No matter how stressful our work week or how crappy our January may be, we still manage to have a fun, restorative weekend. And, on this weekend, it felt much deserved. I have resisted chronicling this week’s travails for fear of taking on the posture of a victim, but I will note that Thursday marked my first drama-free day since we returned home from New Jersey. In December.
For posterity, let me recapitulate that on Monday night our pipes froze. We narrowly averted disaster as the pipes did not burst. Quick thinking (and a little internet research) guided a course of action that restored water before we went to bed. But we kept the faucets open—i.e., water running all night long (you figure out how to sleep with that annoyance). I fear the water bill this month, what with the two or three loads of laundry we’ve done DAILY and the attempt to keep the pipes from bursting. Sheesh.
On Tuesday, my car stopped running. At a stoplight. Three blocks from my office. I was able to start the engine again and drove the car for another block before it stopped running at the next red light. So, I had the car towed. And, get this, the garage found NOTHING WRONG with my car. Figures. I’m not complaining. We’d had serious subzero temps all last week and you don’t monkey around when your car is acting funny. The garage didn’t offer any theories, but also only charged for the tow.
Herewith, weekend highlights:
Saturday, the boys and I met Caryl and Charon at The Source, a comic book and gaming shop, for Pokemon tournaments. Charon had carefully chosen her deck of card and was super prepared for battle. While the kids did their thing, the moms talked about—what else?—books. We’re making a reading plan for our two-person discussion group, and I’m pretty excited about it. What is the it? The books, the reading, sharing the books and the reading with a like-minded soul. After battling, we picked up John and headed for IKEA, by way of REI. John wanted to check out a backpack that he’d read about recently. While Simon and John were drooling over gear, Winston and I watched the climbers on the The Pinnacle. Noticing that there wasn’t any obvious wait to climb, Winston decided he’d like to give it a shot. What a champ! He was so excited about gearing up with the rubber-toed climbing shoes and the harness. And, he made it to within a body’s length of the bell before he got tired. So. Close.
IKEA was a zoo, and we found plenty to purchase. Dinner napkins, bookcase/shelves for John’s computer area, two stools for the snack bar (total impulse item), bookcase for Simon’s bedroom. Ate lunch here. I have a hard time resisting the Swedish meatballs, lingonberries, and mashed potatoes, as well as gravlax and gravlax sauce atop those thick rye crackers. The kids climbed on everything. They each tried out chairs and beds. Win found his dream platform bed. Both dropped their jaws over the lofted beds with desks tucked underneath. Some day...
On Sunday, the boys helped make banana-chocolate chip muffins for breakfast. Win took “wet” duty, mixing eggs and mashing bananas, while Simon got “dry”, measuring flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Later, we took a hike with the Hamiltons in Lilydale—climbed a steep, snow-packed hill for great views of the Mississippi River and downtown St. Paul. We could even see John’s office. The climb was a little insane, and in the snow we had to slide down on our butts for the descent. My quads are going to hurt for a few days. Simon then played at Theo’s all afternoon, and we culminated the day at D’Amico’s, where kids eat free on Sunday nights.
The warm weather has been a real treat!
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