Day 7: Quality time

Today was a day made for quality time with the kids both indoors and outdoors. I made it out of the house today to drop some packages off at the post office and to pick up an order from Target. Now that's excitement! I've forgotten what day of the week it is. I think it might be Tuesday, but I can't be sure. Oh sure, I could look at my phone and see, but I already said I can't be sure.

What I'm watching today?

Ford v. Ferrari (2019, Google Play streaming) Great performances all around in this epic tale of Ford's battle for relevance in the 1960s. And I do mean epic! This movie is over two and a half hours long, and it still manages to glaze over certain details of the story. Despite the long run time, it doesn't feel excessive, and I only noticed it once when I paused the movie to go into the kitchen for a snack. What I appreciate most about the film though is that it doesn't take many liberties, and the screenplay tells a story mostly the way that it actually happened. This film was 100% enjoyable. It does end on a sad note, but that's real life. 

What I'm doing today

Playing with a princess - The 5yo has been bored and lonely since school was canceled, so this morning when she came to me with sad puppy dog eyes and asked, "Daddy, will you play with me?" I was ready to roll. We gathered horses, Disney princesses, and stuffed animals and had a little brunch party. I was responsible for playing the roles of Princess Brenda, Scooch the Swamp-horse, and Burger Baby. (She'll think twice before letting me pick the names again.) It was all fun and games until one of those boys came and ruined the fun. I forget which one; they look alike. But by that time it had warmed up enough to go play outside. Crisis averted.

Landscaping - Last summer I started working on some landscaping to reclaim a bit of space (about 200 square feet in the front yard) that had a dead tree and was getting overgrown with weeds. It took several weekends of removing all of the gravel, weeds, and stump, then sifting the gravel to separate the pretty pink crushed granite from the dirt and other organic material, laying down new weed barrier, and then filling the gravel back in. To form a boundary with an adjacent walkway (which also needs work) I used an old railroad tie that I found. I'm a big believer in using and reusing what you have available and reducing waste. The only problem was that the railroad tie that I found wasn't quite long enough to complete the project, so I still had a 2-foot section that was unfinished. Then yesterday I spied a perfect piece of a railroad tie sticking out of a dumpster. (Don't judge.) I snagged it and brought it home, and it fit perfectly. So I was able to finish off that border, with the help of an eager assistant pictured to the left. We had some work to do re-excavating the trench and repairing the weed barrier that I installed last summer. It seems that one of the neighborhood kids, who is old enough to know better, routinely enjoys ripping out the staples, pulling up the flagstones, and digging in the gravel. We may have to have a talk with the parents. But for now, mission accomplished. Maybe this summer we'll improve the adjacent walkway, but that will require additional excavation and some masonry.

Corresponding - The older kids got some stationary sets and Colorado postcards to keep them occupied during their isolation. Today they decided that they wanted to write to their grandmothers, so I helped them write, address, and stamp their letters and postcards. They were unbelievably cute.