Runabout birthdays.

[elfs]

Monday we rose even later, as if that were possible. Omaha had an appointment in the morning, so she was already out the door when I started making breakfast. We finally gave the girls the television they'd been promised; ugh, Yamaarashi-chan's taste won out and we let them watch some Pokemon series. I made pancakes, but different, with a cup of blue-corn polenta stirred in. The girls really enjoyed those, which in turn pleased me.

I cleaned up the kitchen, swapping around the clean and dirty dishes in the washer, then conspired to keep the kids busy with a new package of toys we had picked up from an obscure closet during the eviction. There's something nifty about knowing that my girls are playing with toys that once belonged to a young woman I admire, a newly-mined Marine.

We went out to recover Omaha and wandered over to Southcenter, where we bought a tree stake for this one decorative tree that was falling over, then I dropped all three of them off at a Goodwill (hey, a sale!) while I wandered over to Toys'r'Us to pick up Yamaarashi-chan's gifts for which she had asked for her birthday over the months. I keep a list.

When we got home, it was a sunny day (the weatherman lied again), so the girls were booted outside while I wrapped the gifts and Omaha baked a batch of chocolate cupcakes. Mmmm.

The girls were brought inside and we sang Happy Birthday to Yamaarashi-chan, without sending a nickle to ASCAP. We ate cupcakes and opened gifts: a school backpack for next year, a copy of Stratego, and the Harry Potter™ Uno deck. Yeah, there's a parental theme in there: games you need other people to play. Yamaarashi-chan is still too much of a loner. (Damn, the camera screwed up again; I thought I got a good picture of Yamaarashi-chan enjoying a cupcake, but it's not there. I should know to check the review window by now.)

Then it was time to take Yamaarashi-chan back to her mother's house.

When I got home Omaha was already digging up the garden again, driving the stake into the ground with a sledgehammer she borrowed from the neighbor (and why does he own one?). We cleared out a ton of dead brush that's still piling up, but most of the eastern facing is getting done, finally.

Comments

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

There are *lots* of reasons to own a sledgehammer. I have one. In fact, I think I have two: one large, one small.

Sledgehammers

[(Anonymous)]

OK, I'm pretty sure I know what the large reason is, but what's the small one?

Re: Sledgehammers

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

Same as the small one: splitting wood. I use it to drive in the wedge. The kindling axe tends to stick. The small one's also been used to drive fence nails.