And Summer Falls

by admin on September 1, 2010

Sunflower

No longer can you go outside after 9pm and enjoy the waning rays of sunshine. We lost nearly an hour of daylight in the month of August alone. I feel as though I lost August. How did September get here so quick?

The leaves have started turning colors. Bright yellows mixed with brilliant oranges and reds are replacing the green foliage that shaded our yard all summer long.

Today, I drained our pool. Countless hours of refreshment and enjoyment were had (mostly by the kids) in the pool all summer long. Now all that is left is a rather large ugly patch of dead grass.

I didn’t get all of the “summer” projects done that I wanted to. The deck still needs staining. The shed still needs painting. I did get the nesting box done for the chickens, but that also needs to be painted.

We did have a great time camping with friends a couple of times. Went to the beach a few times. Saw a number of simply beautiful sunsets. Witnessed a few shooting stars. Ate way too many ice cream cones, but I don’t care.

It was a great summer, but it (like my previous 33 summers) went by too fast.

Our son heads back to school next week. He’s super excited and will do great. That leaves a quiet house with just my daughter and I during the day.

I’m not ready, but fall waits for no one.

And so summer falls and with it winter awaits.

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Ritz Crackers and 7-UP

by admin on July 6, 2010

Old 7 UP ad

Yesterday, we took the kids biking in town. One of the safest and least traveled places in town is the cemetery so that is where we biked.

While we biked through the cemetery I tried to find where my Great-Grandma Ora Clark was buried. I had not been by her grave in a few years and my memory wasn’t doing me any favors.

Anyway, as my son and I biked around trying, in vain, to find her headstone I thumbed through some memories that were stashed in the cobwebbed corner of my brain.

Thoughts of my Grandma Clark always lead to Ritz Crackers and 7-UP.

For whatever reason, that was always the snack of choice offered at her house. I will always remember ice cold 7-UP in her refrigerator and a box of Ritz Crackers up in her cupboard.

She used to live in a tiny house on Sevison Road that had a huge sycamore tree in the front yard out by the road. We used to drag an old paint-splattered wooden ladder out of the shed and use it to climb up in the crook of the tree.

I’ve driven by the tiny old house and the huge sycamore tree is still there. The thing is, it is no longer huge. Like every other memory from childhood the tree was remembered from the viewpoint of a little boy running around in his sneakers.

Someday maybe I’ll stop and see if the owner would mind if I hoisted my two kids up in the crook of the tree for a quick photo.

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Baseball can teach kids so many things

June 22, 2010

In this clip from the upcoming Ken Burns documentary, The Tenth Inning, which is a continuation of his epic baseball documentary writer Mike Barnicle talks about how his kids would sometimes lose their baseball equipment. He went and showed them one of his first baseball gloves that he ever owned and never lost. Lesson given [...]

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Where did the time go?

Thumbnail image for Where did the time go? June 21, 2010

As a parent, I find myself asking that question after every milestone. Birthdays. The first words. The first time one of our kids walked. The first time they used the potty (although I might have said, “it’s about time,” but I digress). The first day of school. I was looking for a specific photograph today [...]

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Pictures of produce from our garden

June 17, 2010

I love walking through our raised beds and finding new fruits and veggies to eat straight out of the garden. We have been enjoying strawberries since right around Memorial Day and now their season is winding down. My little berry thieves (both kids and critters) will be disappointed. Our raspberry crop has come early and [...]

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Something to be said for leisure

June 13, 2010

This was the first Sunday in a long time that I didn’t spend the afternoon working. Working on a project, working on the garden, or just plain working on work. You know, I can get used to this. I made a loaf of French bread to make sandwiches (using yesterday’s leftover barbecued chicken) for supper [...]

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Not so fast (please!)

June 12, 2010

This evening my nearly three-year-old daughter said that this summer she will get bigger. In fact (in her words) she will be an adult this summer. Sheesh! She’s already growing up too fast. In just a couple of years she’ll be in school and time will fly so fast – the next thing I know [...]

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Teaching my son the joys of good ol’ cap guns

Thumbnail image for Teaching my son the joys of good ol’ cap guns June 11, 2010

The hard whiff of gunpowder still burns in my nostrils. Instantly, upon its aroma I am transported back to my 7 year old self and I am holding my authentic Lone Ranger six-shooter made from die-cast metal and sporting a faux bone handle grip. Recently, my almost six-year-old son became interested in owning a toy [...]

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Smells of Summer

June 9, 2010

Tonight I was snuggling my daughter while trying to console her after she awoke from a bad dream. While I snuggled her, scents of strawberries, sunscreen, and whatever soap she used in place of lotion wafted my way and made me smile. To me, those are some of the smells of summer. Now, to play [...]

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Tuesday Thumbs Up, June 8, 2010 Edition

June 8, 2010

Thumbs Up It is now unofficially summer at our house as my son has finished his first year of school and pretty soon my school teacher-wife will have things wrapped up for the summer. Thumbs Up We spotted a snow cone machine on clearance at the store and thought it would be a great addition [...]

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