Crib… 2019

Wow.  
I have not done a “crib” shot (at least hear on The Life of a Father of Five) since 2008.

Last time I did a “crib” shot – it was a photo of my house just before winter.  After all the “fall clean up” is done and I am just waiting for the long Minnesota hibernation to begin.

Today, while cleaning up for the winter, I reminisced about the good old days when I used to blog, and how I did the “crib” post.   Well, I decided to do it again.  11 years later.  But, hereto fro I will not be referring to our home as a "crib" anymore.  Seems like that pop culture reference did not pass the test of time as well as some may have hoped.     

Not much has changed really (from the outside) – but man, the inside is so much different than it was in 2008.  #1 of 5 and #3 of 5 are not living at home. #2 of 5 is in his final year of college.  #4 of 5 is away at college.  #5 of 5 is really the last kiddo still lingering around here on a regular basis – and she is a sophomore in high school already!   

Well, here is the OUTSIDE of the FOF compound – 2019.

Enjoy.

Days I wished would pass, but now I long for.

Lately, I have been inspired by friend and fellow Blogger “Backside of Forty” who has been “purging” clutter around his house.  We have been in our home for eighteen years now.  Eighteen years, and five kids.  We too suffer from a lot of “clutter” taking up space.

Case in point.  A “repairable” front load washer.  A number of years ago we bought a front load washer and dryer set.  Since then, we have discovered how much we DISLIKE a front load washers…   So when the time came to replace the “dampers” (like little shock absorbers) YET AGAIN, we replaced the set, and moved the front loader set aside to “repair and sell” at a later date.  They have been taking up space in our laundry room ever since.  Add to that a large upright freezer that we no longer use, and you have a laundry room stuffed with unused appliances.

Yesterday (with the MUCH NEEDED aid of #3 of 5 and #4 of 5) I removed the aforementioned appliances from the laundry room, and set them up in the garage for cleaning and (God willing) a future re-homing.      

When I removed the freezer – a large number of odd items appeared.  (A few lone socks, several pens, miscellaneous screws / nails / and assorted hardware items, and…  A small green object that has not been seen “loose” in our house in a very long time was also in the mix.) 

Yup.  That’s a DUPLO.

With five kids in this house – DUPLOS (then later – LEGOS) were a mainstay toy in our home.  They were almost always “present” in one form or another.  Either built sets, homebrew / handcrafted creations, piles of them left out to play with, or (as every single parent can attest to) the ever-present “errant” (or loose / lost) LEGO that will inevitably be stepped on in the dark! 

DUPLOS were intended for children ages 1 1/2 to 5 years old – where they (kids) typically transition off into the world of LEGOS.  Given that estimate – and the fact that #5 of 5 is now 13 years old – it’s fair for me to say that I don’t think I have seen an errant DUPLO around here for the better part of seven or eight years now.  Other than a set of Christmas LEGOS that we have – I don't think I have seen regular LEGOS out for two or three years now.

The thing about LEGOS though… They are sort of “ageless”.  I remember having TONS of fun putting LEGO sets together with my kiddos.  Heck even Dr. Laura Schlessinger (70 year old talk radio host) admits to building LEGO sets for fun!  I think I could sit down and start digging through the bin and start building with LEGOS again.

So, when I dug out the storage bin we have for our DUPLOS (to put the errant long lost green DUPLO back with it’s own kind), I had to remove the large storage bin of regular LEGOS to gain access. 

That’s when it happened.

#5 of 5 heard that unmistakable sound of LEGOS
and came a-runnin’. 

“Is that the LEGO bin?” she asked. 
“Yes.  Yes it is.” the Mother of Five replied. 
“Can I play with them?” #5 of 5 inquired. 

A few minutes later, I was whisked backed to days of old. 

Days that I couldn’t wait to move past (back then), but days I long for again (now).

A Snapchat Storyboard

For years, I have suffered through one of my own “pet-peeves”…  Dull kitchen knives. 

Having spent years and years associated with the Boy Scouts – one lesson I learned, and resonates with me still is that “a dull knife is your worst enemy”.

Despite my “pet-Peeve” the fact remained that for years and years, we have had a house FULL of little kids.  (Ahem… FIVE=”full”.  Doubt me?  I’ll drop a few off at YOUR place and ask you again in a week).

A house full of little kids and a kitchen full of sharp knives is a recipe for disaster.  I wasn’t even willing to try.

But, the kids are all older now.  Old enough that I feel comfortable undertaking a personal mission.  The mission I have chosen to accept is to keep our kitchen knives sharp. 

 

 

 

 

Virtually every time I go to prepare a meal that uses a kitchen knife, I sharpen it before use.  For those of you who do not know, sharp knives tend to handle differently - especially when one is accustomed to not-so-sharp knives.

Yesterday was a perfect example.  I prepared my dinner before heading out to work.  I cleaned my mess and put everything away.  Shortly thereafter #4 of 5 and #5 of 5 decided they were going to make their dinner – which required them to open a bag.  #4 of 5 used the knife I just sharpened, not expecting it to glide so easily through the material she was cutting.

The Mother of Five and I were catching up before I left for work (it’s been an incredibly busy week) when I hear a scream from the kitchen, and #4 of 5 began  frantically running around before she ran for the bathroom.

 

 

 

 

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll let you put the rest of the story together.  You can use the same “SnapChat” photos that #5 of 5 was sending me as updates on my way to – and once I arrived at work to put it all together.

Officially (for the record) – #4 of 5 will live to see another day.  The injury looked much worse than it was in reality.

The "Barf Egg" revisited...

It's been SIX YEARS since I first introduced the world to just one of the (many) peculiarities of my wonderful life as a father of five...  The infamous "Barf Egg".  (If you need to educate yourself or refresh your memory on what the "Barf Egg" is all about, be sure to follow the link above.)

A lot of water has passed under the proverbial bridge of life since then.   Some of that "water" is my triumphant return to the night-shift (#BestKeptSecret).  Working overnights has resulted in a few changes in our day to day routine(s).  Since it's been nearly a decade since my last stint on the overnight shift, one obvious improvement is that the kids have done a lot of growing up.  Three of the five are adults.  The remaining two are at (or on the brink of) their teenage years.  The kids are MUCH more independent.

This year, the Mother of Five was working on the day before Easter.  I was in the middle of my work-week (working overnights) so I spent most of the day asleep.  When I finally awoke, I came out of the bedroom to make sure the house had not burned down around me, and to see what the kids have been up to while I was asleep.

#4 of 5 and #5 of 5 were both eager to show off their accomplishment!  They had dyed the Easter eggs!  Not only had they dyed the eggs on their own, but they had continued the tradition of the "Barf Egg" - and were more than eager to show it off!!

Here, you see #5 of 5 PROUDLY showing off this year's "Barf Egg"!
(A proud fatherhood moment indeed!)



The "Barf Egg" was not alone this year!
Barf Egg had some company in the carton of "traditional"  eggs...

#4 of 5 debuted her "Angry Egg" and her "Happy Egg"
(Remind me not to open that Angry Egg...  Not sure what to expect inside there!)

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!

A 2014 Goal – Accomplished

I started out this year wanting to reach a GeoCaching “threshold”.  I wanted to reach a “landmark” find. 

I had my eye set on 400.  Throughout the year I was slowly making my way towards that number, but then trailed off.  After leaving deer hunting camp this year, I planned a massive push to find a slew of GeoCaches in and around the area I hunt, and by the time it was all said and done, I was WELL within the reach of my goal!

But, after a few more finds, I stagnated out and have been stalled at 399 finds for a while now.  I kept putting off that last find, thinking there was always going to be time to find it.  Days turned into weeks, and the weeks kept piling up. 

The saving grace was that I did not have to work on New Years Eve – so in the back of my mind, I always had one last minute option, but it didn’t help that I had Backside of Forty pressuring mocking inspiring me to achieve my goal.

Well, I took it down to the wire.  I waited until 30 minutes before sundown to actually head out.  I loaded up my GPS.  I grabbed my current inventory of Travel Bugs and Geo Coins, I took #4 of 5 and #5 of 5 with me and we ventured out into the sub zero wind chill. 

The GeoCache I planned was less than a mile from my house.  I had found the matching cache a couple of months previously, so I was pretty confident.  We parked the car and headed out to the “beacon”.

There, in the cold wind, with the silo as our backdrop – and my trusty daughters #4 of 5 and #5 of 5 beside me for support – I found my four-hundredth GeoCache, and achieved my GeoCaching goal for 2014! 

FOF Observation #28

The "FOF Observations" are a series of "Perpetual Posts" where I will share with you, my readers, short little observations that I have made (or will be making) on being the father of a large family. You will be able to access each of the posts in a cohesive list by clicking on the "FOF Observations" link in the "Perpetual Posts" group on the sidebar.

---

'Twas the night after Halloween, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The loot bags were laid upon the dining room table with care,
In hopes that in the morning, the candy would still be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of jack-o-lanterns danced in their heads;
And mamma in her PJ's, and I getting ready for work,
It seemed like the perfect chance for me to quietly lurk,

It was roughly 2am. 

I was getting ready for work while the rest of the house was quietly sleeping.  As I sheepishly got myself ready, and headed through our dining room towards the kitchen (where the breakfast and lunch I prepared for the next day was awaiting their retrieval from the refrigerator), where it occurred to me that just before I went to bed the night before, I noticed a large bag (henceforth referred to as the “loot bag”) filled with every possible type of candy known to man.  This "loot bag" was the booty from a night of trick-or-treating by #4 of 5 (and her friend), #5 of 5, or a combination of their combined hauls.  It was at that moment that I decided that I needed deserved wanted a little early morning sugary boost.  I turned to snatch a little something out of the "loot bag" when I noticed it was…

GOA (Gone upon my arrival)
UTL (Unable to be located)
MIA (Missing in action)

I made a very brief attempt at locating said "loot bag", when suddenly a strange feeling overcame me.  I was overcome with a sort of weird feeling of…  Disloyalty?  Deception?  Dishonesty?  Thievery?  Guilt?  

So, when I could not find the "loot bag" (that my own children likely HID from me), I was sort of relieved…  But, that’s when the “question” came to mind…

I wonder how much of my childhood Halloween hauls were plundered by MY parents??!?! 

To be completely honest, I don’t recall noticing any significant deficiencies throughout the years, so if they did indeed ransack my "loot bags", they did a good job.

I hope to follow in their footsteps!
(Now, where oh where did they hide that "loot bag"??)            

30 Days of Thankfulness – The First Seven

In an attempt to breath a little life back into The Life of a Father of Five, I am stealing 30 Facebook statuses and putting them together here in smaller chunks. 

The statuses??  “30 Days of Thankfulness”

I first noticed this “trend” when one of my former Youth Group chaperones updated her Facebook status with one of her “days of thankfulness”.  I immediately fell in love with the idea.   During November (the month that Thanksgiving falls within) simply post one thing you are thankful for each day.  That’s when it hit me..  These items would make great content here.  After all, the primary reason for this blog is… 

I am keeping this blog as a collection of thoughts for my children (but others are welcome to enjoy too). Someday I hope they have they chance to read this and get just a small glimpse into the mind of their father.

These first seven are more “grandiose” (and “obvious”) concepts.  They have much more detail, and explanation included, and are much more lengthy than the others that follow.  I hope  these offer a little more glimpse into what it is like to be a “father of five”.
     

---

#1 - I am thankful for my AMAZING wife – The Mother of Five.

I could not have asked for a better partner in life. She has never been anything but loving, caring, and supportive – even when I have been less than perfect. She is beautiful – both inside and outside. Together we have built a astonishing family, and a wonderful place to call “home”. I can not even begin to imagine what my life would be without her by my side.

---

#2 - I am thankful for my wonderful children…

All of them. They each bring a different characteristic and element of joy (and challenge) to my life. From the first moment I met each of them up to (and including) this very minute - they have all surprised me with their unique sense of humor, intelligence, thoughtfulness, caring and compassion for others, athletic abilities, artistic talents, and ability to "push my buttons" (each in their own special sort of way).

These kids of mine have made every day of my life since their birth just a little bit better than the last - and I look forward to watching them grow into amazing adults!

#1 of 5, #2 of 5, #3 of 5, #4 of 5, and #5 of 5.

I would not be living a delightful live as The Life of a Father of Five without each and every one of them!

---

#3 - I am thankful for my faith in God.

Faith comes in as many shapes and forms as the name of God does (God, Yahweh, Allah, Jehovah, Elohim, Vishnu, just to name a few). Some people believe that (which I have been personally accused of) a faith in God is for the “weak minded” - but in my life I have been fortunate enough to personally feel (and benefit from) the tremendous presence of God – many times over. The knowledge that there is a power greater than “us”, responsible for the creation of all as we know it comforts me in ways I am not fully able to articulate.

Not only am I am grateful for my own faith, I am grateful for a faith strong enough to have a healthy curiosity and interest in beliefs beyond those of my own and the ability to recognize that not everyone must believe in the same way I believe. I have learned that by educating myself about other’s beliefs (include a lack thereof) – I further strengthen my own.
 

---

#4 - I am thankful for my parents.

I was raised by two very loving and very caring parents. They created (and provided) my sister and I a wonderful home and nurturing environment in which to thrive in. They made many sacrifices so that our lives were comfortable. It was through their sacrifice that I can say I was never in "need" of anything, and very few "wants" went unfulfilled. I have become the man (and father) I am today as a result of the example my father has shown me through his life, and I can see many of my mother's best traits within my wife. I have no doubt that the example she has shown me on what being an amazing mother is all about has helped guide me to finding someone just as wonderful to help me raise my family! I could not have asked for two more wonderful parents! It is just simply not possible to express my level of gratitude for ALL they have done for me throughout my life.

I am not only grateful for my parents, I am grateful for my in-laws. I know the running joke is for a man to not get along with his mother-in-law and to tolerate his father-in-law. In my case nothing could be further from the truth. My in laws have been accepting of me from the moment I met them. As with my parents, my in-laws raised my wife to be the wonderful person she is by their example. My wife is an amazing mother, and (I like to think) she selected a wonderful husband based on the traits she saw in her parents. Let's also not forget that they have entrusted me with one of their most precious gifts. Their daughter. I am a better man, a better husband, and a better father because of them. I will be forever grateful for having these two wonderful people in my life.

I will take it one step further.. My Grandparents. Those of you who know me best know just how much my grandparents meant to me. Not a day or two can go by without one of them popping up in my head for one reason or another. I have often felt their presence with me at various moments throughout my life, and I can still feel their influence in my life to this day. Many fond childhood memories are based on times spent with my grandparents, and I miss them all so much. I would give almost anything to spend just one more day with each of them.
 

---

#5 - I am thankful for my friends.

True friendship is a very powerful thing. Not many are aware of the internal struggles I deal with that interfere with fostering the bonds of friendship.

That being said, I wish to share how very grateful I am having made a number of significant and long lasting friendships I have throughout my life.

It was not until many years later that I fully realized and comprehend the friendships I was making through my elementary and junior high school years at Nativity of Mary, and during my high school years at The Academy of the Holy Angels. My college years were made truly unforgettable by the almost family-like-bond I developed with a small group of very close friends.

As life progressed and my family grew, the spare time I had to spend with my friends had all but dwindled. Despite the lack of time I have to invest in my friends, a select few significant friendships have endured the test of time (and / or the lack thereof). I am able to sit right down with these very special friends and pick up right where we left off as if nary a day had passed. I am not able to fully express just how much these friends mean to me. Their dedication to our friendship seemingly knows no bounds – and I will be forever indebted to them.

Time limitations and technological advances sent me in an unexpected direction. Little did I know some seven (plus) years ago what the wonderful world of blogging would open up to me. Through my blog I have made some amazing connections. Most of these folks I may never have the privilege of actually meeting. A few of these connections I have been fortunate enough to meet, a couple others I am looking forward to meeting one day. Meet, yet to meet, or never will meet matters not. Categorizing the folks I have connected to through blogging (and other various social media technology) as anything less than REAL and TRUE friends would be shameful on my part. These “virtual” friends (and I HATE using that term) have been there for me in ways that supported me others cannot. They have provided me an alternate method to circumvent some of my internal struggles, and have provided me confidence in areas that I did not even imagine they could.

Just know that by the mere fact that YOU are reading this status update, that YOU are considered a friend – and I will forever be grateful for the friend you have been, remain, or will be to me now and into the future!

---

#6 - Removed for privacy

---

#7 – I am thankful for my siblings

I have previously spoke of my mother and father, grandparents, and my in-laws – but I could not forgive myself if I did not take a moment to mention how thankful I am of my sister.  My sister and I are very different, and yet very similar in many ways. I actually enjoy both the similarities and difference between us!  My sister is just slightly younger than I am – and therefore she has always been my “little sister” to me.  Like some “big brothers” – I sometimes (even now as adults) feel a little protective of her.  I have in the past, and still would take “whatever means necessary” to protect my little sis.  As life progressed, my sister and I have dealt with a challenges in “geographic proximity”.  We have (for all of our adult lives) lived across country from each other – but I am very grateful that we have been able to remain as close as we have across the miles.

My sister married a wonderful man whom I TRULY enjoy spending time with.  He (and his family) have been a gift to our family.  They have also provided me with two twin nephews which I simply adore.  When I get to spend time with them, I am in another world.  I get to do things / be someone very different with them than with my own kids, and in a “slightly devious” way, I LOVE IT!  Every time I take a moment to look at what my little sister has grown into – I am nothing less than humbled and amazed!

I only have one BIOLOGICAL sister, but through my marriage – I quadrupled that number.  Just like with my Mother and Father in-law, my Sisters and Brothers-in law have also blessed my life in many ways.  I was accepted into the family from the first time I have met them – and have been rewarded by their trust, generosity, and friendship.  Like my sister, we deal with “geographic proximity” challenges with most of my brothers and sisters in laws.  Earlier this year, my wife and her siblings (and us spouses) had an opportunity to get together.  We sat around my in-laws deck “shootin the breeze” till the wee hours of the morning.  It’s one of the more  enjoyable evenings of the entire summer!

Like with my sister, I also have two nephews through my in-laws – and I love getting spend time with them!  Through the time I spend with them, I am also allowed to play the role of “crazy uncle”!

I am thankful for such wonderful “brothers and sisters” (bio or in-law)!  

Just TRY and Keep Up

In a couple of previous posts, I shared with you little slices of life as a ----------  ----------  ----------  ---------- .

Not today.  Oh, no.  Today, I am going to share with you a little slice of the “Life of Chaos in Paradise” (a.k.a. – being a “father of five”) is all about.

---

After getting off duty at 3pm, I hop in my car and start heading home.  A couple of miles down the road and I notice that the gas gauge is a little lower than I care to see it – so I decide to stop for gas.

The Mother of Five is working later tonight, and that usually means that dinner for the clan is my responsibility, so I make the decision to solve two problems in one stop.  I take the exit off the freeway for a quick side trip to Sam’s Club where I can pick up a rotisserie chicken (I was planning on making Chicken Caesar Salad) and at the same stop I can fill up my gas tank too!

Seconds after pulling onto the freeway exit loop my telephone rings.  It is #2 of 5.  He is trying to tell me the car (which he is now driving) is “dead”.  Having driven that car for the past several years, I am familiar with it’s “eccentricities” (the headlight warning buzzer not working being one of them) and quickly assess the problem with the car’s failure to start as likely just a dead battery.  I assure him that I will swing by to give him a jump start just as soon as I can, but let him know that since I am so close, I am planning on stopping for the chicken and gasoline beforehand.  (I am pulling into the Sam’s Club parking lot by this point.)

Once I finish my phone conversation with #2 of 5, I (try to) call the Mother of Five to alert her that the boys were unable to get home for when #5 of 5 gets off the school bus, and that she will be home alone for a few minutes.  There is no answer at her workplace, so I leave a message to have her call me when she can.

I run into the store, grab my chicken and (like a 1970’s Hertz commercial) I snag some grape jelly on my sprint through the store.  (We are out of grape jelly – which is a staple in my diet).  I check out, load the chicken and jelly into the car then make a quick run to the gas pumps where I fill the tank and (simultaneously) call home to check to see if #5 of 5 (who should be off the bus by now) made it home.

I am relieved to hear that she has indeed made it home safe and sound.  I explain #2 of 5’s dilemma to her, and assure her that I will be home within 20 minutes or less.  She appears no worse for the wear, so after a short conversation with her, I hang up.

Another five miles down the road and my phone rings.  It’s the Mother of Five.  I catch her up with everything that has been going on.  That’s when I find out that she came home on her lunch break, and started a crock-pot meal (which was quite tasty I may add) and that I did not need to pick up a rotisserie chicken. 

That Figures.   

She asked that instead of going straight to the school to jump start the car for #2 of 5 (remember, he is still sitting up there waiting for me) that I stop by the house and pick up #5 of 5 first.  Then I can deliver her to the Mother of Five’s workplace – which is directly across the street from the Dance Studio where she takes lessons.  (Whoops, forgot today was dance class.)  I agree, but ask her to call #5 of 5 and have her all ready to go when I arrive.

All goes well for the next 15 minutes of my trip home.   Just as I pull off the freeway when I arrive in town, I spot #3 of 5 and a friend walking home along the roadway.  I slowly pull up along side of them, roll down the window and inquire - “Hey little boys, want some candy?”  

Creepy?  Yes.
Inside joke from way back?  Yes.
Reason for concern, or to call the police?  No.

I look around to make sure the police (or any do-gooder) is not watching me, and tell the boys to hop in the car.  (Can you imagine the 911 calls that may generate??  I can!!)  I quickly run #3 of 5 and his friend  home.  He lets me know he is scheduled for work at 5pm.  NO PROBLEM (or so I tell myself).

Once the boys are dropped off, I located #5 of 5 who is indeed ready and waiting for me to take her to dance.  I unload the rotisserie chicken and grape jelly… (Remember the rotisserie chicken and grape jelly?) put it in the refrigerator, then load #5 of 5 up and head for The Mother of Five’s workplace.

Once #5 of 5 is safely delivered to the Mother of Five, I head up the hill to rescue #2 of 5 who is still waiting patiently for me in the High School parking lot.  Amazingly, he has only called to check my “status” once in the past 30 or so minutes.  I arrive at the school, locate the car (with #2 of 5 in it) and quickly get the car running again.   Since he does not work, he asked if he could head off to a friend’s house.  I tell him to “enjoy”, and bid him a fond adieu.

Time to head back home to start preparing cleaning the kitchen for dinner.  One more quick stop for batteries (#3 of 5 needed them for a new calculator – which has my blood boiling and will be fodder for another blogpost soon enough) on my way home and I should be back cruising on easy street.   As I enter the store, my phone rings.  It’s the Mother of Five (again).

It seems that #4 of 5’s volleyball game (45 minutes away) was canceled, and that the team was upon the bus on the way home.  I was asked to also make sure I was at the Middle School to pick up #4 of 5 by 4:45pm.

By now, my head is starting to spin.

I grab the batteries, and head home.  I head inside the house, install the batteries, and plan on cleaning up the kitchen before the Mother of Five comes home for dinner when all of a sudden I hear voices in my head from the basement.  Whoops!  I have completely forgotten #3 of 5 downstairs who still needs to go to work!

#3 of 5 came upstairs to tell me that his friend (who also works at the same McFastFoodJoint) was called by their manager and asked to come in today.  I explain that I need to have the BOTH of them dropped off at McFastFoodJoint by 4:45 (or earlier) so I can run up to the middle school and grab #4 of 5.  They agree.  The friend runs home to get his uniform, and I prepare to head out yet again. 

Once both boys are in uniform, I load them up and drop them off at McFastFoodJoint  then quickly head up to the Middle School where I find #4 of 5 waiting with a friend.  Apparently, there was a little confusion and the friend’s mother thought she was bring #4 of 5 home.  Had I been even a minute later, the friend’s mom would have not been there, and I would have sat in the parking lot trying to figure out where my kid was at.   

Once I pulled into the lot and was spotted by her friend’s mother - #4 of 5 jumped out of their car and into my car.  Then, and we headed home.

I arrived home at 5:15pm – roughly two hours and fifteen minutes from the time I left work.  In that period I bought dinner (that I did not need to) gassed the car, made/received four phone calls, found one of my kids wandering around town, brought that kid home, took another kid to dance class, rescued yet another one of my kids who was stranded, picked up batteries for some uber-calculator (don’t get me started), received another phone call, took the found wandering kid (and his friend) to work, picked up my daughter from the vollyball game that never happened and brought her home…

Oh yeah.. One other thing.  During these couple of hours - I LOST MY DAMN MIND!! 

Father of FIVE???  Sheesh…  What was I thinking??

Garden 2013

I began posting about my foray into gardening back in 2011.

The following year I posted about my “original intent” for the garden (but, after doing a little research for this post, I quickly discovered I never completed any follow up about final garden 2012 post).  Well, the “original intent” for Garden 2012 failed miserably.  Garden 2012 - 2.0 was pretty similar to Garden 2011.  I ran into our local greenhouse, picked up some tomato and green pepper plants and planted a few of the remaining seeds (beans and cucumbers) directly into the garden. In addition to the regular harvest of tomatoes and peppers, I got 1 cucumber, and a single serving of beans.  (I just do not do well with seeds).  Also of note was the removal of the raspberry bushes that took up half of our garden real estate.    

With some repairs needed on the framework of the garden box, the Mother of Five and I decided we were going to try and expand the garden this year.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature (and other various factors) had different plans.  The unyielding grip of this season’s Minnesota Winter, and my lack of spare time resulted in not only our failure to expand the garden, but an actually lack of any garden whatsoever. 

I can be a bit of a procrastinator.  I kept telling myself I’ll get around to planting a garden – but suddenly it was June 23^rd, and one of our two local greenhouses was packing up for the season.  This had me feeling a little melancholy.  I have been enjoying the whole gardening experience the past few years – even in the limited quantities / varieties I have been involved in – and I really didn’t want the garden to sit idle this year. 

On a whim, we stopped by the primary greenhouse in town, and found them OPEN FOR BUSINESS.  Not only open for business, but clearancing out several items!  Since it was so late in the season, some of these plants were already fruiting.  Like a kid in a candy shop, I quickly nabbed up three varieties of tomato plants (cherry, grape, and just like me – “Big Boy”), two varieties of peppers (sweet bell and those lovely gypsy peppers I tried in 2011), and on the whim of #5 of 5, we tossed in two cantaloupe plants. 

In these photos, you can see the condition of, and various stages of production of the Garden project 2013. 

  

In anticipation of some gardening earlier in the year, the Mother of Five had #3 of 5 turn over the garden.  This was several months ago now, and the weeds were beginning to take hold once again.

 

#4 of 5, #5 of 5 and myself pulled what weeds were growing, then proceeded to till the garden again.

 

---

 

 

 

I also had a couple of left over pepper plants that I could not fit in the garden – so I am trying my hand at the idea of potted pepper plants!   (Try saying that three times as fast as you can!)

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Since I am already in the thick of it – I am going to post a few of the flowers we have planted around the old compound.  Much (if not all) credit for these belong to the Mother of Five.  If it was not for her, our front patio would look pretty darn drab.

(Above) Come on now.  What good Catholic house does not have a small statue of Mary in their garden? 

(Above)  Four pots with various flowers (planted from seed) by #5 of 5.

---

 

(Above) Front door and front sidewalk.

---

 

(Above)  Various shots of the front patio – from the front yard.

---

   

Miscellaneous shots from our overgrown and neglected side garden.  I had good intentions there a few years back, but the clematis took over and tore down our lattice work – then we lost one shrub to some sort of insect – and the other (large red shrub) just got neglected and has overgrown.

Perhaps a future gardening project?

St. John the Baptist Saints Basketball 2012-2013

A few days ago #4 of 5’s basketball season came to an end, and with that, came the end of her basketball career with the St. John the Baptist’s Saints.  It was a bittersweet moment for me.  You see, #4 of 5 joined the Girls Basketball team as a forth grader during the 2010-2011 season.  It was also the very first year St. John’s offered a basketball program.  After a progressively popular and successful series of seasons with the Saints I suspect she will continue to play, but next year she will be playing as a Jordan Jaguar at the (public) middle school.

I will (of course) root for the Jaguars, but I will always remember my daughter as a St. John the Baptist Saint, and the Saints will forever hold a soft spot in my heart. 

(The “We Love our Saints” hankies were given out a few years back.  I still keep mine in my memory box.  Yes, I must admit it’s a little wrinkled, but those wrinkles do not affect the memories that the hankie brings me!)     

It has been a lot of fun watching these girls grow over the years - individually and together as a team.

With the official “competition portion” of the season behind us, there was only one thing left to do before we could close the books on the 2012-2013 season.   

It was time for the the annual Basketball Banquet and “kids vs parents” basketball games!   

Due to previous work-commitments I have never been able to partake in these events, but this year (ironically, #4 of 5’s last year) karma came to my rescue and the kids vs parent game and the Banquet fell upon my days off!  I was actually quite excited to be able to participate!      

The Mother of Five and #5 of 5 also came to watch (and cheer).  While the Mother of Five never really told me who she was rooting for (I suspect it was for “Team Kids”), #5 of 5 told me that she thought the parents were going to win, and was planning on cheering for “Team Parents”!

The Mother of Five was able to snap a few “less than flattering” photos during the game.  The talented and beautiful young woman in yellow is the one and only #4 of 5, while that overweight, flush-faced, and sweaty gelatinous blob dressed in black is yours truly, The Father of Five. 

(Forgive me for your impending nightmares of fat sweaty gelatinous blobs.)    

I know, I know, I know… You all want to know who won, right???  Well, I’ll be honest – we were keeping score for 3/4 of the game (“were” being the operative word).  The girls took an early lead, but throughout the time we were keeping score, the lead passed back and forth between the kids and the parents.  Neither side got much more than four or six points ahead of the other before the lead was lost. 

Here’s my take on it.  If these 4th, 5th, and 6th grade girls were able to keep up with their moms and dads as well as they did – I don’t really care what the score was.  The girls won! 

(Actually, in the end, I do believe the girls final score was slightly higher than the parents… )

After the game (thankfully) we all had time to head home and clean up.  Then, we all met back at the Ridges of Sand Creek Clubhouse for a Taco Buffet! 

   

After everyone had their fill of soft shell tacos, hard shell tacos, and taco salad, this year’s coaches gave a great little season finale speech, and recognized this years sixth graders for all the work they have put in over the years to help make the Basketball program at St. John’s so successful!

Then, each sixth grader was presented a medal!  (#4 of 5 is on the far right)    

 

  Below, you see #4 of 5 receiving the medal from her coach. 

---

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to recognize the foundation of our teams’ successes. 

Left - The Girls Basketball Coach Dave M.
Right – The Boys Basketball Coach DJ N.
(DJ also coached the girls team in the past) 

These dads invested a lot of their time and talents into building a successful Basketball program at St. John’s. 

They deserve many thanks and unending gratitude for all they have done for our children! 

 

---

Once the awards were handed out, each of the sixth graders were called back up to the front of the room, and asked to assist the coaches in handing out a piece of cake to all the parents and family members attending.  I could not pass up the opportunity to snap a couple of pics of #4 of 5 serving cake!

 

As I said earlier, this was a very bittersweet day for me.  I was so grateful that my schedule allowed me to partake this year, and I truly had a ton of fun – but it also means that this chapter of my daughter’s life is closing – and along with the end of her career as a St. John’s Saint, it also means she is one step closer to the end of her time at St. John the Baptist School. 

For the time being though, I would much rather dwell on all the great time, great friends, and great memories #4 of 5 has had during her time as a St. John’s Saint!

Sweetie, I cannot even begin to explain just how proud I am of you!  Keep up the good work!!