2008 First Day of School

2007 First Day of School

Notice the joy on Kevin’s face as they headed out to the bus this morning.

On the other hand, I had a HUGE smile because chances are good that my refrigerator door will not be opened for the next eight hours.

“So what if we used it in the barn,” he argued. “The fire will kill all the germs.”

How do you debate that kind of logic?

It’s the same logic that prompts 11 year old boys to jump off tall ladders with open umbrellas, or to put their full weight on tree branches with diameters no larger than a pinky finger.

Youth affords him a notion of invincibility and I find myself constantly standing in the gap, armed with a tirade of maternal warnings.

“What if the fire kills all but one of the billions of bacteria on that pitchfork?” I asked. “And then you start writhing on the ground in pain, foaming at the mouth because some strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has taken up residence in your intestines.”

“Yeah right! Like that would ever happen!” he laughed.

“Or worse, what if I ground you from Xbox for the rest of the summer for not listening to me when I tell you to put the pitchfork back in the barn?”

“Either way I would end up writhing on the ground, foaming at the mouth.”

“You have one minute to get it back in the barn.”

“Great,” he said as he walked towards the barn, shaking his head. “My intestines are now infected with a bunch of stupid rules.”

That’s right.

He’s got an acute case of inflammatory momsrightis.

Today Elly made her singing debut at an Art and Music Festival in Central Park. She sang in front of her peers, not to mention the several hundred people walking through the festival. I was so proud of how well she did! People clapped for a long time after she finished her Taylor Swift song.

Afterwards I asked her how she did such a brave thing.

“I just said to myself ‘If mom can golf real bad in front of people then I can do this.’ Hey, Mom. Did anybody clap for you when you were done golfing?” she teased.

“No, Elly. But only because clapping isn’t allowed on the golf course.”

She thought about it for a minute and then said:

“Then why would anyone want to golf?”

My thoughts exactly.

Happy 11th birthday, Mister.

I love you!

The birthday I spent in labor with you was the best birthday I’ll ever have.

Today I had the opportunity to step back about 100 years in time as I covered a local threshing show. There were blacksmith, glass blowing and wool spinning demonstrations; and of course, threshing took place with old equipment that I cannot believe still operates.

I’m drawn to the era of the late 1800’s when Minnesota and the Dakotas were being settled by Swedish and Norwegian immigrants. It was a time when nothing was taken for granted and survival depended on a little luck and a lot of hard work.

I have this romantic notion (as I sit in my comfortable chair in my air conditioned house) that I would have done well in those pioneer days. (more…)