Sunday, March 29, 2015

Boys Away!

Both of the boys were away last night, William at an overnight birthday party and Daniel at a cold-weather camping trip with the Scouts. It should have been a romantic evening for two at the Brooks house, but naturally Karen and I both have colds.

Nothing major, in fact mostly going away already, but it did put a crimp on the evening, which consisted mostly of sitting and watching TV and going to bed fairly early. But it was nice to have the quiet house in the morning.

William stayed at the Windrifter with his friend Matt and a couple of other boys, where they got to swim in the pool, play video games together, and watch movies until fairly late at night. Danny, on the other hand, got to sleep in a cold tent and change his socks three times because they kept getting wet. But he had a good time anyway.

The campout was supposed to be near one of the local ski areas, in a place that's less than four miles from our house in a straight line, but more than 15 miles away by any drivable road. But we got a bit more snow and colder temperatures than had been predicted when the event had been planned, so the troop moved to one of the leader's homes.

Unfortunately, the email telling me that got caught in my spam filter, and I ended up driving around trying to figure out what was going on. Fortunately, the Scout leaders had also sent Karen and email, and I was able to get the information from that. Made for an exhausting morning.

Today, after we picked up Danny at camp, we went over the the Windrifter so that Danny could get a chance to swim, too, in the nice warm water in the nice warm pool house, with a nice hot shower and a good meal afterward.

It was definitely the perfect ending to the trip.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

The Brooks Bunch, Unplugged

Today was Karen's day off. We slept in (well, sort of; I got up to make sure the boys were ready for school, and then I went back to bed), and we did some sorting through the clutter that had accumulated in the kitchen drawers. When William came home, he and Karen did some baking, after which William was supposed to make dinner. And just as he was setting up to do that, the power went off.

We hadn't had anything more than a light snow until then, but right around 5:00, the wind started to pick up. It must have knocked down a tree limb onto a power line. Sigh.

So, off to Wolfeboro for pizza, and to hang out in the library for some relaxation and light until they closed at 8:00. Lucky for us, the power was back on by the time. But it did put kind of a crimp in the evening. And it had us worried, because we hadn't prepared for it.

The wind is expected to continue through tomorrow, so I set us up with flashlights and extra water, just in case. And least I don't have to worry about the morning alarm not going off, because that's on my phone. If the boys' alarms fail, I have a backup.

Which makes me sleep better, even if it annoys the boys.

Monday, March 09, 2015

Reruns

I've missed a few picture days in the last few weeks, partly because most of what's happening in the Brooks household is visually redundant, and so it ends up looking as though I'd missed pictures anyway. I mention this because the last couple of recycled pictures were taken during the worst of our bouts with snow, and may have given some the wrong impression of the current state of things. Although there’s still a lot of the white stuff on the ground, the weather is much warmer, and so are we.

I've also missed picture days because I've been under the weather. Today, for example, after getting up at 4:30 (5:30 Standard Time) and helping William and Danny get on the bus, I went back to bed with Karen, who has today off. I ended up sleeping until 11:30. Daylight Time. Very confusing. Also puts a crimp on productivity.

I'm up and about now. I've even been in town to keep Karen company while she does laps in the pool.

And tonight I'll be out watching Danny play his last basketball game of the season, unless his team wins, which will put them in the championship game on Thursday.

I don't really care. Danny has enjoyed playing and learned a lot about teamwork and focus. I consider that a win all around.

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Sugaring Weather

Although anyone who doesn’t live in a cold climate wouldn't quite believe it, our weather has taken a big turn for the better. This is what those who collect and prepare maple syrup call “sugaring season.” The nights are below freezing, the days above. Just the right conditions for collecting an amazing amount of sap: 40 gallons for a each gallon of pure maple syrup. And just the right conditions for us to feel that Spring is coming right on schedule.

This is when we start preparing for late Spring events, too, sending in permission slips and forms for Danny’s overnight trip to the Boston Museum of Science, and William’s two-night trip to the White Mountains to camp with his team members before he heads off to (gasp!) high school.

The snow is beginning to melt. A little. And I just ordered my last fill of propane for the season. Winter may not be officially over, but it’s undoubtedly on its way out.

And I, for one, am happy to show it the door.