Cold Spaghetti

In addition to being our bread-winner, home-fixer, computer-repairer, personal juggler, AND Daddy, Paul has added “Mom” to the things he can do.

While Paul was with both kids (wearing one, chasing the other)in the playground, which he kindly did to allow me a little bit of work time, my committee chair called and offered to meet. This is a Really Important Opportunity since he is leaving the country for two months starting the first week of November and the funding deadline for Wenner-Gren is November 1st. So I called Paul, he came running home, I got Kate down for a nap, promised Paul to be home by around 6, and fled out the door.

And of course the meeting went long. And of course I forgot to call.

But, Paul recovered. Managing fussy Kate (who woke up with her tummy in a tizzy), crazy Will, and tacos on the stove, Paul became Mom. I got home to a yummy, healthy dinner on the table and two kids happy to see me. Hooray for Mom!

We (almost) have a backyard, finally!!!
Two years…..digging through miles of honeysuckle, taking out a ramp, dismantling two huge planters in the center of the yard, removing two trees (Katrina causalities), building side gardens, moving the soil into them, unearthing a surprise brick patio (former backstreet?), repairing a fence (Cindy causality), digging up heavy steel rods, moving sod around to preserve it, digging up brick pavers, and heaven knows what else…
There is still soil to move (see mound on left). The fence on the right is the one Paul (re)built. The one of the left is the horrible post-K fence built by chain-smoking idiots who left trash all over our yard each day. (Grumblegrumblegrumble.) Now just picture that lean-to turned into an addition coming out of the back of the house another 5 feet and having a second story! *dreamy sigh*
The picture above is the outbuilding. Pretty rough looking, eh? And this is it’s good side!

PS: See the little electrical box on the edge of the outbuilding on the right? Will got stung by something out there earlier this week. Poor little trooper.

Some have called him kingly, aloof, dog-like, and loyal only to those who feed him. There may be some grains of truth in those labels, but the plain truth is: Scout is a lap cat. We thought he was our lap cat, our nightly leg-warmer. Not anymore. Each afternoon and evening, he sits on the bottom of Will’s bed, waiting. He’ll stay there patiently, until Will is too asleep to notice his heavy paws climbing across him (if he tries this while Will is awake, he’ll get pushed back to the bottom of the bed.) Once settled, he’ll stay until Will wakes up. It continues even while Will is in school. Scout curls into the bedcovers, as if keeping Will’s spot warm.

Even though we’re the ones who feed him, brush him, clean after him, and keep the kids from destroying him, we’re old news. Scout is all about The Boy now.

Mr. Crab-Like Orb Weaver. He’s camped out between our fence and our neighbor’s bush on the far side of our house (note houses in picture below… that’s us on the right.)
Here he is close up. It’s not a great picture, I should’ve used flash, but I did not want to get close. I understand he’s not poisonous, is generally helpful in getting rid of bugs, and makes a very impressive web… but that does NOT mean that I am interested in being friends.
I’m quite unsure of what to do about this guy. There is no doubt that Will would love to meet Mr. Crab. There is also no doubt that Mommy Does Not Like This Idea One Bit.

Our Lion King, before Thursday:Fluffy, full, regal, mighty.
Our Lion King, after:(Another) unfortunate episode lead us to drastic measures. In his third shower of the day, the scissors joined us… and the cat got a haircut. We held off on pictures for a few days to let him fully dry and endure a few brushing sessions. Now that he’s filled out a bit, he looks a bit less ridiculous than he did look.

House_Dec12

Originally uploaded by hollyscheib.

Happy Holidays at our beautiful home!

Updates to the yard: freshly sanded and painted fence, cleaned up front yard with brick borders (brick is 100+ year old N.O. bricks dug up and powerwashed from the side yard), and cute mailbox! Lots of work done but still much to do.