The Burrow

The rain finally stopped and the wind has died down and I just spent a very pleasant while strolling my yard with my camera.  The morning paper had an article about rattlesnakes this week, but since the temperatures are comfortably ensconced in the 50's there's no real worry, even at 3 in the afternoon.  In May, I'll be a lot more cautious .  Today, though, was perfect, and I have to share it with you. Remember the weeds I decided were flowers?   Ernie and his guys were here to do the heavy lifting and carting and raking and blowing and pruning and weeding, and they started before I'd returned from the gym.  In a panic, I tore into the driveway, screaming "NO NO NO" as I saw them bent over in the courtyard.  Once out of the car,  I realized that they were smiling and, once I stopped hyperventilating and was able to speak, I saw that they had carefully protected each and every one of the might-be-weeds-but-are-soon-to-be-flowers plants.  I love w...

Kids like rules. Always have, always will. Those little monsters running amok in the grocery aisles? Chasing through restaurants like banshees? Wreaking havoc amidst the flowerbeds? They're just looking for some one, any one, come on people ..... Make Me Feel Safe. You try. As a parent, you're not sure if you're stunting their creativity by protecting the sanctity of the wallpaper, but you try to strike a balance. Starting when the kid is an infant is infinitely easier than waiting til you've decided the little beast is a sentient being after all. Saying "no" to someone without verbal skills is lots easier than arguing with a taller-than-you-are teenager. And once you get into the habit of establishing the boundaries, it happens on its own more often than not. Without realizing it, you're keeping the Burrow walls intact. G'ma has "the look". Come home late for dinner? Throw a snowball at the school bus? One look at her face and you are quakin...