Time Marches On... Blindly

"I'll cross if you cross," the man said, appearing out of nowhere. 

I looked to my right surprised to find him there and said, "Excuse me."  He was an older African American male, not elderly but older than I, and he was smartly dressed in matching slacks and a button down short-sleeved shirt.  He held a folder in his right hand.

"This street always terrifies me.  There's no crosswalk."

The man was right, of course, the intersection at the Mall's entrance had no crosswalk and was not very pedestrian friendly.  The two of us waited for a gap in traffic and for the lights to go our way and then we crossed.  He was hesitant.

When we reached the far side of the intersection he admittd that he is walking to the bus stop from his Doctor's office.  He has to walk, you see, because he cannot drive.  Thirteen eye surgeries.  I acted concerned and he tells me that he lost his right eye, I then noticed the false one.  "It's just time catching up with me," he said.  He was very accepting and chalked it all up to glaucoma, which his daddy also had.  The thing that really got to him was the fact that he couldn't drive, but he realized he was a 'danger' to everyone else on the road.  He'd even had to get rid of his top of the line, tricked out F150.  Now that hurt.  A man gets a vehicle just the way he wants it and is unable to enjoy it.

We only walked together for about 50 yards or so, and all of this came out during our brief meeting.  I wasn't even aware of the man a few minutes before and suddenly he's unburdening himself on me, a total stranger.  It's the 1st time that this has happened.  I often have people decide that I must be a good listener of someone with a kind face, and a easy ear.  It used to weird me out how open some people are willing to be but nowadays whenever it happens I just nod my head, listen, and try not to stare at the fake eye.

The Color of My Thumb

 

Sunflowers growing from seeds.

It's that time of year again.  I'm attempting to garden some... just a little.  We don't have a lot of room outside, a yard, or a garden area.  All of my plants are potted and easily moved around to catch the best sunlight. Last year I did not fair so well.  My pepper plant wasn't very productive.  Nor my tomato vine.  My basil died early and everything else never really thrived.  In my defense, last Summer was very hot, I started a new job and wasn't very attentive to my plants. 

This year, so far, I have a tomato plant, & some spinach I bought from the farmers market.  I'm attempting to grow sunflowers, swiss chard, and jalapeno peppers from seeds.  Pretty soon I'll invest in a few herbs.  I always like to have basil around, maybe some cilantro.   We'll see.

My 1st casualty of the season has already occurred.  I put my Sunflowers (pictured) outside to catch some sun.  I left them out for too long, the night came and when I went to fetch the sprouts a slug had already viciously attacked them.  The beast was hanging on the bigger of the 2 plants, the stem had broken and the plant was a goner.  I was able to transplant the surviving flower, and I hope it recovers from such a traumatic experience.

So what will this growing season hold for me?  Will I be successful... fruitful even?  Or will my green thumb blacken and die like my many mini-crops?

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today is my birthday.  I am another year older and, perhaps, a little bit wiser.  In less than an hour I will have to leave for work and spend the rest of this day catering to others' needs and concerns.  I very rarely ask for the day off for my birthday, and, honestly, this one kinda snuck up on me.  Would I rather sit at home with my wife and daughter for rest of my special day?  You bet.  Would I prefer eating a sit down dinner ith my family to bagging groceries for the ungrateful masses?  Damn right!  Still, I'm off to work.

Friday, the day both Sara and I have off every week, we took Evie down to neighborhood beach/playground and played on the swing set.    Then, after nap time, we went downtown Annapolis and strolled around in the sun, and enjoyed the weather.  It was a fun day.  Sara gave me a gift basket with some cheesy 80's movies, good beer, a book light, and some flip-flops.  It was exactly what I asked for.  Thanks wife.  All in all it as a good birthday weekend... but no I have to go to work.  Here's hoping that it continues to be a good weekend.

1 Month Later

The last post still makes me smile.  Those things still make me happy.  Here we are 1 month after the post and I realize I haven't really been paying attention to blog.  Life goes on.  Work continues.  The days keep rolling by.

A Few things That Make Me Happy Right Now

In response to a question posed to me by a friend - well, I say posed to me but it was really the end of a blog post she wrote - I will now list a few things that make me happy these days.

1)  The Public Library -  Lately I have been able to find back episodes of television shows, and movies on DVD at the library.  I finally saw Dark Knight Rising.  Sara and I got the 1st season of Modern Family to watch.  Season 2 of Archer is hilarious!  Yes, I know the library has books but my bookshelf here at home is already loaded with books that I need to find time to read.  (Also, I sometimes get audiobooks of CD from the library for my commute.  Sometimes these make me happy and sometimes they do not!  I'm 6 discs in on a book right now and the disc becomes unreadable, and skips through pages and pages.  Frustrating.) 

2)  My couches - Recently, Sara and I had the good fortune of receiving 2 couches from a friend of ours.  The couches were free and are much nicer and more comfortable than our old futon.  Recently, I was laid low with a cold of sorts and spent many hours curled up in the fetal position on our couch!  It's nice having a couch the whole family can fit on.

  3)  Evie Sue's Expanding Vocabulary - I've written before about my daughter's attempts to communicate with signs, but now she's trying to talk.  She babbles non-stop!  Sometimes her voice is the 1st thing I hear in the morning.  Sara gets up early with the baby to let me get a few extra moments sleep and I awaken to Evie Sue's sweet little babbles from the next room, or her high-pitched squeals.  She has tried many times to say Mama, Dada, More, Ball, Please, and even to name the dog, although Tootsie comes out sounding more like a slow leak.

4) Jason Mraz's album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (2008) -  This is one of Sara's CD's but it has ended up in the car and I often pop it in when I need to stay awake on my commute or brighten up for a long day ahead.  Particularly Track 10 The Dynamo of Volition get's me moving.  The album itself is a nice blend of poppy songs, thoughtful lyrics, and sometimes surprisingly funky tunes.  This album, Sara's not mine, has helped on many commutes.

5) Half- Empty Diaper Boxes - 

Makes me smile every time!

Obviously, my wife and child top the list but these have just been a few things that brighten my day.  Now I'll pose the question to you.  What are somethings that make you happy right now?

The Crooked Cucumber says,

"As long as you depend on something special, something it is assumed you should depend on, you are not strong enough to go on by yourself.  You cannot find your way.  So first of all, know yourself and be strong enough to live without any sign, without any information - that is the most important point.  There is truth, you say, but there can be various truths.  The question is not which way you should go.  If you only try to go in one direction, or if you always depend on signs, you will not find your own way.  The best thing is to have eyes to read various signs."
                                                                       -Shunryu Suzuki

Recently, I have been reading a book entitled: Crooked Cucumber:  The Life and Zen Teachings of Shunryu Suzuki.  The passage above really resonated with me.

Snow Day Dud!

What a disappointment!  Here we are, having a late season Winter Storm and it sucks!  Here in Annapolis it's not even snowing yet.  There's rain, and some wind but no Winter Storm.  Then why are schools closed in the area?  Why is my daughter home and not in daycare?  Daycare is closed for the winter weather but it's only raining!

I hope everyone up in Pennsylvania and western Maryland are enjoying the snow.   Our store has inventory tomorrow night and I am supposed to spend today in the store preparing for it.  Instead I am at home, missing work, looking out at the drizzle and wondering what the hell is wrong with this state?  We get surprised by storms all the time, roads ice over, drivers panic, and the state shuts down.  We over-prepare for storms, it rains and the state shuts down. 

Oh well, I guess I could have had a worse snow day companion! 

It's A Sign

Yesterday I left work and met Evie Sue at Sara's work for a free play session.  Evie Sue wore me out; of course, I had been up since 2:15 that morning.  Anyway, Evie Sue and all the other kids were running around the gym, bouncing on trampolines, rolling on mats, and having a blast.  Suddenly, Evie Sue spotted a young baby asleep in his seat.  She pointed to the child, folded her arms in front of her and rocked her arms as if cradling a baby.  That's the sign language for BABY!  Pretty awesome, right. 

We watch these sign language videos, and try to use some signs at home but I often wonder if it's sinking in.  Then she spontaneously signs BABY.  She also independently signs MORE, MILK, BALL, DOG, and has been know to hold her thumb to her forehead in an effort to say DADDY!  As you may be able to tell I am proud of her. 

Yesterday Morning

When Evie Sue goes off to college I am sure I will be proud, and I hope on that day I look back and remember yesterday fondly.  Yesterday was Evie Sue's 1st full day of daycare.  Sara started a full time job with semi-regular hours, and we have signed up our little Button for childcare.  This is a big step for us.  No longer will she be home all day every day with one of her parents.  No longer will her main social outlet be playing peekaboo with Mommy, and watching Signing Times with Daddy.  She will meet, and play with other children.  She will interact and rely on other adults when she has a need, or is upset.  She will spend most of her weekday hours away from the two people who love her most. 

Now I know to some this may not seem like that big a deal.  There are families who are able to put their kids in daycare a few months after the birth.  There are families with multiple siblings in daycare.  We were not that family.  Sara was able to stay home with the baby for over a year while I worked and tried to support the family as best I could.  Now, with Button getting older, finances getting tighter, and time marching on it was time for a change.  An opportunity came Sara's way and she could not pass it up. 

So now we are both working full-time jobs, with semi-irregular hours and trusting our amazing little one into the care of others during the day.  This is not easy.  Sara would tell you that she was the one having the hardest time adjusting to the idea, and she'd be right but I, too, have anxiety about this latest turn of events.  It was easier for me to drive up to the north side of Baltimore everyday and work that far away knowing that my daughter was home with one of the two people in the world that loves her the most.  Now she spends her days with people who we call Ms. This and Miss That.  People who don't know Evie Sue as well as we do, or know her cries like we do, or how to make her giggle like we do.  Will they take care of her they way they should?

Of course they will, silly.  That's their job!.  I'm sure that they have helped watch hundred, thousand and/or millions of children over the years and know what they are doing.  Evie Sue, to her credit has hit the ground running.  She doesn't seem to have a problem staying at the center, has made the rounds in her curiosity and seems to be very popular with the staff.  She will be fine.  Everyone seems to love her... just not like her mother and I.
 

It Walks Among Us!

Evie Sue with her VD balloon.

My daughter, that is!  Evie Sue is a walker!  A few weeks ago Grandma Linda came into town and suddenly Evie Sue's few scatter steps turned into full on walking.  She walks down the hall, through the kitchen, up the hall, around the living room, to the front door and back again.  She's so proud of herself and get's super excited when you chase her.  I see this turning into an issue out in public but for right now it's just fun.

Evie Sue is over 14 months now, and next week will start daycare 4 or 5 days a week so Sara can go back to work.  This is a big transition for us.  Both parents will be working full-time jobs, and the baby will be spending time in a new environment, hopefully, having fun and socializing with other young ones.  It's exciting and scary all at the same time.  I'm not sure how it wall play out but I am sure of one thing; childcare is EXPENSIVE!  We'll be spending more a month on the daycare than on our rent.  In what kind of world does that makes sense?

Pancake Dinner

In other news, Evie Sue and I attended the Annual Sue Cobb Memorial Scholarship Pancake Dinner this past Fat Tuesday with Grandpa, Reb, and Savannah.  The dinner is one way in which my Mom's church helps raise money to give to female students in need.  We ate some pancakes, socialized with acquaintances and chased the baby all around the room.  (Did I mention she's walking.)  It is always strange yet wonderful to be in a room with so many people who want to tell me about how wonderful my Mother was.  Sue Cobb's granddaughter was the bell of the ball!