Don't Know Why

Today was a good day. That's fortunate because it started at about 12:30 am when some serious weather rolled thru and broke my REM. Sprout-our 4 year old, woke up screaming, but we were able to get him down. The next wave of thunderstorms was more severe, so at 2:30am both he and Bird, our 3 yr old daughter, came in for reassurance. We pitched camp on the floor with sleeping bags and Sprout went back down. Bird and I were not so lucky-both tossing and turning for an hour. By then the storms were mellowing, so I figured I might as well be productive. This past week I vowed to get the final 10 pounds of weight off, so I ordered up some really nice shoes and vowed to go running before work. The shoes arrived Monday so I have been getting a mile or two in before work. This being only the third day, my legs were aching (I can't start slow) but I knew if I skipped one day it would just get easier to skip another so I went out. In the rain. Running a few miles in the rain at a quarter to 4am and witnessing one of the more brilliant lightning displays I can remember was an awesome way to start the day.

The thing about running before work is that it puts me in a fantastic mood-I don't know if its endorphins, satisfaction in doing something I promised myself I would, or just getting an extra half hour to myself to think, but I like it. Alot. Work was typical, which is not a bad thing-I work 4 days a week, each week under 5o hours and make enough to amply support a family of 4 in suburbia. Plus I can wear Patagonia and Merrel's to work which is very hard to put a price on for me. Does managing a warehouse give my life meaning? No, but it allows me to lead an otherwise meaningful life, free from much take home stress, which is fine and I am hopefully making life more livable for my 25 teammembers.

I came home and did my Garden Walk. The gardens were all flush from the lightning and rain, the rain barrels were overflowing, their adjacent rain gardens swollen. The Amaranth had seemingly put on an inch of growth overnight, and another 1/4 bushel of tomatoes were ripe. Is it just wishful thinking, or are the Sunchokes getting ready to bloom? I came inside to be rushed by gushing children and 200lbs of canines with the unconditional love of their kind, and to find Mia organizing the kid's beautiful clothes for fall (the chitlins are growing like weeds!) With the kids missing nap due to more storms I gave Mia a break while the kids and I picked the gardens clean and made dinner-which was exceedingly pleasant. We have toed the Hard Line with Sprout on his veggies-pretty hard to be a vegetarian toddler if you won't eat any fruit or veggies... After a stressful week of allowing him to choose from 2-3 fruits or veggies at every meal, with the understanding that he has to eat at leat one type at each meal, he is finally trusting that we Mean Business and the testing is bout over. He even ate some Currant Tomatoes straight from the vine tonight. Yes!

Watching the kids sit in the lawn and debate which tomato in the basket was the Druzuba and which was the Amish Paste while I picked peppers was to fulfill a dream I am not sure I even knew I had. After dessert, Sprout and Bird came running up from their chores begging to hear 'Don't Know Why' from Norah Jones. After I put it on they both danced and cavorted around the living room asking to hear it over and over again. Raising two toddlers to love vegetables (Bird will take brocolli over chocolate chp cookies every time), bugs, science, and both Norah Jones and Clutch brings new meaning to being a Father.

I don't think that any prospective Father has any idea what they are in for, but deep down I always dreamed it would be something like this. Here's a toast to Mia, who makes it all possible. Thanks Hon, you're awesome.

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