Category: Family

Sad

We saw both kids this weekend. That was awesome. I love it when they come home. We were supposed to go to a party at their aunt’s house today. A dual graduation party for my step daughter and her cousin who both graduated from college this year. Jen and I had to miss it because we both have a bit of a stomach bug right now and… well… at the risk of TMI, neither of us wanted to be away from a bathroom for the length of time that would be required to drive to the party location. Sorry. I am actually sad about it. It’s been decades since last we went to an event that was thrown by someone on the kids’ dad’s side of the blended family and it might have been a little weird after all of these ages, but I was still looking forward to going.

That’s not what I am feeling especially sad about. What I am sad about is that Bellana is staying at her dad’s tonight and Harry just left for Vermont. Our kid time is over for this weekend. Harry will be back in a couple of weeks, but for now… we’re kid free.

That’s why I am sad.

On a slightly related note, television-wise, I finished watching the two seasons of Spaced and now I need something new to add to my huge list of binge shows. Spaced has me in the mood for British television. Both kids have watched the new version of Doctor Who, all 300 seasons or whatever it is. We’ve watched a handful of episodes together over the last year or so and… well… I just started from reboot season one, episode one. I’ll finish this show in about 20 years. Then I’ll have to find the 300 seasons of the original version of the show. Yeah, this should keep me busy for a while.

Fathers Day

Bellana got me plants for the cellar for Fathers Day. As always I feel like a fraud on Fathers Day, but I also feel appreciated and loved and it’s wonderful.

Later tonight we are going to dinner with my Father. If anyone deserves a happy Fathers Day today it’s him.

Wishing a happy Fathers Day to all of the fathers out there. Have a wonderful day, all of you.

Things I am Happy About Today

Here’s a short list of things I am happy about today…

  • Bellana’s coming home tonight!
  • In less than an hour I’ll get to go home and see Jen. Well… in less than an hour I’ll get to leave the office, then drive for an hour+ and then see Jen. Also, I’ll get to see Bellana.
  • The Florida Panthers lost the Stanley Cup Final! Thanks, Vegas Golden Knights! (predictions wrap up post will likely be tomorrow or maybe later tonight)
  • In less than one hour I will get to leave this frozen tundra disguised as a conference room and go outside where it is currently 75 degrees out… though it was 80 degrees about an hour ago. Uh oh.
  • Going to see my father on Father’s Day this coming Sunday.
  • Kitties
  • Electric guitars. Specifically Gibson guitars. Specifically, specifically Gibson Les Pauls.
  • There’s a new season of Star Trek Strange New Worlds premiering tomorrow. There’s a new Walking Dead spinoff, Dead City, premiering this weekend. There’s a new Marvel show, Secret Invasion, premiering next week.
  • Jen. Bellana. Harry.

Mouse Hunt 2023

Remember last week when I wrote all of those posts about the cats hunting mice? Remember how I saw a mouse in the cellar and said the cats weren’t allowed in the cellar, thus implying that it was up to me to take them out with extreme prejudice?

We are a household with two expert mousers. I was hoping to join their ranks and make it three. I put out a bunch of traps but I failed to catch anything. Worse, rather than just ignoring the traps, when I checked them yesterday the bait had been picked clean. The cellar mouse was just messing with me.

That changed this morning. I checked the traps a few minutes ago. I guess the bait wasn’t quite gone on the trap I put between the two desks.

Maniacal laugh.

I guess we are a three mouser house after all.

Three Cheers for the Mouse Hunters

Yesterday, for the second time since we adopted our two cats, Lily and Robin were stalking something. They were spending a lot of time watching underneath the refrigerator. Occasionally they would try to reach under and grab something. There were a couple of times where we could hear something rustling but we didn’t actually see anything.

Last night I woke up at around 3:00am. The cats were freaking out. That’s not terribly unusual as they often get the zoomies over night. This time I could hear some squeaking though. They were hunting and their prey was freaking out. Later, after I finished my exercise and guitar playing, I went into the bedroom and saw them both hovering over something in the attached bathroom. I turned on the light. There was a mouse laying on it’s back. I thought it was dead but it twitched. It was playing dead. I went to get something to pick it up with and while my back was turned it ran for it. The cats chased. I closed the door and let them do their thing.

15 minutes later I opened the door again and the mouse was once again playing dead. I had a broom and a cardboard box on me this time. I swept it into the box and it jumped out. I smacked it with the broom and swept it up again. I took it outside and dropped it on the edge of the woods. It made a run for it. Good riddance, home invader.

Three cheers for the mouse hunters who once again earned their keep and protected their new home! I gave them a handful of treats as a reward for a job well done. Good kitties! Good, good kitties!

Post script: Fuck. I am working in the cellar. A second mouse just poked it’s head out from under the desk drawers next to me. Son of a bitch! Well, we do live in the woods and the weather has been awful for a week now. This is to be expected. Still… asshole mouse.

The Other Les Paul

We were just in my step son’s room, looking in his closet for an ethernet cable.

I happened to notice that his guitar was there. He doesn’t play anymore (he’s piano and percussion only now), but years ago we bought him a student package Epiphone Les Paul.

I have half a mind to pull it out and use it for some recording this month, just for fun. It’s the other Les Paul in the house. I should give it some love, right? Sure, it’s not a full fledge Gibson, but it’s still sort of a Gibson because Gibson owns Epiphone. Yeah, I should show it some love. I’ll ask Harry first, of course.

Ready

The cars are packed. Harry just left. I’m giving him a smidgen of a head start then I’ll follow.

I have a metric tonne of gastric bypass friendly food and drinks piled up in the cab of the transit van. 95% will be ignored, but it’s there if I need it.

I have music, podcast, and audiobook playlists armed and ready but I haven’t decided what to listen to first. Maybe the new Stephen Stills live record?

A coworker said yesterday, after I shared the events of the road trip fun with him, there’s no denying that empty nest now. Yup. As of today it’s officially official and once again I am equal parts excited for the kids and sad for me and Jen.

Okay…. Time to get rolling. Burlington, VT here I come.