28 year anniversary

Happy Anniversary, Sharon!

14 Years Old

Not an especially spirited 14th birthday, but enjoyable.

Naturally Arianna had to go to school today. Afterward she had time to relax before we went for dinner at one of her old favorite Asian restaurants in Elgin.

Always reading . . . that's a suitable slogan for Arianna!

A little something from Sharon via NYC . . .

Even if Arianna does not work as an interior decorator, someday she'll inherit this place. And with all the work it needs . . . .

Cake time . . .

Happy birthday, Kunigunda.

First Day of School

Such a different feel . . .

But despite butterflies, I can still get a smile outta my girl. Note the couple ahead of Arianna . . . a freshman and her Daddy, who actually escorted his daughter into St. Ed's.

Day's end . . . . I think the expression was more one of relief than anything else. 

It'll take a bit of time to grow accustomed to the new routine and the new teachers and the new colleagues.

New Student Orientation

First we were told, orientation was from 8 am until Noon. Then, 8 to 11. First, we were told she had to wear her uniform and that she would be photographed. Then, we were told no pictures would be taken and that students could dress casually.

I told Arianna I was going to take her picture . . . in keeping with the customary practice of the past nine years. 

Arianna groaned . . .

But, on the drive to Elgin, I snapped a picture.

Of course, now that school is starting the weather has turned hot. All Summer long it's pleasant. Today it's going to approach 90 with high humidity!

Home coming

This evening, Arianna and I tracked the progress of Sharon's flight on the Delta website. We knew her plane left late, when it crossed over Lake Ontario, and flew over Michigan. 

It's a 45 minute drive to O'Hare from the Fox River Valley. Neither Arianna nor Bruno wanted to come with me to the airport. 

No worries . . . .

Beethoven's 6th was broadcast on WFMT. Nice accompaniment to the drive.

Traffic was heavier than I anticipated, but not so bad. I wasn't concerned about Sharon having to wait for me. And, in fact I circled the airport five times before I decided to chance the wrath of the CPD and pulled over. Third time around Arianna texted me the plane landed. She'd seen Sharon's flight updated on the website and then Sharon texted her.

I was fussing with my phone - about to contact Arianna - when Sharon appeared as if out of nowhere.

Arianna and Bruno greeted Sharon with exuberance. We are all happy she's home.

Chocolate Pinwheels

Arianna has had her eye on these cookies for quite some time now.

The recipe is easy enough, but it's an involved process. I've got to hand it to her . . . Arianna wanted to bake these as a surprise for Sharon. And she did it!

She instructed Grandpa as if she were Sharon orchestrating the Christmas baking . . .

Tasty morsels . . .

Keeping busy

We're all starting to anticipate Sharon's return . . . . And it's only Tuesday! The evening phone calls are nice, but . . . .

Worked from home today as is often the case on Tuesday. Arianna is an extraordinarily quiet kid!

She promised Sharon that she'd shine up the kitchen cabinets and got at it today. With a helper.

The old gray mare ain't what what she used to be

It was bound to happen. 

Some days the ol' jalopy just doesn't seem to have that get up and go. 

And, this evening and didn't. 

When I came out of work this evening the car would not start. First, I let Arianna know I would be late for dinner. Then I called AAA. 

The auto club led me to believe I'd have to wait at least an hour before a truck would be able to get to me and diagnose the problem. In fact, I was on the road not that much later than my typical commuting time. Kudos to AAA for their quick service and ability to swap out the battery in short order.

Annoying as this might have been, what really frosted me was the fact that nobody at Ford said a word able the potential issue with battery acid leaking all over the connectors. I guess when they "check the battery" the serviceman is simply verifying the car has one installed.

At home I was greeted by a happy Arianna, whose supper was a great success with Grandpa. 

While I enjoyed my own "personal pizza", Arianna caught me up on the day's activities. Apparently she wanted the window hardware to get as much of a makeover as her bedroom walls.

Quite a difference . . .

 

Back together

We were extraordinarily fortunate the weather was conducive to painting. Arianna and I got the job done in good time. All that still needs to be done is removing the tape from the windows.

Arianna seems to like the new look.

And that's really all that matters.

Bedroom Redux (2)

Thankfully the weather has not been unbearably hot this week. When I painted the bathroom in June, it happened to coincide with one of the few 90+ degree days we've had this Summer.

Our progress reports have been a highlight of our nightly telephone conversations with Sharon. It sounds like she's looking forward to seeing the outcome.

In truth, I've done better work, but the job is not bad.

Today I spent most of the day painting the windows and touching up here and there. Windows are not especially fun to paint, but I couldn't disregard them.

Variety . . . what Arianna is looking for.

Portrait of a Daddy as a House Painter . . .

A trip to the supermarket

I know how to shop for groceries.

But, Sharon and Bruno do this together on Friday mornings, so naturally I'm not included in the process. And, naturally, I do not know how Woodman's is organized.

I worked from home today. At lunch Arianna and I made a list. Later in the afternoon, she re-wrote it organizing items in the order we'd encounter them in the store. A very helpful idea of hers!

So, I knocked off a little early and we were at the market by 4 o'clock. The store was not especially busy. As is his habit, Bruno manned the shopped cart. Arianna navigated. And, I managed the list. All went well. No hiccups whatsoever.

Home Alone (with Grandpa)

As much as I would have liked to work from home for ten days it really isn't practical. And besides, Arianna has made it clear that she wants to be on her own a bit while Sharon is gone.

So, today I worked at the office and Arianna and Grandpa were home alone.

Arianna cooked dinner tonight. I telephoned from work around 4 o'clock to see if she had any questions or concerns and she seemed to have everything under control.

Tonight's menu was chicken breasts with home made barbecue sauce, fresh green beans, and corn bread. 

When I arrived home Arianna was a bit frazzled. Yes, if you can read, you can cook, but experience is as much a necessary ingredient as anything else that goes into the meal. Timings were a challenge. Grandpa was of little help - and not expected to be. I had no qualms whatsoever about supper not "being on the table" when I walked through the door. Arianna, on the other hand . . . .

Notwithstanding Arianna's burnt fingers and the tears the followed, both Bruno and I thought supper was a success. It took more effort than Arianna realized, I think.

No painting tonight. Just a movie and relaxation.  

Room Redux

More than a month ago Arianna hinted she wanted to change something in her bedroom. She meant more than my attaching the large mirror to the dresser. She wanted a color change. Not the whole room necessarily. Perhaps just one wall. 

After a bit of back and forth about color, we're going to let our project - yes, Arianna, is going to help - coincide with Sharon's absence. So, tonight we started taping . . .

In fact, we'll pain three walls: two a shade of blue that is a shade very close to what's already on the wall, but a better match for the third wall, which is going to be a cool greenish tint.

If we keep at it, we should be able to wrap this project up by week's end.

Schedule Conflict

Home from work today.

Rose early to drive Sharon to O'Hare for a 7:30 am flight to JFK. This will be the longest period of time she's away from us: 10 days. Her boss at the Epoch Times wanted her to be in NYC three weeks, but I wouldn't hear of it.

Since Sharon wasn't available, I took Arianna to St. Ed's today. Fee Day. All went well. Although I was disappointed that there really were no "lighty used" school uniforms available at discounted prices.

So, Arianna's all paid up for her Freshman year of High School. It'll be interesting to learn how much more money St. Ed's begs of us throughout the school year.

Visitors

It's been . . . 30 years or so . . . since I've seen my cousin Carl O. His Mother telephoned last Saturday to say that he was driving to Chicagoland to meet his nephew, Matthew. 

Carl had no idea how far a drive it was to Sleepy Hollow from Oakbrook, where Matt was staying while in town to look for work. I think if he had known he might not have accepted our invitation to supper.

It was great meeting Carl's nephew - his sister Nancy's oldest son - and catching up with Carl.

Garden Walk

After dinner Garden Walk. The weather may not have been especially good for tomatoes this Summer, but the abundance of rain was well liked by many of the flowers.

The variety of broccoli I bought this year is not especially tasty. When one of the plant flowered, we decided to let it go . . . 

One of my favorite plants . . . hyssop . . . Blue Fortune. When you walk up the side yard, a drift of Blue Fortune leads you into the backyard. It's never looked as good as it did before the 2012 drought, but replacements are trying to catch up. Bees do not seems to mind whether the plants are original to the bed or new. 

Rounding the corner into the upper backyard has always been a challenge. The tall yellow flowers (Golden Glow Rudbeckia and Cup Plant) nicely meet the base of the 60' Shagbark Hickory. Daisy dominates the Bee Balm (transplants didn't survive the Winter), Blazing Star, and Aster (still to bloom). 

Cup Plant . . . moved last year in an attempt to thwart the deer . . .

The pumpkin patch is bordered by a narrow swath of purple. This year the north border looks especially lovely out the kitchen window. Here, I'm looking east toward the fruit trees . . . 

Pumpkin and squash ramble. This is the second year for them in a dedicated spot, but I still can't contain them. We bought the white pumpkin last Fall on the way home from the Rotary Garden in Janesville. Sometime after Halloween, I moved it from the front porch to one of the front flower beds. Rain, higher priorities kept me from disposing of it immediately. When I got around to it, the bottom of the pumpkin had deteriorated and roots had begun to sprout. I carried it back to the pumpkin patch and mulched it heavily with leaves and grass clippings. Sure enough, this Spring it came to life. And now it's suspended on the deer fence surrounding the Jonafree apple tree.  

Jalapeno and Sweet Banana peppers. The jalapeno peppers are not at all hot this year - probably due to the mild temperatures.