The Salad Days

Well, we are probably about 85-90 percent moved in! Yesterday went very smoothly-we escaped any rain.

The kiddos are a bit stir crazy, because it rained a lot today, and there were tornado warnings south of us.

The house is coming along. Also, we sent out our first mortgage payment today, lest we forget who the daddy in fact is.

I have some photos of the rooms:







We have one more day together before I go back to work. We are feeling tired, but are glad because we have gotten enough done these couple of days that we can take a rest tomrrow.

In other news-the Dodgers are plummeting yet again (well, for three days at least), and the Twins keep on winning.

I was thinking about playing some golf at the nearby Hiawatha Golf Course tomorrow, but it may be a little wet...stay tuned.

I am still impressed at how well this place keeps out the airplane noise. It does not keep out thunder however.

It's been quite a journey reaching our new home. It will be interesting to see what will lie in store for us here in our new home in the City of Lakes.

Steph is at the new house getting things ready, so I had the unique oppurtunity of getting the kids up myself today. Right now, they are playing in the bath, and I am getting in this quick blog.

We move to our home tomorrow. We look forward to all that entails, especially since we have already received our first mortgage bills. I am putting together furniture, putting small knicks and wear and tear in our new items, and getting used to the sound and sight of jet airliners taking off in our back yard (there is a reason we can afford this place). The sound proofing in our home is remarkable though-you would never know there is an airport so close.

I just got a call from the pastor's wife at the church we have been attending. They want to bring us a meal this week. It is very nice to have people who care.

Work is going well, and the summer has been beautiful. We're supposed to have rain tomorrow on our move day...we'll see how that goes.

I read an article today in the LA Times about a young criminal defense attorney who defends drug offenders. As I read the story (and visited her blog link on the LA Times web site), I was fascinated yet again to think about this ellusive thing called the constitution that we have in this country, and how criminal defense attorneys are necessitated by it, but how we are often so troubled by the work they do. It is a quagmire, much like the constitution. Though I am conservative by nature, the stimulation I find at work (with some of my not so conservative coworkers) and in the LA Times is refreshing and challenging at the same time.

Can the Dodgers ever beat the Padres when it matters? More on that later.

My wife just got home...of I go.

The thing that makes it worse is that we also have to furnish. It's bad enough that we have to pack. We also have a home to fill.

I just want my couch, my kitchen, my bible and my woman.

That's it.

oh...and the kids.

Today, we were driving from our new home (our place of residence in just one week) over to St. Paul, in our continuing quest for cheap antique furniture. In order to do so, we had to cross the most famous body of water in our country. As we found ourselves upon the 46th Street Bridge, I heard my daughter exclaim, "Look, it's the Mississippi River!" Steph and I looked at each other and laughed, realizing how much of a little sponge we are carrying in the back seat.

Later on during said excursion, I had on Johnny Cash: Live at San Quentin. As the strains of "I Still Miss Someone" came over the speakers, I heard another strain right behind me. The little voice of my daughter, singing along. Not word for word necessarily, but certainly chattering syllables which went along with the deep voiced legendary singer.

She also loves it when I put on classical music. A fact which makes me wonder, does she love it because I love it, or is it simply what she is used to? I may never know for sure.

My blog entries of late have been focused on other things, and I just knew my daughter's little voice would make a good entry for today. She is something else.

I just read my wife's blog-she's concerned about the coming winter months. This concern is well founded. Were we to ignore the impending winter and send our children into the sub zero temperatures with their current attire, they would be not long for this world. BUt here's the beauty of it-if you go to "clothing stores" you can buy these wacky inventions called "coats" and "long underwear". These ingenius devices cover your body in the event of cold weather.

I think we spent too much time away from the midwest, for everyone seems to be in a panic about the approaching wintertide. Here's the beauty of it. If the weather gets cold, you can put on more clothes. It is not complicated. Plus, if there is snow, our children will be in such a sense of awe, we will have to force them inside to avoid frostbite. They will not care, much as I didn't care as a kid when i played in the snow.

California winters make people soft. They are beautiful, but they steal a sense of perspective from people. Will it be freaking freezing this winter in Minnesota? Yes. Will I have a coat? You betcha-it's how one keeps warm.

I have reached a point in my life that I proudly can proclaim myself a fair weather Dodger fan. For years I looked with disdain upon my type, as I suffered through endless years of Dodger ineptitude. Then, in 2004, the Dodgers won their division. Sweet times indeed for a lifelong Dodger fan who had endured 16 years without even a playoff win of which to speak. Then, the team was dismantled by a prima donna general manager. He had already begun the job, trading away several beloved players during the pennant race in '04. But he finished the job in the off season, and I realized something. Why did I care so much when no one associated with the team seemed to? From that point until now, I have determined to be a fair weather fan, only paying attention when something is interesting. This goes for the Twins as well.

As it happens, both teams are doing well, so I am interested. But my focus here is the Dodgers, and one man who can teach us all something. Olmedo Saenz is now the position player who has been with the Dodgers the longest (only since 2004, but that is the longest). There are not too many athletes I admire more, and here's why. Saenz has never been an everyday player, and yet he continually contributes meaningfully to his team. There is an admirable quality to a man who knows his role and performs it excellently. The Dodgers had to trade one man (Odalis Perez) who once showed so much promise, only to become bitter when he was banished to the bullpen after his starting performances began to stink to high heaven. Saenz has never been an everyday player, but it is hard to imagine the Dodgers' success without him. Wherever the Dodgers end their season, I hope there is some appreciation as to how much this man has contributed. Greg Maddux and Nomar may get the headlines, but Saenz is my man.

-No blogging for awhile, but here's what's going on

-3 of 4 grandparents have visited in the last two weeks. We had a good time, and missed my dad!

-The new house is shaping up nicely, and I know Chase Manhattan is enjoying the extra cash flow.

-The Twins and Dodgers are on the march. It's good to see them both doing well.

-TJ's continues to be a good place to work, but not without its challenges.

-Our choice of a place to worship is a small Presbyterian church in St. Paul. It is filled with genuinely nice, non affusive people.

-The boxes are beginning to fill up as we push for one last move. It is rewarding to think that we may not have to do this again for a while.

-We survived the worst heat in Minnesota in 11 years (it got up to 101), and now we have resumed our glorious summer weather.

-We are grateful for the good life we have.