Summer Fun

I’ve been meaning to write about this earlier but life and work get in the way sometimes. But, first, I must give a shout-out to God for the rain! We’ve been needing a new roof since we moved into this house and right when we hire someone to do it it rains like crazy the day they were going to come down. Now that the roof is done (and the impending bill is possibly on the way) I was afraid that is wasn’t ever going to rain again. If anything to at least prove to us that our choice in roofer was a good one. The work done was proof number one and now the lack of leaking is proof number two. We’ll be passing around a plate to collect donations for the roof fund after this post. =)

Okay, now onto the summer fun portion of the show. I have always enjoyed catching lightning bugs on summer evenings. I got to share this enjoyment with the Young Extroverted One the other day and we had a blast! There’s just something about spotting that green flash and running towards it to only lose the thing because it turned it’s light off and kept flying. Once the YEO got the knack she was catching them like a pro. As we took a breather from all the running to and fro I pointed out the bats flitting back and forth catching bugs (hopefully mostly mosquitoes). YEO thought that was the coolest thing ever!

I have this bat house (not my house but actually a bat house) that I’ve been needing to hang somewhere but like every project on deck it gets put aside. I still haven’t finished the laundry nook (what’s smaller than a nook? cranny?) with the sanding and the hole filling and the painting. At least we can actually do the laundry! I’ve also been meaning to put up a swing on the front porch for the YEO. Because, according to her, the porch swing is booooriiiiing. Whew, I got some work to do. ugh.

Now listen to some money collecting tunes as we start the plate around . . .

Summer’s Here-Dad Loves His Work

Porch Swing Bliss

Last week I got the bug for some basic home improvement.  We have a lovely front porch on our house and for the longest time had a couple of folding chairs, a plastic picnic table (kid-sized) and several pint-sized . . . mmmmmmmm pint . . . chairs.  There were hooks already installed in the ceiling of the porch but they were of questionable descent.  So, after removing the old, scary hooks I realized that there was acceptable safety in what the hooks were installed in.

I ran to the home improvement store and picked up some eye-hooks, springs, quicklinks and a porch swing.  What a difference a porch swing makes!  We have sat upon that thing everyday since the installation.  The weather here is not oppressively hot yet so it has been enjoyable to be on our front porch.  With the occasional waves and “How ya doin’?”‘s with the people who live on our street it has been a different world.

Then there is the other side of front porch livin’.  We observe the traffic patterns on our street better from our perch.  It’s looking like there might be some drug/prostitution activity farther down on our street.  Ah, gotta love life in East Nashville.  We hope things might change for the better since we’re outside more.  And with the Young Extroverted One playing with the neighboor’s son there is more of a presence of children and family life.  Hopefully, a family with children will move in on the other side of our house to further encourage community.

In the meantime, Bosco (90 pound mixed breed of BIG ancestry) will be on the porch with us during this lovely stretch of weather.  It also won’t hurt to make a courtesy call to the East Precinct‘s non-emergency phone number.

Spring Break Adventures

This is pretty old news but worth writing about.

All of which would have been forgotten if it had not been for my trusty Moleskine Pocket-sized Ruled Notebook. Yay for pens, paper and no short-term memory!

The Young Extroverted One’s spring break was a week later than the Elder Extroverted Holy One’s. So, we had to scramble to line up some ways of childcaring while we were working. Luckily, I was off on Days Three and Four!

Day One: Hanging out with her bud Griffin at Natural Fields Farm. Then over to her grandmother’s house for the night and most of the next day.

Day Two: See above.

Day Three: Off we went to the Nashville Public Library for Story Time. After story time we browsed the stacks for a little while and found some books and a DVD. When we were done there we decided to hit the Mellow Mushroom mainly because I wanted a beer with lunch but also to try to have lunch with EEHO since it was near the divinity school. My cell phone calls were ignored so YEO and I had a lovely lunch.

After a little digestion at home we headed out to Shelby Park and Shelby Bottoms for the YEO to ride her bike. Considering that we’ve never been to Shelby Bottoms we just decided to walk it orI walked it and she rode on my shoulders. It’s pretty nice out there along the Cumberland River. Plus, they’re in the process of building a nature center.

After my lovely, laden walk we hit the new ice cream joint in East Nashville called the Pied Piper Creamery . All I have to say about this place is MMMMMmmmmmm . . . me likey. I think the YEO liked it too.

Day Four: We went to the Nashville Zoo ! Unfortunately, so did everyone else. Beside the crowdedness, which I LOVE, it was very fun and the weather was, in YEO’s words, “AWESOME!” After zoo time we went home waited for EEHO to get home and we took her to the Pied Piper Creamery. Another convert was made that evening.

Day Five: Was spent with the EEHO and they went to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts . I had to go back to work so I can’t report on that trip.

Day Six: Was a Saturday and we had planned a cook-out and general family/dog fun time back out at Natural Fields Farm with the Say crew and a couple of other families. Good food, good beer, creek time, good beer, bratwurst, dogs, ticks, good beer. I’m pretty sure it happened just like that. Really, all that I remember were the bratwurst and the beer and, I believe, nobody got hurt.

No zoo animals or naturally grown foods were harmed during these adventures.

You Call That Snow?

what snow?

This place is a joke.

School are closed. All of the bread and milk are gone from the stores. The home improvement stores are probably all out of snow shovels and other winter/snow related accoutrements. I haven’t checked yet but I’m sure there car accidents all over the place.

Sigh . . . I’m going back to bed. Wake me when winter comes or spring arrives whichever comes first.