News and Updates

1. The swingset out back is no more. When Tabitha was little, my parents bought us a big wooden swingset and Kim’s dad and brother helped us set it up in the back yard. It got a lot of hard, if loving use, but the girls had long outgrown it. We tried to give it to the neighbor for his thirty or forty kids, but they had to move away, unfortunately – they were good neighbors, and we miss them. But Kim’s parents said they’d take it apart and put it up at their place so our nephew and niece could play with it there. Unfortunately, after 9 years in the Wisconsin elements, the only thing holding that swingset together was inertia and it collapsed into a pile of dust as soon as its structural integrity was breached. So long, brave swingset. You served us well.

2. This semester is going to kill me. It just is. Between the class up at Not Quite So Far Away campus that I have to create from whole cloth and the one at Home Campus that I’m trying to revise and the performing arts coordinating that seems to be unusually time-consuming these days, plus all the usual things that come from being a Parent, Husband and Homeowner, I may do my own collapsing into a pile of dust soon. I’m not ignoring you, faithful readers. Not intentionally, anyway.

3. Still no sign of Tria, and we have pretty much called this one over. I suppose there’s always an outside shot of something good happening, but plans are starting to be made for a new cat eventually. She was a good cat.

4. Last night Lauren got to be a Junior Pom for the local high school – the one she will be attending someday, assuming we don’t move and the local voters are still willing to fund public education. I dropped her off around 4 or so at the football stadium and spent half an hour registering her – which was odd, since we’d already registered her in September. But she got a nice shirt out of the deal. We went back to the stadium after dinner and got to see all the Junior Poms doing their pre-game shaking and jumping, and – after a truly disastrous half of football for the home team – we got to see Lauren and her sixty or so teammates do a short routine on the field for halftime. Go get ‘em, Lauren! That’s her in the grey skirt in the back.

5. We left after halftime (just not that invested in the local team quite yet – perhaps when the girls are attending we will be) and went to the home of some friends and spent the rest of the evening sitting out by the portable fire pit and just hanging out. More evenings should be like that.

6. Tabitha seems to have adjusted to Mighty Clever Guy Middle School quite well, if her midterm progress report is any guide. Excellent work, kiddo – we’re proud of you.

7. There is no joy in Mudville – or at least my corner of Mudville – for the mighty Phillies have struck out. Why can’t us? Because the Cardinals, that’s why. Oh well. At least I won’t have to get hassled for wearing my Phillies hat next week by all the bandwagon Brewers fans who have suddenly discovered they have a baseball team this year. Of the teams left in it, though, I think I’d rather see the Brewers win it all than any of the others.

8. Every time I look at the political news it just gets worse for my country. The extremists out on the right-wing fringes seem bent on destroying everything that makes this country great and building a third-world tyranny where the United States of America used to be. Eventually I will get to the point where I will start ranting about it again just to keep from bursting, but not quite yet.

9. How long do rabbits live, anyway?