Friday, July 17, 2026

Sights, Sounds, Smells

Flickers of memories in my eyes

The smells, the sounds, the feels

Oh, if only I could bring them back for a minute, an hour, a day

My grandpa shouting "Get Outta My Chair!"

Sending us screaming

Being a father of young children and having the gym getaway

The pool and the hot tub restoring sanity

Being a father of young children and rocking them to sleep

Making my brain a garden

Feeling that little body relax

That's a poem in itself

The voices I'll never hear again but can't forget

The smell of lunch in the basement at Golda Meir

The ceiling shaking at the library there when basketballs bounced above







Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Life

 It's been over a month since I've written, basically since school got out. What an eventful month! Naomi's currently at Girl Scout camp and Levi's just in summer school and kids camp. Summer School drops out after this week, so the routine will change yet again. No school bus to catch in the morning, so it becomes slightly less frantic.

I've noticed lately that I have a hard time relaxing. I think I'm too online during work and searching out bad news. Yes, doomscrolling. I'm trying to cut down on that and just let myself breathe. There are no threats. There's no reason to really be nervous about anything.

Part of it, I think, is that I get very few chances now to spread out and be alone. Sarah's home ALL THE TIME. It's been ten months now. I'm not angry about it, it is what it is. But I would just like to come home and just relax by myself. Last night I was with Naomi for over three hours, which was fine, but she was defiant about changing her clothes, so I got upset at everyone, pretty much.

Levi and Naomi both enjoyed their time at the lake immensely. Both tubed and found buddies to hang out with. Cruz and Quincy and Levi were inseparable, and Naomi and Sienna were friendly. Violet also wanted to hang out with Naomi as usual.

Maybe I'll plan another solo baseball trip in September, or a trip to Chicago. I just really need the separation. It's great that the basement is looking more normal, but I just need to be alone and not "working-alone".

OOTP: 

The AAB rolls along. This week the 1980s will be done. Wisconsin just won its first title and looks to be perennial contenders. 

I'm also managing the 1956 Cubs, or the 1956 Cubs as OOTP history has them. It's an interesting team. They finished 81-73 for the past two seasons. Can we improve on that?