Can We Get a Do-Over?

Yesterday was the first big snow of the season, and the first snow days of the school year. And it was something of a disaster.

The snow didn't start until about 6:00 am, so getting me on the road was not too big a deal. We already knew that the kids would be off from school, so Karen stayed home with them. By the time I got about half way to work, though, it was snowing rather heavily and it took me about an hour and forty-five minutes to get to work.

But that wasn't the disastrous part; that's just winter in New England.

Tom had to go to work, too, and he's lost the charger for his cell phone. So Karen loaned him her phone on the promise that he would call when he got to work. He didn't. But he's okay.

The disaster started when Karen presented the boys with a brand new pair of plastic sleds, an early Christmas gift, and encouraged them to go out and try them. The snow wasn't very deep yet. Danny, as I understand it, was making a run when his sled turned sideways, hit a bump, and sent him flying face first into the snow, which was barely covering a very large rock.

Of course I found out about this through voice mails during my breaks--I can't take calls at work. And Karen, as I mentioned, didn't have her cell phone, and so keeping me up on the news was no small feat.

Danny ended up with a big cut under his eye, and one amazing black eye, plus five staples just above his hair line on his left side. He didn't go to school today, though he felt well enough tonight to be in the school's holiday presentation, which he performed quite well.

He's quite a guy. I just wish he's keep his face away from big solid objects. He's done this before, riding his Big Wheel riding toy into the back of my parked van.

At least I can't claim that life here is dull.

Lucky Seven!

Danny is seven years old today. We're planning a little family celebration for tonight, and then Danny will be having his party with his friends at Chuck E. Cheese's sometime later in the month. It's hard to believe that my little munchkin, who almost didn't make it here and was incredibly tiny when he did, is such a big guy now.

One of Danny's birthday presents, which is not so much fun for Dad but I'm glad he's enjoying it, is snow. A week ago we were sitting outside at Mambo's Cafe in Glendale, California, sipping cold milkshakes. This morning I got up with Karen to brush snow and scrape ice from her car before sending her off to work. Sigh.

Look for a sudden and dramatic change in the look of the site in the next day or two. I'm trying to make more available from the front page and restore access to some of the old material. THis revision is the first step.