How late is too late to build a fire in in your fireplace?

Is there a fireplace rule like “no white before Memorial day?” There are birds playing around the chimney and I’d like to show ‘em I mean BUSINESS.

This week is a little out of control - I am trying to fit a lot of things in, including THREE different trips to the vet. Pearson needs his “new n’ improved” tail checked out and Vanessa is going in for some dental stuff that was discovered last week during her checkup. The upside is that I gain some MAJOR Entertainment Mileage for Arun out of these visits. The downside is that herding a cat into a travel carrier is never, ever a fun task. Furthermore, if one more dog owner allows their dog to sniff and nudge at my injured cat’s carrier, I fear the Entertainment Mileage that would result from my kicking said owner in the balls. I wonder if THAT would scar Arun for life?

Speaking of the little twerp - he is SO FUN right now. Object Permanence AND Cause/Effect have set in. For awhile now, we have been playing what I like to call Poor Man’s Peekaboo where I look around asking “Where’s Arun?” - basically, just like Peekaboo sans the blanket. But lately, we discovered the fun to be had when you can afford the blanket and since I received no less than 24 blankets as gifts, then you can just consider Arun the luckiest little boy on the planet. Anyway, he loves to pull the blanket off of my head AND his own head. However, he can’t quite get the blanket back on his head, so burying his face in it garners a good enough result. Hilarity ensues.

Other things this week? I planted flowers last night - new for this year are zinnias and gerbera daisies - I am very excited to see how these turn out. Tonight, is the Veggie Pickup and dinner with friends at one of our favorite spots, The Blue Koi on 39th. Friday is mysteriously Free of Obligation, but I need to visit squeeze in visits to great-aunts and uncles, so I look for Friday to fill up quickly.

I still haven’t decided what to do with the Anti-Vegan Mommies from last week. I may meet with them again, but don’t think I will clear my calendar for such events. I did meet with the the Wednesday Group that I go walking with for an actual playgroup - Arun’s FIRST playgroup. It was basically a baby mosh pit and was quite fun. We’ve decided to keep Wednesday’s “as is” - that is, meeting at the hospital for the breastfeeding support stuff, then alternate Wednesdays for walking. However, we are going to schedule other days for actual playgroups now that the babies are old enough to scramble on top of each other.

Rancid Reads: I haven’t written about any reads lately because I am buried deep into John Irving’s Cider House Rules. I just ADORE Irving and have determined that I must read all of his books before I die and may well have to re-read a few (i.e. A Prayer for Owen Meany). However, his books are serious time suckers and require committment. Anyway, in the midst of reading Irving, I also read Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. I can’t even muster up the energy to bother with linking to it because I did NOT like this book. Read at your own risk. If you like overly religious-themed tomes with miracles liberally sprinkled throughout, then by all means, read this book. It just wasn’t MY cup of tea. Next up? Snow Falling on Cedars........ I am also determined to plow my way through a stack o’ magazines that have piled up that include Consumer Reports, Royalty Magazine, Knit.1, and National Geographic. Funny, how People and US Weekly never pile up.


Jack Bauer ain’t got nuthin’ on MY crime fightin' Treo.

We spent some time yesterday at Olathe Grandma’s house. Arun loves the piano and is quite fascinated by pounding the piano, then pounding the bench. As you can see, he is quite proud of his prowess at doing so.

Taken last week with the Wednesday group while out at Shawnee Mission Park (as you can see, we were so very busy WALKING.) It’s entertaining enough when your own baby is mawing away on his over-priced footwear - but when someone ELSE’S baby decides to get in on the gummin’ action? Even better.