New Baby, Who Dis?
Last week, we welcomed the newest member of our expanding clan into the world. There were a few concerns in the weeks leading up to the moment of her birth, but she and her mommy managed very well and are doing fine.
Amazingly, the sensation of clutching the child to my chest for the first time did not diminish from two years earlier when I held her sister on the day of her birth. I was still a blubbering mess, but what pure joy flooded from her little form through me. I was immediately her servant and knew that we would share many stories, snacks, and adventures together. I can’t wait.
Children of the Future
I work with kids and teens as part of my job, so I’m used to other people’s children, generally. However, it is such a nice change of pace to spend time with kids in the family. Our nieces and their husbands came for the holiday week, and the eldest brought her two amazing children. I’m biased, of course, but they are such sweet, genuine, bright, and funny kids, and we all had a blast keeping them entertained. We’ve decided that we need to invest in some construction paper for their next visit, as both kids are super crafters.
As we cooked and baked and played with them, I suddenly got very excited for the time when our two granddaughters are of a similar age. What fun it will be to hold entire conversations, read books, make up stories, and goof around in the backyard when they are school-aged. I’m in no rush, of course. I’m so happy to spend time with them, even though they are quite young, but it was a nice flash forward, for sure.
Bachman’s Dead
Once he was found out, Stephen King jokingly (and somewhat bitterly) said that his alter-ego, Richard Bachman had died as a result of cancer of the pseudonym. Most King fans don’t know, but King’s first published novel was written as Richard Bachman (Rage, 1977) and only later did Carrie come out under his real name.
I never cared for the Bachman stories, myself. King admitted in an interview I saw a long time ago, that he felt that Bachman allowed him to write things that his own persona couldn’t or wouldn’t. And to be sure, Bachman’s stories are controversial. Because of the release of a cinematic version of two of those books recently, though (The Running Man and The Long Walk) I have decided to revisit them and rate them with an eye toward understanding this nuanced difference between the author and himself as a nom de plume. I’m a third of the way through The Long Walk, and it is interesting to say the least. It seems more of a challenge to write than to read, but I’m slowly getting into it. I may review both in a coming essay.
Leaf Me Alone
The reality of my front yard is unpleasant to me right now. Because we had family coming in, I wanted to get a head start on hanging up the Christmas lights and it took me most of the beginning part of November to get things set the way I like them. Between rain, busy weekends, and other commitments, I didn’t get as much time to deal with the leaves from our big oak, so the front yard looks like a giant mess. Because I mow the leaves right now (my blower is kaput) and because the yard is strewn with cords for the Christmas lights, it is hard to manage this, but in the coming weeks, I’ll get it in better shape.
It doesn’t help that the big oak tree only releases its leaves in waves, beginning in mid-October and continuing to drop batches every few days until the end of November. Which means that, even when I do get to dealing with them regularly, it is still a challenge to keep things looking neat. I guess, given the choice, I’d rather have leaves than hot and sultry weather, so there’s that.
Parade Goeth Before the Fall
As you read this, I’m preparing for our sixth year participating in all the local town Christmas parades, which occur throughout this coming weekend. Micki is headed to the kids to help with the new baby, and I’d like nothing more than to be with her, but I will say that driving the Mobile Library in the parades is fun and helps get me in the mood for the holidays. Between Thursday night and Sunday, I’ll drive in four parades, so good luck to me getting any chores done this weekend, I guess.
Washer Step!
Last weekend, when the house was too quiet again, after the kids went home, I heard a nagging pinging coming from the basement. Our washer, it turns out, was not filling. So I called our appliance guy. Before he could answer, though, I happened to catch up with my brother, who told me what the problem was (he’s had the same issue) and what to do to fix it. So, I ordered the parts and, when I’m not driving in the parades, I guess I’ll be in the basement with the family cats, working on getting our washer going again.
In the meantime, our Elliott has graciously allowed us the freedom to trek to his side of the house with detergent packets and dryer sheets and full baskets until we can get things sorted. You never realize how much you take appliances for granted until you don’t have them working. And this year has been a time of realization, for sure.
Final December Thoughts and what’s coming next
So, this was a potpourri just to get things back on track after the busy and fun Thanksgiving week. Next week, I’ll get back to regular, full-length essays, and one of those will hopefully be entertaining, if not comment-inducing.
I have a longer essay on a topic of physics in Dickens in the pipe and one on personality tests, too. In the New Year, I will revisit some of my previously-mentioned drafts and brush them up a bit for public comsumption.
Anyway, I hope you all had a happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving and got to see family or go on adventures or both. Yay winter and Yule!
