One morning not too long ago, after having loaded the dishwasher with the first of several loads of dirty dishes, I pressed the start button and nothing happened. “What the heck?” I said, and pressed it again. Nothing. I made sure the door was shut. Still it wouldn’t start. I checked to be sure nothing [...]

My mom is visiting. We couldn’t wait for her to arrive. In fact, we arranged to construct a Mother-In-Law’s quarters on the grounds just for her. I even sprang for some spider spray. G’nite, mom! (In all seriousness… the tent was my mom’s idea. She’s wacky like that. You never know what she’s going to [...]

It’s been well over a month, and Kyron is still missing. Have you all seen the story? It hits us particularly hard, as it is unfolding only a few miles from where we live. His father works where I work. It involves us all. We had hopes that Kyron might be found and returned safely [...]

In 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl set sail across the pacific in a hand-made raft to prove his hypothesis that the Polynesian islands could have been reached and thus settled by South Americans in pre-Columbian times, using only the kinds of stuff they had available at the time: wood, bamboo, and a whole lot of [...]

Last night Michael’s mommy and I were relaxing on the couch after a rough day (hers at work, mine at home tending to a marginally ill five-year-old). Michael was playing Wii Fit, alternating between downhill slaloms and long distance runs. As my wife and I sipped the last of our drinks and sat there holding [...]

What a weekend. Friday I came home early, having contracted whatever plague Michael had brought home. The disease we’d shared was characterized by an unrelentingly stuffy nose. He suffered through his bout by continual, vigorous sniffing. This of course served no useful purpose other than to annoy his older sister; it did not provide any [...]

As I’m making dinner, the kids are all playing Beatles Rock Band. They’re really good at it; even Michael joins in, playing the drums sometimes and other times singing. He’s actually got a pretty accurate voice, and considering the fact that he can’t actually read the lyrics, he gets most of the words right. And [...]

This weekend we were finally able to make a purchase that we’ve been planning and saving for quite a while: a big screen television. When we brought it home, the kids’ eyes lit up with delight. We unpacked it, set it up, and the kids began enjoying it right away. Were they amazed by the [...]

There is little that can compare with the excruciating torture that is attending a civilized function with a bored five year old. Having bamboo shoots run under one’s fingernails is about as close as I could imagine. Last night sister S sang in her high school choir’s Christmas program, along with I believe seven hundred [...]

Michael’s five. He’s going to be starting kindergarten this fall. He’s not a toddler or even a preschooler any more. Not too long ago it hit me how much I miss the time when Michael was very small. And I’m not as much wistful about it as I am annoyed. Despite my very vocal proclamations [...]