Life Sentence

Last week I discovered Six Word Saturday. My words for this week:

Picking berries and preparing for bunnies.

We have a berry bearing tree which we picked this week. We also are going blueberry picking as a family this weekend. Our oldest turns 10 in early September and we have been promising her a pet bunny on her 10th birthday for 1/2 her life. So we have been in full bunny prepmode around here. Hitting the county fair and talking with all manners of people. We have even been offered a free one. We are trying to make a decision in regards to which bunny and when.



To see other people's Six word summations are share your own head on over to Show My Face.

Next Time: Happy Birthday Grandma.

Strawberry Picking With Bunny Girl

Kids grow up quickly, I dig that. What I don't get is how this kid is now almost 10. It seems like yesterday that this picture was taken, and now shes just a month and change away from a second decade.

A few Saturdays ago, I read on my facebook page how a friend of ours had gone strawberry picking. I quickly went on the Internet and found a place that still had strawberries about a half hour from our house. Amy was in the midst of a recipe but I gobbled up Bunny Girl and off we went on an adventure. Much to her joy, they also had sugar snap peas available.  We spent an enjoyable hour picking both.

As we picked I was telling her how much I enjoyed just spending time alone with her. She looked at me and said I am going to remember this day for the rest of my life and when I have kids I will take them strawberry picking.

Now while pictures may be worth thousands of words that one sentiment was worth thousands of pictures, strawberries and sugar snap peas.

Next Time: A Life Sentence.

June, July and August

I don't remember the first time I heard the joke, I have heard many variations through the years. The essence goes like this: Q: What are the best three things of being a teacher? A: June, July and August.

Last summer I lost my job and became the teaching parent in our home school family. My wife went back to her career as a school psychologist. My kid's school year ended the week before Father's Day, my wife's last day was the Friday before Father's Day. We are now in the midst of what amounts to be an 8 week paid vacation provided by our school district.

I would not go as far to say that these three months are the best things to be a teacher. Having this time with my family unencumbered by non-family concerns sure make Summer my favorite season. Before this it was Paprika.

Our main exploits this summer have been gardening, swimming, biking and reading. In addition we've been on a number of outings; some as a full family, some in partial strength.

In addition to our weekly cleaning day we made a list if "bigger jobs" we wanted to accomplish this summer and are knocking them out about one every week. I also am taking one afternoon a week to prepare for the school year and the two classes I will be teaching at the co-op this year.

When I was the "paycheck" parent I enjoyed the summer and tried to get as much time off that we could spend as a family. Having all five of us all home for this extended family time certainly works for me.

To see what works for others go to We Are That Family. Next Time: Strawberry Picking With Emma.

Unbelievable (You want me to do what?).

I love blogging. I would probably blog even if there wasn't such a thing as comments. But I really like getting comments. Every once in a while (okay every other post) I get no comments. I'm cool with that. But I really like getting comments. What I don't like is getting derogatory, mean spirited comments. I haven't told my parents about my blog ,so I thought I could avoid that sort of thing. Just kidding!

The other day I received a horrible comment. I don't remember all of it because it was laced with profanity and I erased it as soon as I was able. The general idea was that I was a horrible person and the commenter wanted me to die a horrible death. So what could have caused so much anger? Did I offend someones religion? Did I make some ethnic slur or stereotype? Did I say that Lost was worse than Gilligan's Island? No. What I did was merely mention that my family and I were embarking on what we called No Junk Food June.

It seemed that the commenter was most upset that I would put my children through that. I was ruining their lives and they would end up hating me forever. Because we didn't eat sugar for a month? Because we didn't go to fast food restaurants for a month? Please!!!

Now two things I'd like to mention. One, if you read the post after the one you commented on, you would have read that my kids had plenty of sugar and junk food in June. We traveled quite a bit that month and I let the kids eat their regular diet when we were on the road. They also went to a major league baseball game, two museums which they all enjoyed and many other fun things in the month of June. Two, on this painful death thing, No Junk Food June is intended to increase my life expectancy not decrease it. I just lost a brother and while his death may not have been painful, it certainly was to those he left behind. My desire to shed some pounds, has something to do with his early demise.

My kids survived their "ordeal" quite nicely. We will probably attempt to do it again next June if I can avoid painful or any other kind of death until then. I wonder what that commenter would say if they knew our family was already in the midst of no television for the summer?

Next Time: June, July and August.

Steal bases not cameras.

Yesterday I took my son and two of his friends to U.S. cellular field for the second Double Duty Classic. This game is a celebration of the negro leagues specifically the east-west all star games played at Comiskey Park, The classic is name after the late negro league star Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, who received his nickname by commonly pitching the first half of a double header and catching the second half.

U.S. Cellular Field opened in 1990 as New Comiskey Park and was built right next to Old Comiskey. The Sox destroyed the old building and constructed parking lots where it had stood. In what I thought was a cool touch, they maintained the old home plate and situated it outside one of the entrances to the new park. I took a picture of all 3 boys standing at home plate on our digital camera. The camera was on it's last legs. Motor problems were causing it to lose power much quicker and often not even open. Fixing the camera, I was told, would cost more than getting a new one. So, I was planning on buying a new one later in the summer.

I took the pictures and I absently put the camera in our lunch bag rather than putting it in my pocket which is where I planned to keep it. The game was free, and we had our choice of sitting anywhere we wanted. So we chose behind the players dugout on third base in the first row. I did not want to lose those seats so we draped jackets bags and gloves on them when we went to the wash room. Now I have left bags at seats countless times in the past and have never had anything stolen before. Until this time.

Instead of just describing to you what happened, I have decided to relate it in a different way. You see just recently I heard the song by Dave Carroll called United breaks guitars. I like how he took what happened to him and turned it into a song. So this morning inspiration hit and I wrote a song about what happened to me. Here is the blog premiere of Steal bases not cameras.

It was raining on the south side, when we got into the park
Put our jackets and our lunch bags in our seats
Off to the boys room our foursome did embark
When we came back we were greeted with a treat.

Some boys from the athletics were handling my glove
I said I'm glad you like it boys that's mine
You can have the front row, I said to them with love
They said "No thanks sir we'll be fine."

Well it just kept on raining and I said to my boys
Grab your stuff will come back when it's dry
I couldn't find my Sox bag and then I made a noise.
"My camera was in there!" was my cry.

Now jumping to conclusions can get you out of shape
So I glanced behind me with an open mind.
I wish they were all eating pizza or maybe just a grape.
They were munching on our peanuts at the time.

Chorus:
Steal bases not cameras my friends
Bases is where thievery should end
Hope you liked our peanuts and our chips
Glad I took your mitts off of our mitts.

Drago from security caught the kids in their lie
How do you buy peanuts at two stores?
The thief he did admit it but would not give me my prize
He said "he dropped and left it on the floor."

Their coach was less than helpful; wouldn't look me in the eye
Seemed to think the whole ting was just a joke
Me I'm not disheartened, a new camera I will buy
Had to anyway, the one they took was broke

Repeat Chorus

Now life can get real stormy, then out will come the sun
As it did, we remembered why we came
We shared the food they left us and we had a lot of fun
Chasing foul balls and watching a good game

I feel more like a fan than a victim of a crime
I'll curb my propensity for lectures
But I'd tell those young Athletics if they'd give me the time
That is not what is meant by taking pictures

Repeat Chorus

If you want to know how the song goes musically. Think Johnny Cash meets Willie Nelsen. As far as Amy is concerned, the real crime is I made her listen to a country song.

Next Time: Unbelievable! You want me to do what?