Red Deck

Chris and Ruth finished staining the deck tonight - It looks really good, a great shade of red to blend with the red brick of hte house and the warm yellow wood - happy deck. I'm astonished they got from nothing here so fast. There is still some touch up to do and installation of lattices around the bottom of the deck (so nothing can crawl under there and die), and they plan to use left over lumber to build a "cuddle nest" in one back corner of the deck.

Mary, you asked about the deck and the heat and bugs. We probably will be out there more morning and evening than mid day during the summer. It was pleasant at dusk tonight. Liam loves to be outside and we take him out quite a bit, and that is more comfortable on the deck than otherwise. We do have an umbrella table and some shade from the house and Danny's maple. We do intend, and in time, to add fans, a sun sail, and probably a mister system - but can't afford everything at once. We also intend a fire pit for winter. We haven't seen bees on the deck yet, but we probably will. We have seen mosquito's, but Ruth has some kind of lantern with citronella in it that helps a lot, and Bob bought a machine that is now in the back yard that does seem to keep them away. We may move it to the deck or get a second. Right now, already, our red deck improves the quality of out lives even though it is HOT here for the end of May.

Bob was home for the long weekend - very nice and will be home for the summer Friday. We've been talking about how to make it as good as we can to be a family of five full time in our home - exciting and I'm sure it will be challenging too. One good thing to report, is that the dogs are already calmer around each other, can sleep in the same room, though Lobo still runs if Duffy approaches (and yes, Duffy is much smaller than Lobo and utterly not fierce!).

Dinner on the Deck - at the table

Evenings are warm in the house and we are managinb not to turn on the AC yet. Tonight we escaped the stuffiness by eating Chris delicious dinner of risotto with chicken, corn and beans on the deck at the table, with cloth napkins and a candle lantern yet. It's a far cry from our first meal sitting on the as yet to be screwed down boards of a small portion of the deck. Ruth and I bought the last five of the concrete "feet" the deck stands on today, along with eight more planks. There is some wood yet to buy, but not much more before the whole basic deck is present. Then there will be staining to do and railings to build - but it is great to be as far as we are.

Deck steps

I can't get over Ruth's gift for design and construction. She's related to me???? I had fun tonight being carpenter's helper, even using the table saw a little, while we installed the deck steps in a cool angled design. They are really there, steps, for Liam and Chris to come up when they return from gaming later tonight.

Mothers' Day

Chirs cooked pink chicken and made a cooked cake from scratch. Bob called several times from Corpus, sweet conversations. Liam played and giggled and gave goodnight kisses and was every inch his perfect self. Ruth and I beamed - a good day.

More deck

Ruth and Chris amaze me with the creation of this deck. It grows and grows. They laid the angle of the stairs today, set the height of the steps. There already is a table and chairs on part of the deck and Liam runs about joyfully during construction, chasing Sarabi, the cat. Weather is beginning to feel summery, not to bad yet. We are managing so far without the air conditioning, and I at least am very proud of that. Ruth has fans in most rooms. We won't last the summer without A.C., especially if we get lots of 100 plus degree days, but we'll do better than other years.Bob and I have been married 21 years today- harder years in some ways than we expected, but years full of growth and love. I never imagined that at this point we'd be making family in the house again with Ruth and her husband and baby. I don't remember what I did imagine. I like what we have. I do hope Bob can come home soon and partake of it full time. At least we will have the summer.

Friday night dancing

We had a moment Friday night - one of those magic moments. I cooked dinner this Friday since Ruth and Chris and Liam had spent the day at Sea World and Bob had come home early. We had Jewish music at dinner, and shifted to upbeat, dancy Jewish music during clean up, and then polkas - and suddenly Bob and Liam were dancing together, marching, clapping, swaying, and Ruth and I were dancing in the kitchen and. Then Ruth was in Chris' arms for a fast polka through the dining room Liam was clapping time and I was dancing with my hands in the suds and somewhere in there Bob kissed me. Life should have moments like that, the kind you can't plan. I think about more traditional communities, whether Jewish or the Czech Christians I grew up around who went to the SPJST hall Saturday nights and danced, kids, old people, parents, teens, ever body together. I got polkaed on patient men's big boots when I was too short for my feet to touch the floor and swirled giddy in the strong arms of farm boys (before Viet Nam made them soldiers and sadder) the summer I was seventeen. That kind of multigenerational activity, with music, to music, is fun.