the occupation of Ashley and Levon
For me, labor felt like swimming miles under a heavy sea. The pressure was enormous and holding my breath for so long in the dark water felt like more than I could manage. The most troubling part was that the only way to alleviate the compression and strain was to endure the long, strenuous swim to [...] Continue Reading »
…than share a house with a contentious newborn. No I’m kidding of course. Our five week old is driving me a little nuts however, and I was at one point ready to show tough love. He’s not hungry, he’s not sick, he just wants to fuss. He’s bored with us I’m afraid. I told Ashley [...] Continue Reading »
I think it’s going to rain me out today. I would love for it not to. Yesterday I was painting an old Folk Victorian house in Historic Mechanicsville, running around on ladders with buckets of four colors that adorn the decorative woodwork. It was 63 degrees in late January and I was glad to be [...] Continue Reading »
Double post this morning, but I have a little song I just recorded. It was written the other morning and I like to sing it in the mornings. Everybody is sleeping and I go downstairs and play it softly. Here’s my morning voice and laptop microphone, but heck that’s what my records sound like anyway: [...] Continue Reading »
Ashley is a superwoman. And before I continue, I should mention that the YMCA trainer DID come back with the baby – and thanks, Lauren, for mentioning that needed a follow up. But Ashley has spent the night with a fussy, fussy, fussy baby. FUSSY!!! Even after we tried to establish a calming routine- almost [...] Continue Reading »
Ashley and I had our first family outing at the YMCA just now. She put the little guy in front of an EFX machine and it was only minutes until someone asked to hold him. Curiously, Ashley watched one of the personal trainers walk off with our baby and she continued her workout. I debated [...] Continue Reading »
From the view out of the batter’s box, I always looked up to the pitcher’s mound and feared I was the lesser man. In this battle we engaged, his leading the field of play, I worried that he was craftier or stronger, or that the people watching me would be better served if this over [...] Continue Reading »
The last few days have been a tear of reading. A few days ago I noted Steinbeck’s East of Eden on my friends kitchen table. I remembered that I had been getting to it, decided promptly, went to the library, and sat down to become involved. All week I read. I got up early to [...] Continue Reading »
“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Proverbs 19:2 This was how the morning started, reading my daily Proverb (31 days, 31 chapters), and looking out at a cold morning as I built up the woodstove. I made coffee and watched my fire flicker [...] Continue Reading »
When Ashley and I loaded up and headed for the artistic promise land, I heavily relied on The Grapes of Wrath as a source of determination and hope. And also as an answer when the day of reality and hard facts was laid out flatly before us. Throughout our scrambles since, whatever mused Steinbeck we [...] Continue Reading »