I got home about the time Hallie was waking up from her nap. The whole family was on her bed, catching up on each’s day. The weather was too gorgeous for me to stay inside, so I suggested we all go out on the porch instead.
Travis and I settled down on the swing just as the neighborhood kids came out to play. Soon Hallie was among them, with Kelly and I watching proudly from the porch. Before long, the rest of our neighbors were out and about. I sipped a beer as I wandered after Hallie. While she played with her friends, I caught up with neighbors I hadn’t spoken much with for months.
It all reminds us again and again just how cool it is that we live in this neighborhood. It is the perfect place for Hallie and Travis to grow up!
Tomorrow marks the first full week at work without our Fearless Leader. Folks seem to have made the transition fairly easily, though it is a little quieter than usual.
One monkey still on my back is the quest for new office space. Though I’ve made significant progress, not a day goes by that someone doesn’t hound me about the process. I sure wish this decision was made long ago and by someone else, but that’s not what leadership is about. The buck has been passed to me and it is mine to act upon.
Fortunately, I’ve found an office candidate that doesn’t suck as bad as the others. If the so-called due-diligence gets done properly, we can finally move and be done with it. And I can go back to running the company. Or at least helping to run it.
I’m headed south to PC on Friday to pick up bedroom furniture that used to belong to my grandmother. It’s a long haul (11 hours each way), but I’ve done it enough that I tolerate it well. My goal is to be back late Saturday night, but I’ve got plenty of time built in to return Sunday if need be.
It will be very strange seeing my grandmother’s house empty. In addition to Grandma of course, the furnishings I’ve known all my life will be gone. It may be good therapy, though, to see it empty. The curtain has gone down on another performance and the stage has now been cleared.
Three weeks to Italy. Not that I’m counting or anything.
We got some comments from passing neighbors about our fantastic lawn. Until they praised it, all I saw was the weeds that still litter it. Stepping back, though, I came to appreciate how far it’s come. There was nothing but weeds last year, and I couldn’t wait to get some real grass. It may not be perfect, but its worlds better than it was.
We’re also considering landscaping options. The front of the house gets quite warm in the afternoon sun. Having some shady trees in front would be just the thing to cool us off.
Another pending landscaping job is regrading our backyard so that water doesn’t pool in it. We’ve got some quotes out on that job now and hope to get it done after we return from out trip. So many improvements to make, so little time. And money, for that matter.
I haven’t done much writing lately and I miss it. The previous excuses of taxes and March Madness have faded. I think I get lackadasical about writing when others on my blogroll get slack, too. Dadgum peer pressure.