I’m usually the first person awake during weekdays. I’ll make coffee, have a bowl of cereal and read a bit, or check email, etc. Lately, Truman has been waking up kinda early at least once a week. A couple of times he’s stumbled out into the living room mumbling something. When I ask him to repeat, he says, “Dad, would you hook me up with some corn flakes?” So I do.
The Knowledge Airplane Airplane of Knowledge
After work I picked up Truman at his friend Ethan’s house. When I got there, Tru and Ethan and their friends Emma and Mykel were having a little jam session. Tru was on drums, Ethan on the trumpet, Emma on some kind of whistle and Mykel on guitar. It was caucaphonolicious. When they were done, I asked what song they were playing. Emma identified the song as “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” Truman and Ethan immediately objected. I asked them what the song was and Truman piped up, “The Knowledge Airplane Airplane of Knowledge.”
I have no idea what that means.
Pals and pee
Had some pals over for dinner Saturday night. Predictably, the conversation devolved, as it is wont to do, into “guy talk.” Love it.
Do You Know
Do you know,
I would quietly slip
from the loud circle,
When first I know
the pale stars are blooming.
Ways will I elect
that seldom any tread,
In the pale ev’ning meadows.
And no dream but this:
You come too.
Rainer Maria Rilke, ‘Do You Know’
I post this every few years. Amy and I had this printed on our wedding something-or-other. The last line always gets me, and it always makes me think of Amy. The poem elicits this feeling of solitude and quiet. And one forever friend.
m-y-n-t
Today Truman got a little frustrated that I wouldn’t read to him on command. So he said he wanted to learn to read. We sat down for a few minutes and worked through some stuff. He’s not bad at reading the letters and sounding things out. “Elastigirl” might be his favorite word.
Well, anyway, this evening we went out and got some ice cream at the store. Mint Chocolate Chip to be precise. Tru wanted to know what we bought and I told him. Then I asked him to spell “mint.” He was just sitting in the backseat, not looking at anything and he sounded it out and came up with m-y-n-t.
He amazes me daily.
(ps: new pics up today)
A two-wheeler!
Been meaning to write this for days, so it’s a little overdue. Last Thursday Truman decided that it was time to take the training wheels off his bike. I performed the requested maintenance and Truman hopped on and rode away. He’s a two wheel bike boy now!
I’ve got some video of the event and more of the next day when we went to the church parking lot down the street (where he learned to ride the two wheel scooter). I’ll get that stuff up here soon.
Now that Tru’s a two wheel guy, he hangs out with the bigger kids who ride the parking lot. One dude asked me how old Tru was. When I told him ‘four’, his eyes got big.
“Four?”, he said, “I didn’t learn how to ride a two wheeler until I was eight!”
“How old are you now?”, I asked.
“Nine.”
That seems to be the general response. I’m not too surprised, considering his good balance, but I have to admit, he does look like he belongs in a circus sideshow…
Yeah, Matt, next up is a skateboard… 🙂
No Chouinard for me
This evening I went out to Lewis and Clark College to listen to Yvon Chouinard give a talk. Presumably about his new book. The place was packed. I was supposed to meet my buddy Pete, but I got a call from Amy saying that Asher had a 103.5° fever and she was a little freaked. Hard to concentrate on a lecture when you think your house is burning down. So I went home. Everything is fine and I’ve got no regrets about missing the lecture. I’ll probably still read the book though.
The littlest philosopher
A few days ago, driving in the car, Truman suddenly asks the following question: “Hey dad! If God is standing on the ground, can a bee fly over His head?”
Gulp. Our little philosopher. For the record, my answer, which seemed to satisfy him, was “Only if God wants it to.”
An easy one
I remember when the 3.2 mile loop wasn’t quite so easy. Today it seemed to cruise right by. My time hasn’t really gotten any better, but somehow the run itself seemed easier. Sans Frodo, of course.
Long again
Ran the long route again today. Went pretty well, got real sweaty. I guess that’s good. I’m thinking of stepping up .3 mile to this route next time.