79 freckles
Ford has 79 freckles on his nose. I know this because he walked the entire length of the zoo today–to the gorillas and back–for the very first time. I didn't realize this was a first until he told me in the parking lot, beaming, that he
More issues
Fingers
Fingers that have not yet learned to hold a pencil are my favorite. More skillful than the balled fists of an infant, but only so.
I love the way they wash my hair in the shower, all palms, like spreading finger paint over my scalp.
And afterwards, when they comb
We're out of Band-Aids
Nearly every night before bed, for weeks now, Rosemary has asked:
"Are you hurt?"
A few times, I made the mistake of saying: "No, baby, I'm not hurt."
"Dad, you are hurt."
She takes my index finger in both hands, the way
Growth
Lewis is still six
Lewis is still six
Lewis is still six
Thank God.
Next month he will be seven.
He still wants to sit on my lap
He still wants to sit on my lap
He still wants to sit on my lap
Thank God.
Next month he might
Trouble
Rosemary beckons me with two little hands and says, "Come."
I follow.
She opens the cabinet and removes one board game at a time.
We open a box, empty the pieces, and then put them back again.
For Rosemary, this is the game–making a mess and cleaning
Make your own peace
If Ford should die in a sudden accident, a scenario I refuse to imagine or consider, I would use his eulogy as an opportunity to blast the dental hygienist who suggested that I discourage thumb-sucking for fear that Ford's teeth may move out of alignment.
I believe she
"What can I buy with two dollars?"
The app wasn't working. Two lifeguards (who were essentially children) stood behind the counter. The first told us to write our names on a paper form while the other read a book. Behind me, I overheard kids trying to buy snacks with two dollars. The floor was wet.
Liminality
In anthropology, liminality (from Latin līmen 'a threshold'). is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when
PSA
The text I sent to fifteen friends and neighbors last night at 4:38pm:
--THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT.--
In exactly 82 minutes, we will roast S'MORES on our driveway. The marshmallows are the largest I've ever seen. This opportunity is only available between
Lobster Heart
My wife told me that lobsters never stop growing. Scientists call this indeterminate growth. Lobsters grow through molting; they shed their hard exoskeleton, leaving them as an exposed lump of jello before eventually hardening again. Around 10 to 15% of lobsters die in this process. Either they can't