Saturday was one of those days where the heat sneaks up on you and covers you like an itchy, humid woolen blanket. I started out the day early, and made it to the dump before the line got long and the sun got hot, disposing of cast-off swingset wood, the remainder of the old garage workbench, and two armfuls of hedge clippings. Upon my return the lawn got mowed, and when I was done it was 96° and lunchtime.
After eating we made a quick trip to a landscaping store to price out plants, and by the time we returned all my steam was gone. In a rare bit of wisdom, I laid down for a sweaty siesta on the couch.
After I woke back up, I retreated to the cool basement and took apart Finn’s big bike to troubleshoot the rear wheel, which wasn’t holding air. I also pulled the training wheels off the smaller bike to see if they would fit the larger one—no joy. Right before dinner Mama took to the A/C with a migraine so Finn and I grilled some hot dogs, hitched up the trailer bike and the two of us took a spin around the neighborhood in the cooler evening air. Then we drove the Scout out to Target to find a new tube for her bike and some Round-Up for the driveway.
After I put her to bed, I broke out the kettle and brewed a batch of Hefeweizen for the second parade keg; it should be low ABV and perfect for sipping on a hot Independence Day.
Sunday after church we hung out at the Strawberry Jamboree for an hour or so with friends and squinted up into the drizzle. I had made plans to sell some Scout parts to a fellow out in Reisterstown, and ran out to do that while Mama and Finn worked outside. When I got back they were napping so I mixed up some liquid death and sprayed the driveway in the hopes that it’ll reveal some pavement under all the vegetation.
After dinner we got Finn bathed and dressed and into bed with some books, and when she fell asleep we crept back downstairs just in time to catch Game of Thrones (a friend remarked on Facebook that this episode should have been called Game of Throats). Jen went to bed early again so I broke out my neighbor’s beer gun and filled eight bottles full of Belgian IPA after some experimentation. It’s clear to me now that I need to drain the keg, so I’m going to hook everything back up at some point this coming week and empty out the rest.
I got this pretty present in the mail this week from Northern Brewer: it’s a propane-fired burner for brewing beer. I’m low on propane right now, otherwise I’d test it out with the Hefeweizen kit I just got in the door. I borrowed my neighbor’s beer gun as well, so I’m going to bottle up a bunch of the Belgian IPA and clear out my kegs for the oncoming batches (there’s been a Belgian Dubbel waiting in the wings since last fall, so that will probably be the burner test batch).
This morning Mama, Finn and I all got up unnaturally early independently of each other. I staggered out the door and down to Patapsco State Park to get a half an hour’s hike in before leaving for work. At 7AM the bike trails are cool, quiet, and empty of spandex-clad missiles, which means I can enjoy the sounds of the forest and get my blood pressure up to natural levels. It’s going to take some work, but I’m resolving to hike every morning next week, no matter how sore the weekend leaves me. Hopefully I can turn it into a good habit instead of a dreaded event.
Speaking of bikes, I dropped my ancient Cannondale off at our local bike shop last weekend for some much-needed and long deferred maintenance. The total bill took me by surprise but so did her condition when the mechanic looked her over. They replaced the rear cassette, chain, brake cables, brake pads, and did overall maintenance, and the bike I got back rides like it’s brand new.
One of the things I’ve got planned this weekend is a long tandem ride with Finn on her trail-behind, and if we can fit it in before the rain, I’d like to get her practicing on her bigger bike. We got it at a yard sale the same year we got her first one, and for $5 it was a good deal. Last weekend I scrubbed it down with some car detergent and sanded the rust off with steel wool, and it looks 100% better. The tires are dry-rotted so we have to find some replacements at Target. I’d really like to peel all the Barbie stickers off the metal too, but I think that would take too long…
This weekend we attended the neighborhood easter egg hunt with Finn. It’s gotten bigger every year, which means there are more people we haven’t met, and this year our neighbor friends were out of town so the Lockardugans went stag.
Jen and I have loosened our watch on Finn, confident in her ability to introduce herself and make new friends, but after the candy came out we made sure to keep an eye on her sugar intake. At one point I tailed her to an adjoining backyard, where a mixed pack of kids were organizing some kind of team play, and Finn, fearless as usual, walked right up to them and asked what they were doing. One boy in particular seemed to be the alpha male and had been busy ordering the other kids around, and for whatever reason they seemed to be listening to him. His voice got more and more strident as he tried to tell them what he wanted them to do, and suddenly he decided he didn’t want girls playing his game. Finn took all this in for a few minutes, and as I watched, she marched up into his face and yelled, “You’re just a big bossypants, and you don’t go around bossing me around and yelling in my face!”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the yard. The other kids melted away from the bully, his spell broken by my daughter’s assertion. She walked past me, talking to herself: “When a bully bosses you around, you get right up in his face and tell him YOU DON”T BULLY ME, bossypants.” All I could do was follow in her wake and marvel at her courage.
Sadly, there were no other parents in the area who I could nudge and say, “THAT’S MY GIRL! PARENTAL WIN!”
