Hair

Frost and Wren have become overgrown with hair.  Its a blessing.  Its a curse.

Yesterday, I cut Wren's with the buzzer and he is now less like a girl.  I confess, I told him that usually boys didn't have long hair but he could if he wanted.  He said he wanted long curly hair like Rowan but I explained his could be long, but not curly because his was straight.

So, he said I could cut it.

Frost has been getting compliments on his overgrown thatch of hair.  He has been told he has a Justin Bieber style.  See for yourself.  Both boys are before haircuts (including Wren).

"I don't know.  You say its long but everyone thinks its cool.  I don't
know why you want to cut it.  Well, you can cut JUST A BIT.  This
is SO embarrassing."

Wren with the face-paint from preschool.  He said
"I didn't know you could do it AROUND the eye
but when I saw Nates I said "WOW, I want it like THAT!"

Breaking out

I barely slept last night because I kept waking up afraid one of the kids would leave the house unexpectedly and set off the newly activated burglar alarm.

I know, its not supposed to be like that.  You're supposed to worry about people coming IN but I think its more likely we will lose money by excess police call-outs from kids leaving to scooter at dawn than from robbers.  Apparently the police charge $75-$100 per 'excess call'.

So, I finally dashed out of bed when I heard footsteps at 7.45am and turned the thing off.   Did I mention I barely slept?

Josh says we should just use it when we go out and he may be right.  I do love the door alerts though.

Meanwhile, our neighbor is alarmed by our increasingly wild poppies.  They are seeding everywhere (including in the cracks on the drive) and she has suggested that we harvest the seed stalks carefully to prevent them spreading.

That will be on my wishlist for today, along with dinner at M and a tour of the new school site, swimming at the public pool etc.   I should also walk Beezle before his big moment of isolation at home.

This morning, after the alarm was off.  Wren told me he was feeling the worst ever.  He had growing pains AND a headache that was very bad and I should "be worried".  I was.  I coddled him for a while.  He wrung out of me that he was too sick for school and promptly recovered.

He is such a con-artist.

It didn't help that I was feeling a bit guilty about him going to school today and tomorrow because I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that he can't come to.   So, he is watching Frost play Halo.  Frost tells me its on the "non violent mode and I am just building a base" but I think he just tells me that and is really shooting everything.

Wren seems to know the names of all the mechs / aliens / ships / tanks.  See, I can't even categorize them in my ignorance.

Ask Wren what is the best tank in Halo Reach and he will talk for half an hour about Scorpions and modified mechs. 

Pruning Basics

My latest project is pruning.  The new house has many overgrown and vigorous shrubs which need containment and redirection.   They include a large Japanese Laceleaf maple with a  9" caliper (the truck diameter about 5" up) which looks like a crouching beast on our lawn.

I have had a consultation with Mike Thepruningguy and he is going to start a gradual prune in September with me as his pupil.  The goal is to learn to manage it without expert pruning.  I plan to document the process.   From information gained from neighbors, the maple is about 45 years old.  We have another 20 year old one on the back garden which also needs work.

The Laceleaf Maple on the lawn

In addition to maples, we have huge banks of lavender, an unruly wisteria (do they come any other way?), wild bush roses gone leggy and huge rhododendrons (branching dendrons, indeed) as well as gone-wild poppies and a mid-sized weeping cherry.

Watch this space for updates on my work.

My first assignment is to "Remove the dead wood from both maples".

In reading about pruning maples, I read a story from Japan claiming that only master gardeners can prune the laceleaf maples in botanic gardens.  Apprentices must follow the masters for 10 to 15 years before they can make a cut.

Until then, they gather the wood that the masters cut.  From the pieces removed the apprentices must learn what is important and how to shape the trees.

Slightly normal (what is that?)

We have moved house.  I think I mentioned that a while ago but I just wanted to make sure you knew that we have really moved.   I sleep in my new bed, Frost sleeps in his new bed (no longer a loft) and Wren has the best bedroom of all - navy blue and snuggly - but we have to keep his door closed all the time because Beezle has chosen it as his number one place to poop indoors if he can get there.

Beezle also likes to chew plastic toys, like pigs.

Frost is having a leisurely summer reading, playing Halo on X-Box and sorting and reading his Magic the Gathering collection.  Tonight he is out at a MTG FNM game as he likes to call it.  The slight intrigue, the insider knowledge of the acronym appeals to him.

Now that we have moved we are all catching up on sleep, going to bed a bit late when the dark blue sky has past 10pm and the sickle moon hovers somewhere over Phinney Ridge.  Josh told me that tonight, if the sky is visible, we may see some of the Northern Lights but I checked a short while ago and it was still murky with the sound of airplanes droning out of sight.

I just signed Wren up for another session of his favorite art class.  I am a bit rude about the class which is formulaic and skills based rather than allowing for imagination and creativity.  However, since Wren does not lack for those and adores the art class (going so far as to tell me that when he is 5 years old he is going to school at the art class!) I signed him up for another quarter of classes.

I have signed Frost up to see a writing coach this month to help encourage him to write.  Like Wren, he does not lack for creativity but I seem to have trouble putting my "summer writing boot camp" into practice.  It was the only thing his teachers asked me to encourage as Frost is not as fluent with writing as some of his classmates and this could make his projects and essays harder in 5th grade.  The writing coach says he is a bit of a perfectionist and is teaching him strategies to get words on the page in an organized and easy manner.

Both kids have been to dentists recently.  Frost had a replacement retainer (apparently his tendency to eat with the retainer in led to its early demise) fitted and Wren has 2 more fillings (to be treated in September).   Frost's teeth seem fine but they both eat too much sugar (self-flagellation <<--- here).

We are trying to finish unpacking the boxes over the next few weeks.  On my list there are some big items remaining  - we need guest room furniture, a second fridge for downstairs, some carpet underfelt to prevent casualties, an extra lounge chair, some patio furniture and a strategy for a vegetable garden.

We are still unravelling the mysteries of the in-house cabling and lighting, the home security system (to be activated next week) and the showers (one of which squirts directly out the shower door onto the tiles).  I finally figured out how to stop the dishwasher alarming incessantly when it completed its cycle and the washer dryer are so efficient I cannot keep up with the laundry folding.

Still, our clothes are unpacked and our food is in the fridge so most of the major things are done and we are almost ready for my Dad's visit at the end of the month.

Beezle. 4 months and 3 weeks old

 

He weighs 7.5lbs and is timid with strangers but bold from a distance.  He loves his raw venison diet but wants more food, always.

Back in the sunshine saddle

I was woken this morning at 8am by the partially equipt burglar alarm sounding an exterior door alert.  I staggered out the bedroom without my usual stealth, hanging Beezle like a fox stole over my forearm.  I have learned from bitter experience that one must evacuate Beezle to the garden ASAP at wake-up to prevent him taking advantage of a carpet.

The back door was shut as was the patio door so I squinted out to the garden to see if someone had gone out the basement garden door.   It was sunny.  Bright blue blinding sun shining off the she-oak in the neighbors garden.   Dew coated the deck and the windows were closed but Wren was out on the basketball court scooting rapid patterns through the angles of sun and shade.

I took Beeze out to the grass and sat on the wall by the court.

"Wren, you must tell Mum or Dad before you go outside when we are asleep."  I told him, thinking ahead till next week which his extrusion would have resulted in a burgler alarm siren after a 45 second respite.

"You have never said that rule before!"   he countered.

"Well, it is a NEW rule then.    Wow, you are fast on that scooter."  I noted.

"Its because I growed up.  God invented this rule called the growing rule where you can do different things and grow bigger but be still 4."

[I am interrupted by the site of Frost, wrapped in a blanked, running across the lawn in a covert manner clutching Beezle.   I infer that the Boys are fighting over possession of Beezle, again.   "Frost, put Beezle DOWN!  He is not a toy!"  Wren finds them and they both argue with Beezle to spit out a cherry he has found fallen from a tree.   "Maaahm... Beezle swallowed a cherry pit."   "Its okay, I think.  It will come out the other end."]

Wren does curves and swerves as he circuits the court.

"I am going to make lemonade-sicle " says Frost, retrieving a DIY Popsicle stick from Beezle.   "I have lost my lemonadesicle!"  shrieks Wren.  "MAKE ME ONE TOO!"

I imagine the neighbor flinching in the 8.45am Saturday lie-in.

"Frost, make one for Wren too."

Yesterday, we made lemonade from a bottle of lemon juice Fred left us.  I made it in a huge pantry bottle because my lemonade pitched broke last year and as a result everyone splashes lemonade when they pour it and the floor of the tiled kitchen is tacky with sugar-water.

The Sewer
Last night I had dreams about the sewer, but good ones.  This is an improvement from previous days.  While we have bought this house we have not yet sold our first home.  It went on the market last weekend and we received 5 bids, which we reviewed on Tuesday.  We accepted the best offer and they proceeded to inspection.  While the structural inspection was fine, we heard the sewer scope showed "the entire line needed replacing and it would cost $35,000.

Needless to say, that was a shock.

Lots occurred since then, but we have now resolved to replace the line from the house to the street before sale.   It will cost $9,000 and be done early next week.  Thankfully, further inspection showed the truly expensive section of sewer (sidewalk to street) was in good condition and so were saved that extra $20,000.

Today
So, faced with a lovely truly summer day, we have some plans.  We are going to clear out the garage in the old house (to allow sewer line construction through the basement!), go hat shopping with Josh, take Beezle to the dog park and I am heading to Swansons to buy some rose medicine as our roses here have black spot (and aphids which I will treat with a hose and soapy water.)

I am much happier dealing with these things than the paint,  sewers and expenses of weeks past.

For Alex
Frost played FNM last night and got fourth.  He won two boosters.   He has been staying up till 11pm every night watching RedBox videos with Josh. When I got him to bed by 10.15pm last night, he couldn't sleep.

He doesn't know what he will today.  He says his plans are:

Stay at home.
Read.
Play video games.
Eat vegan nachos.
Lay around inside.
Watch TV.

Wren begs "Frost, Frost, wanna play Scooter Crazy Man?  I try and hit you because I am CRAZY and you try and dodge me by going FAST."

So Frost will have to add that to his days agenda.

Various small fires

Whenever I have been away and sit down to write a catchup blog post, this title comes to me:

VARIOUS SMALL FIRES

It comes from the title of a (1964) book by the artist Edward Ruscha featuring 15 photographs of small fires and a glass of milk merged in my mind with images from a book of whimsical staged images by Bernard Faucon.

I don't know why I think of it.  Certainly not in the same way as the artists (one of which google says was attempting to challenge the notions of classification in photography). 

by Bernard Faucon

Another Faucon image in a book Jonathon Said gave me 20 years ago.

For my version, I imagine a landscape in which various small fires have started and are burning away, all requiring to be put out (or cultivated).   Threat and potential, a harvest of flame, a grid of something wild.  Many small crises, self contained, and I'm never really sure if each one is something serious or something that will burn out, wisp away, with rain.

Thus its a great metaphor for my life (in catchup).  Various small fires I kindled and now must resolve and which I will share with you.  So here they are:

Lit matches

We have moved house.  Moving is 95% complete.  Remaining in the garage of the old house are bits of lumber, some unnecessary furniture, missing hardware, defunct software and some recreational devices I no longer find fun.   I am sure I have left important things over there but at this stage I just wish I could push a DISPOSE button and have it all disappear.

Speaking of "disappearing" things.  Many things are mislaid in the move.  Boxes abound.  The new garage is full and Frost has made no attempt to unpack his boxes of Lego and playmobil, his books or even his clothes.  This confirms my thesis that, as parents, we should simply sell off all our kids toys from time to time as a gift to the family.

Nobody would really miss them.

Cigarettes

Frost had his birthday party.  He is now 10 years old and had a few friends to run around the yard with him and eat sundaes.   He said it was a bit of a disorganized birthday party but he had fun.  He was very happy with his gifts but has left them on the dining room table for me to resolve (remember the lack of unpacking?  Also lack of putting away).

From our end, he had the most minimal birthday yet.  We made a cake and sang at dinner, we gave him 3 presents (Magic the Gathering Cards, a playmobil guy with a skull mace and a pair of Lazer Tag guns.)   He was very excited to receive money from his Granny Katy, Auntie Kindra and Auntie Corlie (and Uncle Tyler).   I didn't go out and buy gifts from the foreign relatives and Mum sent him candy (which he enjoyed).  It was simpler and I don't think he felt short-changed.

The Lazer Tag guns have been great....

Blowtorch

We are still selling our other house.  We have received some offers, below asking, and are going to consider them tomorrow.   This is a short entry because I am sick of even thinking about the work I did, should have done, may need to do if an offer is picky.   Nuff said.

Highway flare

Its summer vacation and yet its been gloomy and rainy many days in the NW.  This while the rest of the USA is suffering a record heatwave.  Joshua keeps telling me how we should have replaced the old roof with white tile, not dark grey.   I can see we are going to have a white roof when we replace this one.  I am still researching the issue of glare off the roof for neighbors.

Gas stove burner

Beezle is still lovely but still poops and pees in bad (but predictable) places.  He loves bathmats, a particular persian rug and a corner under a table in the basement.  All this is resolved if I take him outside a lot but I don't.  He can't get out on his own so its All My Fault (except its his fault too because there are piddle pads on the bathmat for him and he chooses not to use them all the time, and he eats my long hair somehow and then gets them stuck in his bum and runs around with poo attached to my long hair attached to his butt which is horrible and distressing for everyone.

He is a great doggie though and well suited to couch potatos and sleeping with you in bed.

I have a few more conflagrations on the go, but that should do it for now.

Bon voyage Tara, Fred and Alex.  Have a fabulous time in France.  We will miss you and your job is to have such fun you don't miss us, or Seattle, at all.

Wren tells a story about monsters

Once upon a time….

There was a elemental that killed volcanoes but one volcano was good and it came out of that volcano.  It was made of out water, death, sun, flame, tree, wood.

This is the inspiration for Wren's Story

The elemental was so huge it could even grab birds and eat them.

So..

It could jump and flame and turn into a little ball of flame and it could crush all rocks and demons and it could crush everything it could see except the flame god.  It was very simple.  IT was the flame god and the rainbow god.  The FLAME Rainbow.  IT could never hurt the life of itself.  

The life of itself is the world it lives on. It can’t crush that because it IS ON the world.

The elemental went on a walk in a volcano and he saw a thing like a bat that was on fire.   It was his friend the flame adjuster and the flame queen.

He saw all his friends all red and black.

They got out of the volcano and went on a walk and fought demons and evil flame adjusters and lots of things.  They went on and on until they found the Gold Ruby of the Heart.  They’d never known they’d picked it up.  The Fusion Elemental put it in his tree elbow and went back to his volcano and jumped in and summoned the flame friends.

And fore-on he is still summoning those flame friends.

The End.

Brief update on the move

Thanks to motivated friends who went way beyond comfortable in helping us,  we moved house yesterday and slept in the new house last night.  

First picture in the new house!   Late afternoon
cutting the 4th of July Cake
Tara brought.

 I woke at 7am and remembered I was in the wrong house to put the garbage out and the garbage was full.  I found my keys but could not find any pants so I put on my painting pants from the laundry bag and drove over to the old house to put them out.

My real motivation in going over was to get the Advil (painkiller) that was still in the bathroom.  I ache all over from carrying stuff.

While at the old house, I tried to catch the cat, who had not moved yet, but failed.  Instead I grabbed a few bags of Via coffee that we in the remaining debris and threw in a few important things that hadn't moved yet (garbage bags, soap, a mop, medications for sore muscles) and drove home.

Wren had just woken up.    He had found an old 4th of July donut with red white and blue sprinkles, and was eating it.    Frost decided to do the same thing.

"Don't eat donuts for Breakfast boys!" I said.

Frost said "Tara gives us donuts all the time!   When she doesn't have time to make breakfast she gives us money and says "go up to Mighty O and get donuts!"  Later, when we say we are hungry and we didn't have breakfast she says "You had donuts!""

Well, they had day-old donuts for breakfast followed by a mixture of root-beer and strawberry apple-cider (because Frost wanted to test the siphon straw contraption he had made and Wren wanted to do what Frost was doing).  Last night, they had mac and cheese from a box.  Frost had ramen from a bag with MSG as the 4th ingredient.

For breakfast, Beezle had 4 day old roast chicken mixed with ramen.

So, our move went well but we are not unpacked.

Josh is frustrated because Comast cable is screwed up and we are not receiving all our channels, Tivo is screwed up because it can't exist offline in HD mode, Qwest is going to take two more days to connect our phone and internet and neither of us had any power in our cell phones.

He went over to the old house an hour later to get some peripherals like chargers and the cat.

We are now at a coffee shop in the neighborhood coping by drinking iced coffee, Odwalla and eating cookies for lunch.  I must soon go home and unpack, get pet food, buy lots of missing stuff and take some more Advil.

Thanks so much to those who helped yesterday.  I will be sure to have a Housewarming party just to offer something more stylish than pizza and more healthy than Squirt.

We have an Ice Machine on the fridge... we must party!

I have the Advil if you need it.

Bear!

Tara complained to the ranger about a dog which barked all night.  It was over by the RVs and sounded like a big dog, a hound making a deep bray steadily through the dark hours till dawn.

"I can't talk right now," said the ranger.  "I am on my way to handle a fight.  Anyway, the reason the dog was barking is there is a bear in the area."

We were going to take a walk up the hill trail but are now rethinking our plan.  As Josh knows, I feel a bit sensitive about bears.  Lions, rhinos and hippos feel more normal.  I might anticipate them or avoid them.  Not so with bears.