Training wheels

It’s amazing, the transformation that comes on two wheels — or, two in-line wheels with a couple of smaller ones in back.
I remember the freedom, the authority and autonomy that came with my first bike. Even with the training wheels on, my bike was my ticket out of the driveway. Within a year or two [...]

Meshugas

I haven’t written much lately. It’s not that there hasn’t been much happening. There’ve been episodes involving toads, bikes, colds, sitters and a church. All blog worthy.
It’s just that my work — my JOB — has been sucking the life out of me lately. And not because I love my job and want to spend [...]

She was hopping mad!

On Saturday morning, before we left to totally miss the bee-bearded lady enhance our daughter’s enthusiasm for critters, Trish hit a yard sale. More about that later.
To Ella, the lovable little person in our family whose cheery demeanor and sparkling smile are reserved for non-members of our household, this meant the opportunity to debate, at [...]

What could be more fun than standing in line with total strangers?

Here’s a belated Bug Fest update: We missed the bee-bearded lady.
No, no, it was fun, even though we missed the entire purpose for going especially since Ella enjoyed it so much. She got to hold a baby honey bee and a couple of caterpillars. We learned about the butterflies we see in our backyard.
Then we [...]

Kid, bug me!

I was supposed to play golf on Saturday with two neighbors and one of the neighbor’s friends. They’ve been talking about it for two weeks. We would play early so it wouldn’t eat up the day.
I committed to it with a stone in my gut. “Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun.” I had to force the [...]

Seeds are planted early

It started a few months ago, the general feeling of being fed up with hearing her old man tell her what to do.
“Put your clothes on,” I’d say, two or three times, each time more strained than before.
“OK, Dad,” Ella said. “OK OK OK OK OK OK Dad!”
“Alright alright alright alright I’m hurrying!”
“I KNOW, Dad! [...]

Please, Mum, I want some more.

Last night at dinner Ella was really shoveling in the lasagna.
Trish said, “Ella’s been eating all day! She said, ‘Mama, I’m hungry,’ more than she said ‘Mama, I have to pee.’ I packed the cooler (for their trip to the playground) and she ate everything!”
Our daughter is not large. She’s tall and thin, like me [...]

The birthday chronicles, part I

Yesterday I asked Ella what she wants for her birthday, which is in November.
“I want a dooder.”
It just kills me when I can’t understand what she says, because I know she’s saying something I should recognize, and I know she’s trying to speak plainly.
“A what?”
“A dooder.”
Sometimes I just can’t figure it out. I’ll look at [...]

As if reality weren’t fun enough

I had one of those crazy dreams last night where something frightful happens and I try to yell but there’s no sound. Suddenly someone’s pressed the mute button. So I tell myself, in my dream, that I’m going to have to yell loudly enough to wake myself up. But the harder I try to yell [...]