Sun for a short walk, I crack myself up, He solved it

1. I still don't mind the rain. But when the sun briefly breaks through, we're inspired to take a short walk alongside the rainbow it has created.
2. The conversation at lunch: "Me: This rain reminds me of the Ray Bradbury story of the children living on Venus where the sun comes out for only two hours every seven years." "Audrey: Didn't he write Fahrenheit 451?" "Tess: What's significant about F. 451?" "A: Probably just some random number." "Steve: Nooo, it's the temperature at which paper will spontaneously combust." At this point I have a vision and I start laughing too hard to speak. I wipe the tears with my napkin and gasp for air. I finally recover enough to blurt, "The drummer in Spinal Tap spontaneously combusted!" And then I'm laughing all over again.
3. His "notes" today are on Rubrick's cube. He's been playing around with it for two weeks, creating a computer program with the cube laid out flat so he can manipulate it on the screen. ("You've got to be kidding me", was all I could say.) The rest of us have quickly tired of it. When he brings the cube to the lunch table, the kids teasingly remind him, "No toys at the table!"

Echoes, Down the road, Life in town, New neighbors

1. At 6am I take my coffee on the porch to watch the mist and listen to the quiet. A turkey breaks the silence with his call. I follow his voice as he goes from wood to field and then back again with an enormous flapping of his wings.
2. Audrey begins our conversation this morning with, "Last night I almost hit a bear that was as big as a cow."
3. Since we're going to be in town, Chelsea says to stop by for lunch and see their new apartment. They've moved across the courtyard to a bigger place. The renovated Tudor building has an inviting courtyard with a little pond and waterfall and beautiful gardens. We admire all the plantings, visit with neighbors and then go inside for lunch in front of an open window.
4. A pair of house finches claim residence in the trumpet vine. The female fusses and primps her nest while the male inspects above and below. (Men with their attics and basements.) Then he flies to the top of the pergola and sings like crazy while she continues to line the nest.

Wrinkle free, After work, You can't judge a book by its cover

1. I'm to leave Tess' dress at her friend's house so they can get ready for the dance together. The mom is out, but the dad is expecting me. I ask if I should lay the dress over a chair and he says, "No, Debbie said I should hang it", and he gingerly takes it from me.
2. A dad comes to the recital in hospital scrubs. When his daughter makes a little mistake, he quickly places his hand on the wife's knee, removing it only after the girl has recovered her place. I can't tell if the gesture was to calm the wife or himself.
3. Young people with lots of tattoos and scary piercings are usually the gentlest souls. Such a one assisted me with my donation at the Goodwill shed today.

Planting meals, Expecting a dinosaur to emerge, Our daughter

Hmm, something odd has happened and my last post is gone. This week has been so hectic that I can't recall the details. But good things have happened. They always do.

1. I turned the soil on the other side of the vegetable garden and planted tomatoes. That afternoon, a drenching rain watered them for me. They have been rain-watered every day since : )
2. The last two mornings have been thick with mist.
3. As I sat waiting in the car, rain pounded the roof and pelted the trees. Yet, in all this noise, it was incredibly peaceful.
4. Her art teacher made a very nice speech about her. The school board honored her with an award and everyone clapped for her. She then proceeded to tell the audience that her award winning photograph was an accident.

Who will build here?, Love the gadget, Change of pace

1. The trumpet vine climbs up and around the picture window in the kitchen. From inside we can watch the birds come and go, scoping it out for their nest.
2. The bakery has large, chocolate covered strawberries for sampling. They also have a new do-it-yourself bread slicer. I think I'll hang out in the bakery today : )
3. We had a Chicken Tostada Salad for dinner. Fresh, summery and healthy!

Let's visit there, We hate shoe shopping but we do it anyway, Steamed

1. She rolls the "r" when she says, Montemurro.
2. The odds were stacking against us as in our search for new gym shoes. (The other pair were stolen from her gym locker.) But we persevered through hunger, exhaustion, the pressure of running a mile without gym shoes tomorrow, and outrageous prices until we found a pair. Check that off the list.
3. I was so wired after we got home that I ironed a pile of laundry at 9pm.

New mom, Chelsea did the baking, No naps today

1. Claire phoned. In her voice I can tell she is happy being a mom.
2. Cheslea baked a loaf of strawberry bread, sliced it into three layers, then filled those layers with a cream cheese frosting and slices of strawberries. It was delicious with our coffee this afternoon.
3. The weather cleared enough for us to have dessert on the porch, followed by a couple of fun rounds of Bocci Ball.