“At least we can go for nice walks outside in the lovely, spring weather!” — Me, looking at the bright side, just two days ago.
“You know this is Colorado in springtime, right?” — The Weather, being a jackass, today.
As if inspired by all the posts out there about how some people are decorating their homes with Christmas lights to spread some cheer in these dark days, the skies decided to comply with that directive and dump us with about 4 inches of snow. I should note there was nary a flake on the ground during the actual holiday season, but hey, why not?
It’s also a swell reminder that among the life changes brought about by COVID-19 is the fact that our planned family trip to Kawaii, scheduled to commence next week, had to be canceled. I’ve since joked with people that I can just enjoy a Mai Tai on my back porch, but now I’d have to dig out a place to sit down first.
But oh well. I can stand back and recognize that the cover of snow around our neighborhood actually does look peaceful and pretty, if seasonally inappropriate. And we had what I would refer to as a relatively smooth day as snow and virus shut-ins. There would be no FenceBat today (see yesterday’s post), but we did spend some time connecting with others on the outside via FaceTime.
Earlier this week, Erin had the excelent idea of having Amelia read stories to her Grandma and Grandpa Schneider in Wisconsin, and that has become something that all of us look forward to every day. Amelia gets to show off her impressive reading skills, Grandpa and Grandma get to have fun with the kids, and Amelia and Henry have a blast.
Today’s reading selections were the classic “The Monster at the End of This Book” and its sequel, “Another Monster at the End of This Book.” This was particularly fun for me, since “The Monster at the End of This Book” was always one of my favorites growing up, and watching my Dad do the same routine he did with me, lo those many years ago, really warms me inside.
It’s like watching a master musician or performer take the stage. You know the notes, you know the lines, you know exactly what’s going to happen, but you still are moved. I could feel the little kid in me laughing right along with my little ones. And in times like these, when we’re in the role of the parent trying to nurture and assure our own kids, it sure feels nice to spend a few seconds reliving a time where are own parents made us feel safe. Hey, my Dad worked very hard to protect me from the monster at the end of that book, but boy I just had to keep turning those pages.
And now my kids go willy nilly to the end of that book, just like I did. By the way, none of this is to say that Herr Schneider didn’t evolve and expand his act over the years. He certainly has. On the page where Grover nails 2 x 4s to the page to prevent the next turn, Dad disappeared from camera view for a few seconds and came back with a hammer, saying he was ready to help poor old Grover. Props! The kids love prop comedy. Nice work, Dad.
Other than that, pretty much just another day in quarantine. A decent amount of work was done, the kids played well and made more artwork, and I made a yummy dinner of salmon, potatoes and veggies. (Pizza for the kids, because…come on.)
We almost made it through the day with no damage or injury. Almost. About 15 minutes before getting ready to head upstairs to begin the bedtime process, the kids were chasing each other around, and CRASH! Someone managed to send a glass bowl flying off the coffee table, making an impressive scatter of glass. Between the two of us, Erin and I only racked up 4 cuts (minor) while cleaning it up.
So I leave you today with the wisdom of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, who once said “Moshing and broken glass just don’t go well together.”
