Cowboys, wild, West.

The boys received a great gift in the mail from their friends in California -- a cassette of original songs and some friendly chat from Jack & Sam. One of these songs really caught on and the boys are still singing it, and it goes a little somethin' like this:

Cowboy, cowboy, you like to ride your horse;
Cowboy, cowboy, you like to shoot your horse.

There's another song that is a loving ode to the chocolate chip cookie, but the horse song really made an impression. It was fun for them to hang outside in the breezy sunshine and listen to a tape made especially for them, after their grueling flu battle.


Hands-down, my favorite board game is Scrabble, and I'm thrilled that Wyatt is now old enough to read and spell. He and I decided to play a game of Junior Scrabble, and I asked him to set up the board while I finished some task in the other room. Wyatt's got a terrific sense of humor, and this was his response:

Note to self: no more State of the Union addresses for Wyatt.

Troy returned home Friday after his road trip through the West. He had a great time visiting his brother and friends as he made his way along up the coast. He brought me this cute pair of pajamas from the wonderful Watson Kennedy store in Seattle:

But as happy as I was, Lucky was even happier with his gift. A redwood log from the beach in Mendocino:



It was definitely hard to be on my own with the boys. There's normally a lot of work, and at least when Troy and I are together we provide each other with back-up. But it was good, in a way, because Troy does so much around here, and it's not that I take him for granted -- I don't -- but I definitely rely on him a lot, and I especially did in my zombie-like state after my Mom's death. Not exactly Seligman's learned helplessness, but I've stood in the shadows during my mourning, and so it was good to shake that up and be forced to rise to all challenges on my own -- you know, not just the daily chores but the kinks that cropped up that required active problem-solving. But that's enough now and I'm damned glad he's home. I'm also grateful for the very thoughtful support I received from friends during his absence -- very encouraging and sweet!
And so, life is returning to normal here, and boy am I grateful to have, after three weeks, a proper cappuccino from my favorite barista.

Welcome home, Troy!