Wednesday Moment of Zen

Four Picture Friday: When Chimpy Met O.

After a rough morning last week, we thought we'd take our lunch in the park. On the menu: spaghetti with a fried egg on top and fizzy water.



It was a crazy windy day but there was another kid out with his mom. Intrigued by Chimpy's choice in lunch, he kept an eye on her so we invited him to play. And that's how we met O.

O. was a real little gentleman. He let Chimpy drive their pretend driftwood horse:



O. also shared his crackers, unwittingly discovering the second quickest way to Chimpy's heart (the quickest way is owning a dog):



For her part, Chimpy impressed him by spotting a ladybug by his feet:



After playing they stood around and told each other jokes (nonsense jibberjabber followed by hysterical laughter) for 1-2 minutes straight.



It was about this time O's mom and I started feeling like third wheels. But still, it was a great afternoon.

Wednesday Moment of Zen

Third in a series: My Uncle Came from South Africa and all he brought me was this lion and I love it! Thanks Uncle Bobby and Liz.

Four Picture Friday: Sunday in the Park with Chimpy

Just over a month ago, Chimpy and I drove past a roadside carnival on our way to the salvage yard. We didn't stop but I pointed out the merry-go-round to her. As usual, she added it to her vocabulary AND long-term memory and has asked for 'more may-go-wown' several times since then. Luckily there is a permanent merry-go-round across the bay, so we made an expedition to see it.

The merry-go-round was much faster than any of us three expected, and Chimpy was a little unnerved. The trauma was nothing a kiss from a giraffe and a cream puff couldn't fix, though.

Four Picture Friday: Home Improvement Chimpy (with special guest star, Mo Junior!)

As Chimpy has gotten better at handling a hammer, we've kept ourselves busy this last month with a lot of home improvements. The big project is the attic renovation, but the weather was been so nice we've taken many of our chores outside.

At the salvage yard looking for bricks.

We came home with 568 paving bricks at a crazy low price. We'll have a patio this summer.

Finally, the bricks for a small retaining wall.

Chimpy loves riding in trucks. The trip to the dump for some compost and top soil (recycled out of our green bin scraps) was also a big hit. And Chimpy finally got to see where it is I've been telling her garbage trucks go to sleep.

We got a head start on our garden this year and are really looking forward to eating tomatoes off the vine.

Only one attic picture. Our friend Mo Junior came by to help us with some plumbing. Hooray for exposed beams!

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Special Bonus Picture: My uncle Jeff went to Italy and all he brought me was this jester's hat and doll and I love them!