The Known Unknowns

I did not know he didn’t know but because he was my father I always believed him. 
Like the time he told me that the Titanic was SO big that you could start walking at one end in the morning and you would not reach the other end until late evening. The assertion that dinosaurs still lived in parts of Mexico and the government was hiding them. His knowledge that American women were trouble. Or that the Cowboys were and would forever be America’s greatest football team. He never meant any harm but it was a little disconcerting when I started learning truths. 
Now I wonder…what will the kids come to learn was a misconception on my part? Whatever it is I hope it endears me to them just a wee bit more.

Seconds from Disaster

I am not too familiar with the Buena Vista off ramp which Siri asked me to take. At 6:50ish in the morning, with the rain falling briskly and a husky white Tundra in my right side mirror I stepped on the pedal once the phone told me I had about half a mile to get off. When I thought I had enough room to merge onto the lane my hands began to gently turn the wheel and my little car’s momentum began to shift. 
Then without warning we all felt the hard punch as the front wheels slammed into a pocket of water I had not seen. Next, I felt through my feet how the right front tire lost connection to the ground which set us careening into space and a wall of unaware k-rails on the side of the car where my daughter and wife rested. Some instinct made my forearms twitch and I moved my wheel attempting to correct course. The car had ideas of its own though and our back end started to swing left onto the lane I had just tried to leave. Right before I took my foot off the break and I relaxed my grip off the wheel I did a quick glance at my rear view mirror. For a long fraction of a second I spotted my son’s frightened face and I noted his cry. The car slowed some, steadied course and I was finally able to regain control. 
Finally resettled I turned on my blinker and sheepishly took the off ramp, turned on the avenue and headed to the airport where my wife needed to be dropped off for an early morning flight. 
My heart is still feeling the effect of those few seconds of freeway action.

Hen Delivered

My hens show me something new everyday. My dogs teach me stuff all the time. My kids hand me lesson constantly. My wife course corrects me full time. My friends make me wonder quite often. The interwebs gives me info I take in with a grain-of-salt. 
You know…for a bloke that has been out of school for a long time I haven’t had a day when something fresh makes it into my grey matter.

A Failed State

Sometimes when I think about my posts I wonder what my children may come to think of them. I hope they’ll smile, a few may make them think but I have a feeling they’ll just roll their eyes a lot. Either way my hope is that they’ll will come to concur with my descriptions of love for them, my wife, our friends, the house, ye olde neighbourhood, the mutts and chickens. 
I will consider it a failed life if the person delineated on the screen is far far different from the man who was their real life dad.

Lord of the Flies

Lost in a sea of books I tried my very best to guide my boy about the aisles of this massive story. We have such different ideas of what is a worthwhile read and for a moment I thought we reached an impasse. But then I had him read the back cover of the Lord of the Flies and when he was done he beamed with excitement. 
Good choice my boy…good choice.

2016 Final Thought

A game of Jenga happened on New Years Eve. A few best friends and I played some rounds, enjoyed goblets of wine and snacked on some form of Belgioso cheese. At some point the cabs in the Cabernet took me over and I took a moment to settle myself on the couch. From that perch I looked over all my pals cheering or taunting. Imbibing and snacking. Our kids careening about and occasionally checking the status of the blocks and the overall soundness of the structure. 
In that moment a thought came about me. Things fall apart…that is a baked in feature of structure. The fun or challenge though is in playing the game with jolly good people. Each taking a turn building a higher structure with a limited amount of blocks. 
Yes eventually gravity will do its part but the group will then reset the game and start a new. Interesting que no?

Sleepless in Monrovia

I find myself barely holding on after a very long night of struggle. Cold and frustrated I realize that I am solely responsible for the choices I made yesterday. I hope this confession serves as warning to others and as I think of my wife now sleeping on the couch I hope to have learned my lesson. But I’ve done this before and since past is prologue I fear this may happen again.
The YouTube is full of scary videos about Chupacabras, Big Feet, ghosts in photos, Jersey Devils, Slender Men, Dutch peole and more. Watching these creepy-pastas with the kids is a sure way to have a rebellion based on fears at bed time. We acquiesced and let them sleep in hours. Trying to share space with two kids and two dogs is no fun and I spent most the night moderating groggy disagreements over imaginary borders, shifting confused mutts about and seeing my wedge of the bed shrink and shrink and shrink.

I’d carp more but only have myself to blame.

In Ma Room

Sometimes I wedge myself in my bedroom where the keyboard lies. I stare at the screen, I ponder, I sip coffee and on occasion I clank at buttons and letter appear on the screen.

I wonder if my children will come to understand why I took time to do this. At lesser minutes I attempt to forecast if the value of what I have written will be worth the time I could have spent with them.

It make sense for me not to carp but continue stealing moments to press the letters and form the sentences. I know not what else to do.