Month: June 2011

comprehension

June 12, 2011

sparklet’s comprehension is becoming a problem.

the lady sparkler and i were talking about needing bread, and that one of use would have to “run out” to heller’s bakery. within two minutes, sparklet had gotten us our shoes, our phones, our wallets, her shoes and was heading towards her stroller.

i guess it’s time to start spelling “o-u-t” instead of saying the word…
out: el picante español’s first birthday

June 11, 2011

it’s our new nanny share partner’s first birthday, so sparklet (and her entourage) crashed the party. cute kid, great family — they start full time with us in August.

See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
out: el picante español’s first birthday
head, shoulders, knees and toes

June 11, 2011

See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
head, shoulders, knees and toes with gramma
not sure, but i don’t think el gato is very happy

June 11, 2011
found: el pato lives

June 11, 2011
flexday: mount pleasant, d.c.

June 10, 2011

it’s the most wonderful time of the year again — when summer flex hours start, and good conservationists get every other Friday off.

a couple months ago, the lady and i were looking for photographs of mount pleasant to hang on our walls when i realized that i hadn’t taken any — like none in the four years i’ve been here, outside of a couple batches from snowstorms.

so, during my flex days this year i’m going to spend some time wandering around the neighborhood.

this week i knocked off all of ingleside, 18th and 19th streets, most of lamont street and half of newton. map of the route here, and photos below.

See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
flexday: mount pleasant, d.c.
found: tip-toes

June 10, 2011
firsts: gardening

June 7, 2011

sparklet and i planted the first veggies of our newly reclaimed veggie patch — two basil, two tomatoes, and two cucumbers — but we saved the photo-op/watering until mommy could share the love.

See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
firsts: gardening
journey’s end

June 6, 2011

well, i’m not doing that ever again.

my wife is calling the new place our “twenty year” house, because she says that is the minimum we’re going to be here. i call it our “you’re going to have to take my cold, dead corpse out of here” house, because … well, you get the picture. (i told sparklet earlier this week that the next time i move is when *her* kids move me into a home for the mentally addled.)

all told, the move actually didn’t go too badly.

my wife and baby made it to Tejas, had a great time, and returned on time, alive, with all eight limbs. (they took lots of pictures which, given my track record, it’ll take a month for me to sort though.)

for the move itself, our POD was delivered right in front of our door step with everything present and accounted for. we had movers who came in underbudget and early, and didn’t break or lose a single thing. even our cable company hit their installation window (tho i’ll politely ignore the fact that their window turned out to be 24 hours later than what they told me it was going to be).

by day three, all boxes were unpacked on the top two floors, with the exception of the lady sparkler’s clothes. by day nine, there were no boxes left in the entire house.

i’ve had a string of little projects to keep me busy, but nothing major — took down a tree in the backyard, filled in the coy pond of death, put up a railing in the basement, hung temporary shades in sparklets room, wrapped sparklet’s porch in wire fencing, and hung a Texas flag for Memorial Day (above).

we’ve already met (and love) our two closest neighbors on the west side, and our three closest neighbors on the east side. oh, and one of them has a 15 year old that is on the lookout for baby sitting gigs in the neighborhood.

and all happened while i wasn’t blogging for six days consecutive days — and the stoppage didn’t blink me into nothingness. (who knew?)

but, even though it went well, it’s just not worth risking doing it again. now, if you’ll excuse me i’m going to sit down in my beautiful, ninety seven year-old backyard and do nothing for the next decade or two.
new backyard

June 5, 2011

we missed a whole spat of holidays this spring — from my birthday, to mother’s day, to the lady sparkler’s birthday, to (i presume) father’s day.

so, instead, we bought ourselves a backyard and are going to throw ourselves a party.

i got new patio furniture, my wife got a grill — if you don’t know why that’s appropriate, you don’t know my wife very well — and even sparklet got herself a kiddie-wading-pool out of the deal.

now we just need to pick a date. stay tuned.

See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
new backyard