Delayed

I had been excited for today for a few weeks now. My parents are in town and said they would babysit the little one so my wife and I could actually escape for a day to ourselves. Well, that went out the door this morning since we had no water pressure. There was a little notice about a major pipeline valve repair and mentioned boiling our water. They didn't mention that we could lose our water. And when we did, none of the news agencies or local governments bothered to give any updates. What the heck? Are they all too busy worrying about the dead Mr. Jackson to let tens of thousands of locals know what the heck is going on with their water supply?

The water finally started to trickle again at nearly noon and, luckily, my parents have one more extra day to spare in their vacation to let us enjoy a few hours of freedom from our toddler.

What the heck?

OK, this is the most bizarre thing I've seen on the internet.

Alarrrmmmm!!!!!!

Well, the Little Bug discovered the test button on the carbon monoxide detector this morning and gave it a push, which led to a nice crying fit.  I figured she would manage to get past the trash bin and floor lamp and fidn that little button one of these days.  At least that seemed to move up her morning naptime today.

Perfect time to get the new kiddie pool out!  It's heading towards 90 for the first time today.  When I lived in SC I got used to the heat and you sort of work your schedule around the really hot days.  But back up here, where it's been steady around 70 for the past month of so, it feels much hotter and your body forgets how to deal with the heat.  So, popsicles and the kiddie pool will be my salvation today.  I need to make a fresh batch of sun tea for the evening too.  Ah summer!  We wait all winter to get out of the house and then everybody runs inside from the heat :-)

Summer Time

Ah, summer weather is finally here.  Watching my daughter explore out on the grass and splash in her little pool has reminded me of how much fun the summer season is for a kid.  She may only see it as a chance to explore her surroundings outside, but in a few years she will know the joy of the last day of school and the months of freedom before starting the next grade.

I'm also enjoying some of the pleasures of summer that had fallen to the wayside while working and going to college.  The charcoal grill has returned to my deck and the sun tea jar has been out for the last few weeks.  Evenings playing with my daughter while listening to, or watching, the Tigers play ball brings back the days spent with my grandfather when I was young.  While I miss the summers past, I look forward to spending summers with my daughter and all the fun that comes with the season.

Muggy Day

It felt like the South today.  The hot and humid South I remember from living in Charleston; execpt there was no sea breeze to keep it under control.  I took the Little Bug out for a short hike; didn't want to keep her out there too long.  Plus, there were thunderstorms coming which kept my path close to home.  It felt good to be out there, though I couldn't last all day in that damp heat.

After a cool lunch indoors she settled down for a nap and I had a chance to get yet another wall painted.  It is going to take me forever to get the house painted a the rate I'm going!

Holiday Moment

Ahhhhh....  The Little Bug is alseep.  It's a cool 70 degrees outside with a light breeze.  The sun tea jar has been set out on the deck.  My little veggie and herb pots have been watered.  I even got to take the Mustang out for a quick spin this morning.  Now I'm going to flop down on the couch and enjoy a few peaceful moments for myself on this fine holiday.

That is, until the Little Bug wakes up from her nap and demands my full attention.  But until then, I can relax.

SAHD Sighting

Now that Spring has arrived and people are emerging from hibernation; I've been watching to see how many kids are in the new subdivision behind our house.  Quite a few from what i've seen so far!  Today I had my Little Bug out for a ride in the stroller and ran across what may be another SAHD with a toddler!  I didn't get a chance to chat with him, but just said 'hi' and kept an eye on which direction he was going.  Turns out they live in the first house at the close end of the sub.  There's also another dad with a baby and a toddler that I see every night walking just before dusk.  it will be a little trickier to run into him since that's usually my wind down time.  Aside from those two, I've seen at least half a dozen moms with strollers.  looks liek there was a little baby boom last year!

I've become addicted to charcoal grilling once again!  Since I've been using my gas grill the past two years I never realized how much more 'fun' it is to grill with charcoal.  I don't know, maybe there's a small sense of accomplishment with starting the fire and the satisfaction that it takes longer to set up and cook everything.  I should start filming my own Survivorman series on the deck.  BBQ was the main reason for pulling out th eol' Weber kettle, but this is also an opportunity to add some healthy cooking to my menu.  Thursday I made some great marinated chicken and Saturday was pork chop night.  Kabobs sound like a good option later this week.

The Little Bug stood up on her own for the first time yesterday.  Well, at least the wife saw her do it.  She also figured out how to get over the barrier I had on the stairs to the loft, so now I need to come up with a better barricade.  We let her crawl up a few times and made sure she knows how to get back down just in case.  Always and adventure!