Matching Tracksuits

around the house

Thursday

Thursday 13 June 2024

Today was a day of yardwork. “Think of all the time we spend with just maintenance,” K said as she looked at what I accomplished today. We’re not really getting ahead with our yard with a day like today: we’re just maintaining a steady state.

I turned this, for example,

into this. To do so, I borrowed my neighbor’s massive trimmer that theoretically allows one to trim the top of such high bushes without a ladder. Theoretically.

It’s also heavy. My shoulders ached after just a few minutes of work. That’s why I took it back after finishing the first two shrubs and used our own, light electric trimmer to turn this

into this. The growth on those shrubs — what are they called again? I can’t even remember what’s growing in our own yard — has been phenomenal. I have to trim them several times a year.

I continued with the electric trimmer to turn this

and this

into this. The trimmer has its advantages: it’s light and, well, I guess that’s its only advantage because it’s terribly stressful (perhaps not terribly, but it is an added concern) to make sure one doesn’t trim the power cord along with the shrub. Not that I’ve ever done that. Countless times.

In the evening, another bike ride.

Thursday

Thursday 6 June 2024

I’ve been trying to get the deck finished for what seems like an eternity, but it keeps raining. I thought I had a window this morning, but just as I stepped outside, it began drizzling.

I turned my attention to the kitchen sink instead. We’ve long needed to rip out the old silicon and replace it, but I couldn’t find any black silicon. Then I realized it wasn’t actually supposed to be black…

In the afternoon, I took a chance and finished the deck. Normally, that late in the day, putting water-proofing on the deck is a terrible idea. It doesn’t soak into the wood; it cooks on the surface and then gets sticky. I figured, though, that since I only had to do verticle parts of the railing, the freshly-sealed surfaces wouldn’t actually be getting in direct, 90-degree sun exposure. And also, if it does turn sticky, who’ll ever know? It’s not like you’re going to walk on it.

In the evening, we (minus L, who had volleyball practice followed by track practice) went to a local university for Music By The Lake. A local youth orchestra was performing, and to our admittedly-slight surprise, we discovered Mr. K, E’s band teacher (and favorite teacher), runs the whole program.

Clover was just excited to get out of the house.

Summer Work

Monday 3 June 2024

The summer work continues: we’re installing a garbage disposal in our sink, but because of the way we plumbed it, we can’t put the disposal on the side of the sink we want. No big deal: we’ll just re-do a bit of the plumbing.

While I was looking for the parts we need, though, the Boy entertained himself.

The Deck

Thursday 30 May 2024

It’s a job I tackle every other year, a job that takes days and days to complete because of the simple fact that I can only work a few hours each day.

This year, I have the added area of the lattice that encloses the lower deck. Today’s accomplishment: all the exterior portions of the upper deck and all the lattice.

At least two more days of this await, maybe more.

Spring Showers

Monday 6 May 2024

We’re entering the phase of afternoon thunderstorms, when the day can turn to near-night almost instantly and a deluge appears seemingly out of nowhere. (You know the saying about spring showers: April showers bring May flowers, and Mayflowers bring smallpox.) I get a little nervous this time of year: our basement likes to flood, and while it’s never happened while we’ve been gone, I know it most likely will at some point.

Today, though, all we had to worry about was K getting in the house semi-dry.

Lessons and Blooms

Thursday 11 April 2024

“I need to work on my Polish,” the Boy recently declared, so he and K have been working on Polish lessons again. He doesn’t look enthusiastic all the time, but he is (still) willing.

Almost as lovely as his effort were the azaleas blooming this morning.

Playful Monday

Monday 8 April 2024

It used to be something we did fairly frequently in the spring: all four of us would go outside and do something together: swings, trampoline, badminton, or just a walk. I guess we all took it for granted, but soon enough, schedules shifted, kids grew up, calendars filled up, and these evening family times disappeared.

But we still have the net up from Easter; and we still have two kids who enjoy badminton. So all four of us were out playing, though never at the same time — that schedule thing again.

First I took on the Boy. He’s getting so much better, but he flubs some that should have been fairly easy. No pictures of that one.

Then K came out and played with the Boy. I snapped a couple of pictures, but not many — not even one of K playing.

Then the Boy went inside while K and I played a bit. We’re down to two working rackets, so options were limited.

Finally, the Girl returned home from getting crickets for her Australian Tree Frog — I don’t know that we have a single picture of her, but L has had her since eighth grade.

She plays with the Boy for a while, but then I suggest I take the Boy’s part and the Boy take the camera.

And so I promptly have fun while making a bit of a fool of myself. L wins at everything — it’s time we face it.

K, for her part, was inside, studying.

When will the stars align again for such a day?

Cheat Day

Thursday 21 March 2024

Just to keep the streak going — we finished L’s new bed, did some stuff in the yard…

First Bonfire

Wednesday 20 March 2024

It’s not that we haven’t had the weather; we haven’t made the time…

Spring Sunday

Sunday 10 March 2024

Today was such lovely weather that we knew we had to head to our favorite park for a walk. The plan was to head out after lunch. It would just be K, E, and I because L was out all day, working and completing various obligations.

It’s just the three of us more and more often, which is understandable: the Girl is about to finish her junior year of high school, and she’s increasingly independent. She’s always been independent, but with a car, a job, and social life, K and I sometimes worry that she might be a little too independent.

Just before lunch, though, plans changed: E’s close friend invited him over for the afternoon.

“So I guess it’s just the two of us,” K said.

We’re used to that, in theory, but we’ve been a four of us for so long that it’s a distant memory more than anything else.

A distant memory that’s becoming an ever-nearing future.

After the walk, K and I spend some time in the yard. She trimmed the roses and hedges; I mowed the lawn for the first time this year.

All in all, a perfect little Sunday.

Saturday

Saturday 9 March 2024

K talked with Babcia again.

The Boy had another soccer game, which they won 6-2.

And spring is everywhere.

Morning

Thursday 7 March 2024

Still out for the count…