Tag Archives: softball

Midsummer’s Night Dream

canoeing with W and cousin John
canoeing with W and cousin John

Yesterday, Ivy greeted me at the bottom of the stairs when I came down. She had that look on her face that gave away where she’d been sleeping. I checked the living room chair, it was warm, and I looked at her, pointed to the chair, and looked again, sternly. She knew. I don’t think ‘my look’ is going to fix the issue, but I do believe she understood I was unhappy. I made coffee, let her out the backdoor and began the day. Yesterday morning it was sunny, warm, and muggy and Ivy and I could feel the air outside when we got the morning paper. This morning was a bit different, the weather had changed and it was cool enough to sleep with the windows open, significant benefit of living in the Midwest.  Instead of waiting for me to wake, she came upstairs to greet me at 3AM. I climbed out of bed and went downstairs with her. She wanted to go outside but at three in the morning and it being dark, very dark, I feared an encounter with a skunk – she stayed inside. I fell asleep on the couch and W woke me at 6.15 reminding me it was time to go to football camp. Ivy eagerly jumped in the backseat and rode along it’s sort of a summer tradition. She loves going for rides. When we returned the coffee was ready and it was quiet; time to read the newspaper, sip coffee, and listen to the birds call and chirp in the backyard. It is summer after all and the pace of life is slower, even at home. Last week we were up north at the cottage, where life’s pace is slow and peaceful. Continue reading Midsummer’s Night Dream

Day 15: two weeks in, nine more to go

day15School let out two weeks ago and I have never been tireder. Is that even a word? Actually, it is not – I checked. The correct word, or words, should be more tired. It is the comparative form of the adjective, tired. In case you are wondering the superlative form is most tired and not tiredest like you’d think. Its comparative and superlative forms are irregular so the normal rules do not apply: example small – smaller – smallest and big – bigger – biggest. I would have thought tired – tireder – tiredest, but that does not work. Oh well, I have never been MORE TIRED, seriously.

The basement isn’t going as smoothly as I thought it would. The paneling is glued to the studs with super adhesive stuff and some of the paneling has come off easily, and others have not. The job is taking much longer than I anticipated. I did find a couple of the cracks in the foundation, they were the cracks we discovered in April and they were hidden behind the paneling near the window wells. Fortunately they are small cracks and easily sealable or seemingly so. I still have a lot of work to do. Continue reading Day 15: two weeks in, nine more to go

Oh, how did I get here?

daynineIt is Friday morning, almost a free day, and no camps, only quiet until everyone wakes. Sleeping in is a summer tradition, after all. Even Ivy joined in. Me, I slept until 6.30, then got up, made coffee, read the paper, and then got started on the computer. That was forty minutes ago.

I started ripping the paneling off the basement walls yesterday. It felt good, really good. We have cracks in the foundation, small ones, but small ones leak when it rains especially when it rains a lot. We learned that in April. We knew about one leaky crack, but we discovered others hidden behind the wall that soggy Thursday morning. I have a lot of work ahead, three and a half walls to go and then there is the re-build.

Between Tuesday and this morning, we’ve endured powerful storms Continue reading Oh, how did I get here?

Objects are closer than they appear

learningI don’t sit in the passenger seat often. When I do, I always see the phrase on the side-view mirror, “OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.” This weekend is a perfect example of that. Since my last post, which was over three weeks ago, I have been busy – of all kinds – family, house, school, work, sports, a full schedule.

It has been a busy spring and since we returned from Florida, I have written two posts. I am without words, literally. Continue reading Objects are closer than they appear

The quiet room

The sign says it all, ‘The quiet room.’ My kids tried to avoid it at all costs; I guess I would have, too, at their age. But, I’d sure like to go there for the next couple of days. Continue reading The quiet room

Fall is here

a picture of me – on an iPhone5 screen!

Fall is here, like it or not. I’ve known it was coming. I could tell, every morning the light seemed to come later and later, and last Wednesday I returned to O’s softball practice in a panic that she was waiting for me because practice had been called for darkness. They were still practicing, but I can no longer rely on time of day as a way gauge light or dark. Today is the Autumnal Equinox when we’ll get an equal amount of daylight and darkness and then it will go downhill from there. Continue reading Fall is here

T minus eight

Reds vs. Cubs @ 1.10, Sunday 8/12

It’s been a while, too long between my last post and today. Don’t worry, the days have counted and they are counting. Last week it was fifteen today it is eight, and counting.

W and I came home a week ago and we hit the ground running – school, errands, scouts, football, Continue reading T minus eight

Tuesday and almost halfway

Sunday’s weather graphic, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune – 7/8/12

O and I drove home last night. Let me clarify; I drove, she slept. We left the cottage late, really late, so late momma was concerned and wanted me to leave in the morning, but I wanted to get here and have a full day to get things done, so I left late. I actually enjoyed the drive – there was no one else on the road except for a few truckers and they seemed to converge on Chicago at the same time I was – past midnight. Except for a bit of whining, barking, and yipping early in the trip – the first 30 or so miles – Ivy settled and slept most of the way.

They both perked up when I pulled off the toll way exit and the car’s rhythm changed. I think Ivy could smell we were home and she sat up and looked out the window as if she knew where we were. O recognized the Arboretum and perked up, too. When we pulled into the neighborhood, I could hear Ivy whimper and purr. As soon as we stopped, she was out of the car surveying and making certain her domain was as she left it. I unloaded what we needed and went to bed; I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, maybe before. Continue reading Tuesday and almost halfway