Little tufts of softness

For some time now I've wanted to write about how nice it is to nuzzle my face into MHM's neck to smell and feel the little tufts of hair he has growing. This particular place is really really nice. It is so warm and soft... It is really a treat to have a chance to do this now because as he grows up, it might be cute or funny for only a short time longer... This is really a nice spot if I hadn't mentioned it before.

Just plain nice

Today M and E went to get E's hair cut for our up coming vacation. That left me with MHM and a mission to get something fixed for mom. I loaded him in my vehicle and we went to the jewelry store where just yesterday MHM bought his mom a pearl bracelet. It had come loose from the clasp so we needed to get mom back into her bracelet fast.

That was a quick trip so when we arrived back home we had quite some time to pass until M and E returned. He seemed to be in a mellow mood so I put him in a small stroller and we went outside to enjoy the warmth and breeze. I contemplated a nice walk then something caught my eye which I had been ignoring for a time. Weeds! These weeds were growing out of the driveway cracks and were becoming unsightly. Sorry MHM, dad's gotta do this for a while. Well, I set to task with a weed picker and broom as MHM watched. I was busy doing my task but would often glance to see what was keeping him busy. He would sometimes be watching me or sometimes be looking in the sky and all around. It sure was nice to give him a big grin and a quick "Hello MHM" and see his eyes light up and maybe even get a small giggle out of him.

We were outside for maybe half and hour before Mand E came home. In that time, I got some weeds removed, and MHM got a good look at what future jobs he may be given from his dad...

Oh, I am sure he will love it as much as I do.

Why do I do this?

As part of my personal growth, I signed on at work to be a first responder or ERT. This was done a couple years ago for several reasons. We were expecting child number one so I thought that would be great experience and I would also get the benefit of 40 hours of day shift training once a year.

The experiences thus far have been pretty light of which I am grateful. A typical run might be a diabetic episode, dizziness, cuts and abrasions or heart trouble. I have been out on lots of calls but lately with increased overtime for production, people are tired, fatigued and some just plain ornery. Last week we did have a very deep cut on a guys forearm which after the bleeding was controlled, the nurse asked me to look at, so I did. It was very pink and quite wide... YUCK! I handled that one very well though. Today as I was checking my emails, there was a series of three from the area spokes person. The end result was that we had a person suffer a massive hear attack and did not make it. God bless him and his family!

I am supposed to go to training next week with one of the guys who worked on him so it should be interesting. I guess he had quite a rough time after the man was transferred to EMT's and out of his care. I can only imagine how I would react. He went home early and reportedly was second guessing himself whether he had done enough. I hope and pray not to have this situation ever come up but one never knows, I guess that is why I signed on for this , so I can learn and hopefully know what to do when an emergency comes up.

In regards to my family, I hope to retain some training and be able to help when needed. With the different things we do like Geo caching and hiking, with two little ones, I am sure we are headed for a few bumps and bruises. My family also has some age to it so I hope if ever faced with trouble, I can keep composed in order to help.

I hate when I am faced with certain realities of which no one has any control. That can be very hard to accept. God help me...

Punch line

With some exaggerated reactions to some of E's humor I feel that she is really digging the attention. When she does say something funny, I'll slap my knee or chuckle loudly, anything to encourage her. My own take on humor is that "a failed attempt is better than no attempt at all."

M called me last Friday night to tell me about an incident she had with E. She related to me that E said something funny (which M no longer remembers) so as M was laughing at E, E's face went serious... I instantly thought that she was going to tell me that E started bawling or got angry that M was laughing at her. Well, I was all wrong, very very wrong!

M- Well E got quiet and had a serious face then smiled wryly and said "Wait, bananas don't walk!"
Me- What was that?
M- It's from a Dora book where Swiper is dressed as a banana and tries to swipe the bananas but is foiled yet again.

With a sigh of relief to myself for sake of E's self esteem, I realized that my little girl indeed has a sense of humor. This has also been evidenced by another book she (we all like) called "My Cat Likes To Hide In Boxes". Every other page of the book shows a cat in some different type of box, mostly in a very stealthy depiction with an eye peeking out or something. She will listen to the preceding phrase then when the book repeats "but my cat likes to hide in boxes", she will quickly ad-lib her own "Where'd he go??" That is just the most funny thing as she seemed to come up with it on her own!

Well, E sure has given us many treats so far in 2yrs and 4mo's and we both feel fortunate as we have a really cool little girl.

Fire Flies

As mentioned before, M and I have what we consider a pretty close to awesome "back yard habitat". M is actually thinking about signing us up on a web site for a "back yard habitat" designation. You have to meet so many criteria and such and she thinks we might be pretty close. Back to my original thought...

At twilight, I love, LOVE, LOVE to look out and hear birds, the bubbling rock, see the accent lighting throughout the garden highlighting certain features and now, the Fire Flies!

Last evening, after the kids were abed, we were watching a bit of TV but I really couldn't stop my gaze from going outside. There were lots and lots of fire flies out and the whole bundle of our back yard seemed magical and serene save for the mosquitoes which kept me from having a fire in our fire pit. I could have had a fire but the reality is that it would have been buggy... It did seem that we used to make it out there a bit more with wine and either A Prarie Home Companion on Saturday nights or a vast assortment of bluegrass and Celtic music on Sunday nights wafting from within the house out to the porch.

I really wanted to wake E up so she could enjoy the spectacle but we knew better. I hate saying things like "there will always be next year"... Maybe I will at my next opportunity, wake her so she can see it for herself. I am sure she would get great pleasure and at least a few good stories out of seeing them. I am hopeful to get a fire in our backyard. It would be helpful if we had people coming over to enjoy it with us. We'll have to wait and see about that one.

The other job

I have a rental business which is and has been pretty good to me over the years. There are always frustrating times but there have to be many more good times, as I know that I am not going to them daily like my 40+ hr a week job. I try to provide very nice and VERY clean housing in return for timely monthly rent in short. I feel that I give a pretty good value for the money and to that end, I am deciding to spend some in order to update one of my larger places. New counter tops in the kitchen and both baths and new ceramic tile in the entryway and kitchen. I am trying to put this together in a quick fashion as I really need to get it rented. I do have hopes that the spruce up will aid me in that.


Today M and MHM came over for lunch bringing Subway which is nice and easy. While MHM rolled across the floor, I put a few questions past M for tile style and input into the microwave... No decisions yet.


At turn over time, I get a bit stressed as there are seemingly hundreds of phone calls for carpet cleaning, showing prospects let alone any other extra work that may need doing. When I turn a unit over, it is spotless and something I can be proud of. I always say that these are our retirement so I want to keep a bit of a hand on our business.

Not my favorite subject, but I guess I needed to write about it and I get to better things soon.

Reunion Day

For the past few entries, there has been little mention of M and MHM. E was constantly asking and wanting to see Mom and MHM. E had an audio card from M telling her that "I love you, I miss you and I'll see you soon". Well, today is the day!

Waking to yet another uncharacteristically beautiful day, I mentioned to E how the morning would play out. First there would be the playing with the cousins, some breakfast, a walk thrown in there and a bath. That was the morning. Well, all things came to pass then B, A, J and L loaded up to go to A's family cottage to finish out the weekend. So now we were alone with GMa and GPa. The first thing that came to mind was the park. E loves them and it seemed a no brainer. We loaded up GMa and headed out. E was luke warm to the place for quite some time though. We went more or less right to the swings where I pushed her for quite some time and started getting that far off stare of "tired baby". Well, she broke out of the trance so we headed over to the wooden train where she played a while eventually getting enough courage to check out what a woman was doing back at the caboose. She was while her husband and son were playing, preparing a picnic lunch and offered E some cucumber. I politely declined but E seemed interested, so we took a chunk. Not as though we don't feed her well, but we just have not tried many fresh veggies as "snacks". Well, we said thank you and promptly headed back to the swing. The cuke didn't last long as expected, so I ate the other half. Some bigger girls were playing on the big kids swings not far off so E had to try them. We approached them but never got on as E commented that "those are for big kids!" I quickly diverted her attention to a sand box where we played for yet another while crushing clods of what was wet sand into dry powder. As we started to head out, we stopped at the rest of the structure and did some hide and seek and some climbing but E just wasn't herself so we went back to the cottage.

Upon returning, I put together a lunch which she attacked with vigor for a few minutes then I noticed her eyes glaze over and her head bobbing... Too much fun with the cousins had worn her out! I picked her up with nary a squeal and placed her in her bed for a nice nap.

Mean while, GPa had now fixed the Old Car so when E woke, we all piled in for a ride down the lake shore. Being Saturday, there was still lots of activity and things to see. As she sat in the back with GPa, she had a big grin on and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Timing being everything this evening, we had to be back to Lansing to pick up M and MHM at 8pm, so I made it happen. On the way, I received a call from M and found out I might be a bit behind schedule. Well, never wanting to disappoint, I guaged my speed and arrived at the airport just as M was buckling MHM into his car seat. As E and I entered, I pointed out mommy and she ran to her with a shriek of "Mommy Mommy, my Mommy" and some very long awaited giggles and lots of hugs. It was so nice to have them home again! MHM was alert and bigger than ever and M looked satisfied. After the six days of separation, we were back and there was a calmness to the evening that was rather pleasant.

So that is my tale and it was an experience of a life time! VERY NICE!!

Vacation Day 3 July 4

Upon waking July 4th, E could hear L out in the kitchen eating so she promptly asked to go out and eat. This is a huge departure from normal but a welcome surprise. E doesn't eat early at all! Well, she sat down and had some cereal and something else then the two of them now done with eating commenced to chasing each other about the cottage and gradually moved it to the deck outside.

As early as everyone was awake, the girls slowed down a bit after a while and I was actually able to talk E into going for a run. We went down to the lake shore and ran the regular 4 miles. At the turn around, I stopped and let E get out and play by the shore. She enjoyed making some of Aunt P's dribble castles, poked at ants and tried several times to get into the water. With gentle diversions, I was able to keep her out and stay dry. I feel she had a nice time. Along the way, we saw many dogs and would often ask "what her name?" She does seem to have a voracious curiosity about life. About a mile from the cottage, she succumbed to sleep which was short lived upon arriving back at the cottage, where cousins J and L were hard at play.

Gma and Uncle B were out playing as well so I was able to sneak off to shower. When I got out, I had a message from G that she was inviting us to her place on the lake for a 4th of July picnic. I asked E if she wanted to go and she did, so we packed up quickly and went. At G's, E was the youngest and most enthusiastic one around. We did a bit of chase and such things, but her favorite seemed to be out on the "bridge" (dock) and the boat. G's mom D has a pontoon which really was fun for E to go on so she could look over the rail and see fish and ducks and all of the other boats. Many questions and observations later, it was time for the meal. At this point, it was late and I could tell that E really needed a nap so we ate a quick bite and were on our way... Thanks G!

Once back at the cottage, Uncle B had Gpa's old car out. It was backfiring a bit but aside from that, really had E intrigued. After lunch, Uncle B gathered the kids and Gma up for a ride. There destination was the gift store behind the cottage which they could get to without going on the main road. As the bunch were all strapped in the back seat, I could see some real excitement in E's eyes and smile. L had ridden in the old car before last year so she already knew what to expect. The ride would not have been complete for the total experience if it had not broken down. I guess it was the battery, but none the less left them stranded.

I was hopeful after returning that an afternoon nap might happen but with having J and L around, all we got was some quiet time on the couch watching E shows, better than nothing. As the afternoon progressed, B and A were readying for their annual dinner at a local nice restaurant. About 5pm or so B's family got ready to so to Aunt A's family cottage on the lake. E was disappointed but Gma helped occupy her while I prepared some food for the grill for dinner. As dinner approached, E got sleepy and off to nap for her and a nice peaceful and quiet dinner for us.

When she woke, Gma, E and I went for a walk down toAunt A's family cottage in order to tire her out a bit more. She rode in the stroller and enjoyed that. At there cottage, L was asleep and J was busy with his cousins so we really didn't stay long. We headed for home and the timing was just about right. We had time for an E show and some milk then off to bed for the night.

It was a very nice and appropriately long day for the 4th. The weather had been just perfect and the amount of activities just enough. The big let down was the fact that H.L. was doing fireworks Saturday night so that would mean we would miss them there as well as home so I hope to see some next year. Perfect or not, this is what memories are made of.

Vacation Day 2

It is funny and yet convenient how time softens details and events in your mind. Today, I look fondly back to day 2 of E's vacation with me. Not that things went badly, but I really remember and feel now that she was really good for me the whole six days we were together.

After what was a stormy ride to the cottage, we woke to a beautiful sunny morning and low humidity. We started the day by going into the living room to sit with the familiar sippy cup of milk and an E show. I questioned E about what she thought about the storm of last evening and as to what we should do today. She mentioned that she wanted to see L and J and Gma and Gpa, so I explained that we would see them later. With a bit of prompting, I got together some uuutmiel (oatmeal) and we had a nice breakfast.

Realizing from the night previous that we had left her tooth brush and toot-taste at home, I figured we should go on a shopping trip. I was almost ready to jump in the car then realized that today, we had nothing but time so we walked. On the way, we of course talked about the coming weekend and I showed her the lake from a distance. much to my liking, E still enjoys picking up just the right walking stick and often offers one to me as we stroll along. She picked up many stones and we even threw some ahead of ourselves in order to keep moving along to the store. At the store, she was very good and sat patiently in the cart as we picked up a few provisions.

The return trip was equally as nice. We spotted some wild flowers so I decided to pick some for the cottage. E was good to help me carry them home though she really wanted to dust all of the sand off the road as we went.

Back at the cottage, I began clean up prep for the w.e. I cleaned the porch and deck, got out all of the chairs and made it ready for relaxing. E was quite good as she kept herself busy on the deck with her "beautiful castle" and some balls form the garage.

As time slipped away, it was soon lunch so I put together some Bunnies for her and some strawberries. She seemed to devour most of what was there so I felt triumphant as that happens infrequently for me. A short E show and a couple of books later, and I would have a chance to re-aim our satellite TV feed. I spent some time digging and trying my best but finally gave up and tried to call someone. To my surprise, I reached a local guy after several calls had him scheduled for late afternoon. Long story short, the trees are quite a problem up there but I think we re safe with this new location for a while.

As E awoke from her nice hour and a half nap, we went out side and she promptly asked for her bucket. Her bucket?? A little searching my memory and I had the answer. Last we were up over Memorial day, M, E, MHM and I went for a walk where I had a pocket full of coins which I would throw on the road in front of E. As we moved along, E would shout with joy as she found the next penny. Well, I ran inside, grabbed a hand full of coins and we set out down the road. We went to D's house a block away and found many coins. We introduced E to all three of D's dogs. Two Rotties, Angle and Kayma and a Dobbie ??? or something like that. E did very well considering the size and activity level of the dogs. If it had been anyone else's dogs, I would have been very concerned but D know his dogs...

When Gma and Gpa finally made it, I had dinner ready for the grill. Some hot dogs (Kogels) and some burgers. We opened a can of beans and Gpa went to get some potato salad and ice cream. A very nice meal. Later, E, Gma and I went for a stroll around the subdivision to help tire out E. Upon return, it was near 8 pm so I started E toward bed with another E show and some milk. Shortly before time, B, A, J and L showed up so the excitement level skyrocketed. Many laps around the cottage latter, I was able to steer E to bed and another quiet night.

With E in bed, I made my way to D's for a late night visit. We had a beer as he showed me some stuff about Big Foot which was quite interesting. Before departing for the evening, we went out to look at the stars before I departed...

AAAhhhhhhhh!!!! Summer time up north!

Vacation for E; Day 1

E and I had a really nice time together for the holiday weekend. As M was in N.Y. with MHM, E and I had a vacation of our own planned for Wednesday after school. As Wednesday came around, I was busy trying to get lots done and started getting bogged down as I was not making enough headway. I started making excuses with some very bad weather coming and almost postponed the trip for the next morning. I spoke with M and she urged me to work toward being ready then take the weather as it came. As she reminded me of the very nice feeling I always got as a youngster of going up north late and then waking calmly and peacefully at the destination., I forged ahead.

As the day progressed, I realized the 5 pm. goal was certainly within reach. Proudly, about 5:15, I tooled into E's school during one of the worst rain storms I had seen in quite some time. I brought an umbrella into E's class and showed her and her friend. I told her that this would be the first time she would actually use one and that seemed to intrigue her. Heavy downpours and all, we were on our way north.

Arriving after 7:30 pm, I had to unload and also start E to bed. She sat quietly on the couch watching and "E show" on her "computer". After rushing about for a time inorder to get her bed ready, I returned to the living room to a fluffy mess. E had discovered again the cat-tails in an old arangment. I did not heavily scold her as I hadn't the oportunity to even know what she was up to. All in all, not a big deal and they were very old anyway. After the show, we headed off for the ritual tooth brushing and book reading and soon she was asleep.

With a bit of a sigh (of which I am fond of doing), I was beer in hand and ready to relax for the holiday.