Oh! To be an aunt! What a wonderful thing it is. My son loves his aunts. He has lots of them and he loves each one of them a great deal. A lot. So much that it’s impossible to gauge his sadness when one of them leaves. This year alone two of his aunts went off to college. This was in some ways a terrible thing. We’d been away for a number of years and our son hadn’t had a lot of time to spend with his aunts. The summer was full of fun times to be spent with them, … Continue reading →

A really long time ago I wrote about my son drawing on one of my guitars (my classical guitar to be precise) and, as a result, busting some of the strings on the instrument. This wasn’t a problem. I wasn’t angry. The strings were getting old and needed to be replaced anyway. I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. This would, I thought, force my hand. Alas, time and situation and circumstances out of my control left that job undone until this past week. We’ve changed states, homes, jobs, seasons, etc… and now the new strings are finally on … Continue reading →

I got home late one night. Really late. Everyone was asleep. I was very tired. I hit the pillow and soon after fell asleep. I awoke to my wife leaving early. She was heading somewhere. She told me about this before, earlier, but I was really tired. I tried to go back to sleep for a while. I tossed and turned. I pulled the covers over my head. I covered my eyes with a pillow… alas. Not possible. I awoke. I carefully checked on our son (still sleeping) and decided to make some tea and try to get some work … Continue reading →

Last time I wrote about a wonderful day our family had at a local park. It was too cold for the now dry wading pool, but the rest of the park was dressed majestically in its best autumn splendor and satisfied our outdoor eyes far more than a window ever could. It was lovely. We packed a lunch and set out for a lovely afternoon. What was missing, though, was courage. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. Let’s say: “experience.” What was missing was experience. After playing for a while on the swing set and the toddler level slides and toys … Continue reading →

Yesterday my family and I went to a new-to-me park. My wife and son had been there previously with an aunt a nephew. The last time they went they were treated to a bustling park full of children and parents and activity. Part of this was because it was in the hot months of summer, and this particular park has a water feature. Wading pools and spraying water always draw lots of attention in the heat. Amazing times were apparently had during that day I wasn’t there. I heard about it for a couple of days from my son. He … Continue reading →

Apples and scarecrows. It’s an addiction that I can’t entirely explain. When we were in Texas we found our way to organic apple orchards as frequently as possible. It was a nice reprieve from the sparse fields of cotton and generally treeless landscapes that populated most of our vision in that part of the state. What were we to do? The organic apple orchard gave our vision (and, incidentally, our taste buds) a thrilling sensation unfelt in other aspects of our life there. Now that we’ve moved back to more fertile ground we’ve found ourselves more frequently trekking to outdoor … Continue reading →

In our front yard there sits a tree. This tree very clearly took root prior to my birth. This tree is beautiful and my family and I currently cherish it. After having lived in what was practically a desert for a number of years we are very excited to have such clear signs of vibrant life so close to home. Our front yard is a cherished part of our new home. Every single time we open the door or look out of the window we see this magnificent tree. Our son has taken it upon himself to appreciate the tree … Continue reading →

Every morning for a number of years I’ve (in general) had a cup of coffee. This doesn’t take away from the wild fables of my tea-drinking persona (for I love tea, as a quick perusal of previous blog posts will prove), but it does add to the depth of the flavors I tend to partake in daily. Coffee is good. It tastes good and it is good. Could it be better? I used to wonder that. I switched, initially, from major brands to small, organic, fair-trade outfits. The taste improved considerably. Eventually I switched brewing methods. I moved from the … Continue reading →

When I was growing up there always seemed to be this stigma about “healthy” food on the sitcoms. What was the stigma? Easy: kids didn’t eat “healthy” food. This was repeated in the literature I read as a child, as well as in the offhand remarks other adults (even teachers) would make regarding so-called “healthy” food. Often-times a synonym of healthy food would be vegetables (especially green vegetables). These synonyms were like a shorthand for sitcom writers and adults alike to describe the behavior of children. You grew, as a child or adult, to understand the motivations of the kid … Continue reading →

If there’s one thing you must know about my son if you’ve been following this blog for any length of time at all (and I really mean even as recently as a few days ago) it’s that he absolutely loves music. Loves it with every fibre of his visible being. We played music for him in the womb (in part to help him un-breech himself); we introduced him to music early and often; we made a number of instruments available to him without reservation as early as possible. When I briefly studied in Ireland I picked up a tin whistle … Continue reading →