As the holiday weekend draws to a close, I hope you got the chance to enjoy it. We certainly enjoyed it, though it was toned down from previous years.
We didn’t have the entire family with us this year. Some of the family was sick and some were invited elsewhere or had something else going on. We tossed a few burgers and dogs on the grill and enjoyed a bonfire.
It’s been awhile since we have been able to enjoy a bonfire, so this was really nice.
The fireflies were plentiful and beautiful that night. Ella and Andrew loved catching them.
They had a little Tupperware container they were trying to put them in, but I think the lid wasn’t on right. Every time they came back to drop one in, the others were gone.
Sam bought us all matching shirts to wear. July is National Hot Dog Month, and she’s been thinking a lot about her sister Grace who passed away. The shirts have Mickey Mouse on them and say Hot Diggity Dog on them. Grace loved Mickey Mouse.
We were missing some of the cousins, but quite a few were with us and they had a blast.
We get to watch the fireworks right from our backyard every year. This year they were not too bad. They had some new ones, but I felt other years were better. For what it is worth, the town raises ,money every year to do them. Maybe they were short on donations this year. You still can’t beat a decent show…
Oh, and incidentally, I was able to get my yearly flag photos. Six Fourths of July for Ella and four for Andrew.
I’m just now sitting to write about the holiday weekend, because it was busy, but relaxing.
When we ordered our new dryer, we all assumed that the 220 plug was hot and ready to work. It wasn’t. You may remember last week I mentioned that the people who put our air conditioning unit in, used the 220 wire that at the time was not being used to give it power.
So I went to the store and bought 50 feet of wire and a breaker so we could get it up and working. On Saturday my brother-in-law and father-in-law came to help me get it set up. When my brother-in-law opened the breaker box, he noticed that despite it being big enough to hold 16 breakers, whoever wired the house only used a 12 breaker bus bar.
At my house, every breaker slot is in use, so there was no where to add a breaker. This meant we 1) had to find a 16 breaker bus bar, 2) add some sort of sub box off the one we have, or 3) send back the electric dryer and swap it for a gas dryer (which only needs a 110v plug instead of a 220v).
I made some calls to the people we bought it from and found out that there was no restocking charge and they’d have someone come out and pick up the old one. Once it was returned, they could refund the money back on the card we used and then we could buy the gas dryer. Either way, it was going to cost a couple hundred bucks to get us a dryer that worked.
Naturally, we noticed that when they removed the gas line from the old dryer, it had cracked near the connector. Thankfully, that was an easy fix and we’ll anxiously await the new dryer. In the meantime, I will continue to do what I did Saturday….
…sit in the laundromat to dry our clothes!
Sunday was pretty low key and we were outside in the yard. I grilled up some chicken and we threw it on salads. Sam worked Sunday night, so it was just me and the kids watching Disney channel at night.
On Memorial Day, I woke up and opened my Facebook and started to get angry. This happens every year, but it is a pet peeve of mine. Perhaps it is because my dad served in the army and I have many friends who also served in the Armed Forces, but nothing grinds my gears more than when someone says, “Happy Memorial Day!”
Those people obviously don’t understand what the holiday is about.
Anyway, the kids played outside and I worked a bit outside. My lawn hadn’t been mowed in a while because of the rain we’d been having. I had to raise the deck on my mower and will no doubt have to go back out again to cut it. It was cut, but it already looks like it hasn’t been mowed in 2 weeks.
We got a call from one of my daughter’s preschool friend’s mom. They were heading up to a park near us and wanted to know if we wanted to go. My daughter was excited to see her friend, so we went.
We’d never been to this park before. It had a playground for the kids, but it also had these boat/kayak launches. The park is right on a lake. They have a wooden deck area where people can fish from, too.
My daughter’s friend’s brother brought a fishing pole with him and he was having trouble casting it. It was an open face reel, and he was only like 6 or 7. So I was out on the wooden deck teaching him how to cast it. He didn’t have any live bait, so he was using lures. We didn’t catch anything, but he loved it. I asked my kids if they would like to fish with me and they both gave a resounding NO. LOL
My wife, my daughter’s friend’s mom, and all the kids were up under a pavilion. They had brought goldfish crackers and juice for all the kids. The food must have caught the eye of a winged friend. There was this chicken that kept jumping up on the table! I was by the lake and my wife sent the kids to come get me when the chicken started trying to eat my daughter’s dress!
When I got there, the chicken was still there. My wife said to “get rid of it.” I asked her how I was supposed to do that. She said, “I think you just pick it up and take it somewhere.” Now, I’ve never held a chicken before. I had no idea if this thing was going to peck at me. I had no idea if it was going to squawk when I picked it up. I also had no idea where I was supposed to take it!
This thing was a pretty big chicken. I walked up behind the thing and was able to grab it with both hands. I picked it up and it started trying to move its feet, I walked quickly to a wooded area that was on the other side of the park. I set the thing down and walked away. I turned around and that dumb thing was following me!
It stopped a couple times to peck at grass or whatever, but eventually the thing came back. I picked it up again and carried it a lot further than I had the first time. It started to follow again, but got distracted. As we were packing up to leave there was some girl who was holding the dumb thing like a cat or something!
As we walked to our cars, lo and behold, that chicken was right by our car! I had to shoo the thing away just to get in the car. What a crazy bird!
When we got home we grilled up some hot dogs and my wife started a fire in the firepit. It was our first one of the year. The kids sat out and relaxed with us – anxious to make smores!
When we made up the smores, they each took a bite and asked if they could just eat the chocolate (Which they did!). My wife and I even got the chance to make one.
It was a perfect night. It wasn’t too hot and cool enough where the fire kept us warm. It was so nice to just sit by the fire. The kids didn’t sit long, but I expected that. My wife and I enjoyed just relaxing there. We were all exhausted by the end of the night. We let the kids stay up much later than usual and we went inside earlier than we wanted, but we also were all asleep very quickly.
This is toward the end of the night. I hope we get to have more bonfires this summer.
I hope that you enjoyed your holiday weekend, too.
Here in Michigan, Summer is never long enough. This year, I am guessing it will feel even shorter. I say that because we had a whole lot of rain that lasted well into May and June. Many friends have said that they were late opening their pools or planting gardens because of the rain. Finally, though, summer is here and it is time to enjoy!
I have many things that I love about summertime: beach days, golfing, walks through the neighborhood, swimming in a pool, picnics, mowing the grass, and just generally being outside enjoying nature. One of my favorite things about summer, is sitting around a bonfire with family and friends.
Usually, by this point in the year, we would have about 10 fires under our belt by now. However, because of the rain and such, we’ve only had two. We had our first on the 4th of July when we were all out in the backyard watching the fireworks. We had our second one last night. It was Sam and I, my aunt, my sons, and some of the neighborhood kids. It was the perfect night.
It was cool last night, but not chilly. It wasn’t so chilly that we needed sweatshirts or anything like that. We had the tiki torches full of insect repellent fuel and burned some some citronella candles to keep the mosquitoes at bay (the one downside of being outside). We live in a society where we are always on the go, and relaxing around a bonfire helps us to forget that and actually enjoy life.
Before we were married, when I moved in with Sam, the firepit was the first home project I tackled. It was actually a very easy and inexpensive. I think we bought all the supplies (rock, bricks, the ring, etc…) for about $200. That price will go up depending on what kind of pit you want and how big you want it. You certainly can spend about $500-$600 on a big one, or one that runs on propane. No matter what the cost, it is worth every penny!
My first experience with bonfires was back when my parents had a pop up camper and we’d go camping. They usually got a camp site that had a stainless steel fire pit. When you are camping, you’re out in the great outdoors! The stars are a bit brighter, the crickets are a bit louder, and the sounds of the crackling fire cut through the silence of a dark summer night. My folks would spray my brother and I down with Deep Woods Off or some other brand of insect spray and we’d just sit around the fire telling stories.
Even though our fire pit is smack dab in the middle of our back yard, and the sounds of the city can still be heard, it is just as relaxing as if you were in the woods camping. There is something “comfortable” about sitting around a campfire. Gazing up at the stars (or moon, which was awesome last night), storytelling, or just simply sitting and enjoying the peace of it all. Time is no longer a factor – it’s amazing!
The kids love the bonfires because they mean s’mores! I used to feel the same way as a kid! I always found it a challenge to get that marshmallow roasted perfectly. This rarely happened, and I got used to eating burnt ones! Gooey marshmallows on a graham cracker with chocolate – how can you go wrong!? Recently, I tried them with Reese’s Peanut Butter cups – that’s a game changer!! Wow!! Yum!
Bonfires are special. I really don’t know how to explain it. It’s quality time with those you care about. It’s quality conversation. It’s actually laughing out loud with friends instead of texting “LOL.” It’s meaningful. It’s making memories. It’s a great summer night activity that continues into early fall and gets better with hoodie sweatshirts!
Light the tiki torches … I’m already looking forward to the next bonfire ….
Vacation is never long enough! I was off for 5 days last week and while I had some great moments to relax, I still don’t feel like it was enough. We live in a society where people are overworked and underpaid. I don’t think anyone would mind if the United States adopted the mindset of France, Brazil, or Finland who average 30 days of paid vacation!
There were highs and lows during my week. One of the lows was not being able to get my boys for a couple days. I was supposed to pick them up on Sunday, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I wasn’t able to get them until Wednesday. I was very happy to get them prior to the Fourth of July.
Without the boys, that gave me some time to get a few things done around the house. I was able to mow the grass, straighten up the house, and work a little bit in the garage. I have had some things out there that I have wanted to go through. I have some boxes out there with books in them. I probably need to get a book case to put them in, but we really don’t have the room. Maybe I can put it in the basement??
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On Monday, my buddy Shawn messaged and said he had 18 holes of golf (with a cart) and wanted to know if I could join him. Naturally, I jumped at the chance. It’s about an hour drive to Mt. Pleasant and on the drive there, I finished listening to a book on CD I started a while back (The Innocent Man by John Grisham). There was some concern as to whether or not it was going to rain, but the weather cooperated and I had a good round. I actually made par on about 6 holes.
We golfed with a couple radio guys Shawn works with. There were a lot of laughs and it was a good time. While in the pro shop, one of the guys pointed out these golf balls with a matted finish. They are brighter than your normal yellow or orange golf balls. He kept saying, “You just can’t lose these balls!” I was curious and got one. I actually hit it very well. I hit it off the tee on one of the holes on the back nine and we all saw it go slightly right through a big tree. We never saw it come down. We drove up to where the ball should have been and checked the vicinity. We had all four of us looking for this extremely bright red ball. “You just can’t lose these balls,” he said again! Well, I proved him wrong. It was lost. We really wondered if it got stuck in the tree! It was crazy!
Thanks, again, Shawn! Always a great time on the links with you!
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Thursday was the Fourth. We normally have a big bash at the house, but with all we had going on, we just didn’t get around to inviting a lot of people. We ended up with my in-laws and a couple of friends from college (Hope and Matt) and their spouses. I threw some hot dogs and brats on the grill, cut up a HUGE watermelon, we had mac and cheese, and loads to snack on.
There is a family fun day with many events. They also have a concert at the amphitheater, which we can hear from our backyard. Also from our backyard, we have great seats to watch the town’s fireworks. It is all funded through the fireman’s homecoming carnival. They also take donations in town. This year the show was about 25 minutes. After the show was over, the guests started to leave. We got the boys to bed, and we sat with our friends Hope and Kevin at the bonfire and BS’d for a while.
Great company and great conversation!
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Friday, there was a bit of drama (which is not even worthy of writing about). My wife had one big paper that needed to be written for school and she was working on that. I took the boys to play mini-golf. There was a place just south of the house that I had never been to. They have golf and ice cream. The course has a train/mine theme to it. It was actually very cool.
I got the first (and my only) hole in one. Each of us got one, which always makes mini-golf fun! The wind picked up as we reached the end and we were lucky to finish before a HUGE downpour! Must not have been my day, Dimitri shot 40, Dante’ shot 42, and I shot 44. It didn’t really matter who won, though – it was about having time with the boys.
Whenever we play mini-golf, and I help them with their swing, I still flashback to those days at the Caseville Putt-Putt course. I remember my dad, or my grandpa, reaching over me and helping me with my grip and my swing. It’s one of those “generations” things – my dad and grandpa helped me, now I am helping them.
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Saturday I worked on the air at the radio station. I was on from 9a-2p. When I got off work, it was 86 degrees out. I wanted to take the boys swimming somewhere. There are a couple places that have pools where I could have gone. One of the places had an indoor pool, which kind of defeats the purpose on a hot summer day. The other place has outdoor pools, but because of the holiday weekend, they were not doing day passes (they were doing their fireworks that night).
Sam suggested this little place in Davison called Lake Callis. It’s a little recreation complex with a splash pad, pavilions, and a beach. I had never been there, so we went. It was actually a very nice place. There were many birthday parties going on that day, and it was fairly busy. We found a picnic table on the beach and went in to the water. It was not freezing (which is always nice), and the boys swam for a while.
For no reason in particular, I tend not to swim much in a lake. Maybe it’s the “lake smell” or the fact that there are fish in there, I really don’t know. This lake was man made, and as far as I could tell, there were no fish. The water was warm and swimming with the sun beating down on us was awesome! It was a bit breezy that day and when you got out of the water, it got chilly!!
It was fun to watch my boys making new friends with other kids out in the lake. I loved watching them run around at the splash pad. It was also fun to just sit at the picnic table eating Cheez-It’s and potato chips and talking about whatever they brought up. It was great father-sons time! We will definitely be going back there – we had a blast!
Tonight is my first night back to work – and I am already ready for another vacation!!!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 