'd get home late, and being the Martha Stewart protege that I am, made her a some warm lentil salad so she'd have something to eat when she got home (she prefers vegetarian fare, especially when she eats so late at night).

To add more drama to the scene, I also had to fill the wood box, clean the house and do the dishes so R wouldn't come home to a messy house (which leads to extremely negative consequences), do the day's schoolwork, and re-string A's guitar. It helps that the kids are more actively involved in the cleaning/bed-making duties.

The guitar thing was one of those typical procrastination events that was coming to a head. A's teacher, KR, had mentioned that she could do with some new strings, and I had them on hand, but like always, was putting it off. We hadn't seen KR in awhile since we were away, and I figured that after all that time, if she showed up with old strings, it wouldn't look good. KR would never had said anything, but I would have felt like a loser (not the first time). So an hour before her lesson, I got out the wire cutters and put the new strings on. It's kind of cool doing it, and makes me feel like a rock star.

We had a nice visit with KR, she filled us in on what's going on her life, and she made tea and served sweets, though she kept pushing them onto the kids even in lieu of the fact that we hadn't had lunch yet. I kept telling them "No more," and she kept encouraging them, a fact that I frowned on a little. Kind of like the fun aunt who keeps undercutting mom and dad's authority (making us, of course, look like the meanies). Finally I had to be stern and say, "Enough." Not easy being the bad guy, but that's what happens when people don't truly empathize with the parental plight.

We wanted to stay longer and chat, but I had my first meeting as an official representative of the library. I was meeting with MD to get some preliminary info about my duties. We met at the library and went over things, and it seemed cool. MD is so nice, and we love our library. It took a little longer than I'd anticipated because we chatted about life and politics, and I got to meet the library staff.

After the meeting, it was off to the pool. I assumed we were late, but we actually pulled into the parking lot at the same time as G&T. We swam for about two hours, then off to their house for dinner. We usually stay there until at least 8:00 PM. I feel bad, but the kids really play well together, and I enjoy G&K company.

After dinner, it was dark, the kids were tired, and I was in zombie mode (what else is new?). We came home and as always were happy to see mom. Then it was off to bed.

Nice day, but busy as heck. Dare I say, too busy? It ain't easy when you're trying to live a rich life and inherit the earth.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Allie Hylton Knut Pettersen and a1977 for the pics.