Curiosity killed the cat, you know

We've lived in our house for almost 6 years now. It is also the first house Mike and I have ever owned.

We aren't super handy when it comes to home repairs. And all those years ago when we were looking for our first home, we didn't want a house that needed a lot of time, money, effort, labor, work in general.

The house we bought seemed to fit that criteria.

Funny thing about that, though:

1. Our house is old. Not 1880s old, but 1950s old. And things wear a bit over time and need to be replaced, fixed, etc.

2. The previous owners fancied themselves handy. Like super handy. But, alas, they were not. Not at all.

The previous owners daydreams of handiness has proven to be troublesome. There's a lot about our house that seems weird or oddly constructed. Usually when we look into fixing the oddity, we uncover something the previous owners "fixed!" or "made!"

A lot of it we fix as we go along, like the super glued molding.

A lot we ignore for the time being, like the sink in the basement bar that's missing pipes to drain it (it currently drains to a bucket. Why they would put in a really nice bar with a sink that doesn't drain sort of baffles me).

Somethings have to be dealt with immediately, like replacing the 1950s cloth wiring that they ran on the basement floor to provide electricity to the finished part of the basement. It was smoking. And sparking.

So, this should come as no surprise:




This is our hall closet that I put shelves into this weekend. The closet and front door to our house are in sort of awkward positions. And the floor slopes funny by the closet. And the front door never really seemed finished.

There's a large piece of particle board that's been screwed into the wall. I decided to unscrew and see, just for giggles, what was behind it.

It was a large, gaping hole filled with insulation.

(duh.)

I didn't get all the screws out, but it was pretty obvious that is was a large, gaping hole filled with insulation.

We think it must have been a window at one point. And the closet was and door were probably added on at some point. Which would explain a lot about that part of the house.

We firmly secured the large piece of particle board back into place.

That's going to be mentally filed under things I'm going to ignore for the time being.



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Elephants and Existentialism

I'm not very religious. Well, that's not true. When you tell people you aren't religious, like I am telling you now, the first conclusion is usually that I am godless. Which isn't exactly true either.

I was brought up Catholic. And, while I learned many important lessons, the Catholic church is very rigid, very black and white. I tend to think of religion more in shades of gray.

David and Kate have had very limited exposure to God and religion. They have a sort of general idea of God and that some people go to church.

Lately, David has started to become more sensitive to death. There's a cemetery in town that we pass on occasion and it usually brings forth some sort of conversation or question, or even tears.

A recent conversation we had:

David: Oh. Mom. It's a cemetery. There's dead people there.
Me: That's right David.
David: I don't want to die.
Me: Well, you won't until your very old. You know how grandma and grandpa go to church -- they believe that after you die you go to heaven and live with God. And some people believe you get reincarnated -- which means you get reborn and live again - as a person, or cow or elephant, or whatever. And, I'm sure other people believe other things happen after you die.
David: I totally want that one. I want to play video games forever. (laughing) Not as an elephant though.

One thing that I've tried to explain to David is that when someone dies, it is sad. And, we will miss them.
But, the memories we have of that person don't ever die and we can always keep them with us.

As the kids have gotten older, somethings have gotten easier and some harder. I am no longer changing diapers, I can trust them to play together reasonably well, but our conversations, the questions they have, have become more complex. Sometimes the questions they ask, I don't know how to answer. And I stumble through the response. And wonder how I could have answered it differently. Because I know the answers I give them will effect how they view the world.

So, I try to keep an open mind.

And hope David and Kate learn to keep an open mind.

Because there is a lot of gray out there.

A very serious conversation about monsters

While listening to Pandora radio during dinner, a reoccurring ad for ADT home security comes on.

David: Kate, did you ...
Kate: Shhh.

Kate: Mom, I think we need to get ADT. I think that would keep the monsters out of David's room.

David: (nodding) Thats a good idea Kate. They are starting to get annoying.


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Kate-isms

Kate: Mom! Do you know what happens when batteries die? Theres these people. Little people. Really very little people who live in the batteries. And do stuff. Like work. And they turn these things like big wheels with their arms. Like this.

Me: Like a crank?

Kate: Yes! A crank. And sometimes they get tired. And then the batteries die.

Me: Oh. So, these batteries must be tired. Let's put them to bed.


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What rhymes with inappropriate?

It recently came to our attention that Kate couldn't rhyme.

Sitting at the table, often to keep David and Kate at the table with us while we are eating, we play alphabet games, letter games, rhyming games, etc.

One night while eating and rhyming:

Me: Kate, what rhymes with car?
Kate: Cat!
Me: No, what rhymes with car?
Kate: Um, dog!

Silence filled with David giggling. So, really not silent at all.

Me: Huh. Kate doesn't know how to rhyme.

We spent the remainder of the evening practicing. Sometimes it seemed like she understood, other times she didn't.

And then I did something that has forever changed rhyming in our house.

Me: Kate, what rhymes with moop.
David: Poop!
(Lots of giggling)
Me: What rhymes with me?
David and Kate: Pee!
David: What rhymes with wenis??
Kate: Penis!

Bagina, moobies, and (my personal favorite) put your winger in your what, have become some our favorite rhyming words.

And, Kate has become an excellent rhymer.

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Some things I've learned about 5am

1. It's dark. And cold. And dark. And cold.

2. No amount of caffeine can give 5 am any sort of rose colored tint. It's fucking 5 am.

3. David and Kate are chipper, excited, happy, ready and willing participants in all that 5 am has to offer.

I'm not sure that they are my children.

And, it might be a long day.




(the freaking sunrise)

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Things you don't want your car to say to you

So, I have a new car.

We've been working on our relationship.
He automatically locks the doors for me - a bit annoying, but we are working through it. I probably shut the doors a bit harder than needed. He'll have to deal.

Yesterday was our first real time driving in the snow together.

It wasn't the best experience for either of us.
A couple of turns that I sort of slid into, a couple of weird shimmies.

I noticed as I was sliding out of my driveway, that an "ESC" light pops up on my dashboard.

Um, what? Escape? Is that what "ESC" stands for?

Is the escape warning meant for me or my car?

Is it a command for my safety? An, "oh darling, please vacate the vehicle immediately for I fear I am unable to make this turn without sliding."

Or is it more of a plea for his own? "Escape! Escape! Please, please park me back in the garage where it is warm and safe."

Either way, my car is a wuss.


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