Week of July 14, 2025

It has been a hot week and we are all pretty tired.

The main things to report on Monday and Tuesday are that I feel like we had a couple pretty good days with Charlie. Fun playing outside with the hose and on his slide fort, watching a movie together on the projector in the basement, playing with trains as soon we woke up, dancing in the living room, lots of snuggles. Good couple of days.

Wednesday after work we went to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast in Verplanck with the Crisantes. We all ate some sausage & peppers, the kids went on some carnival rides, and we had some ice cream. We did take another family photo there like the last for years, but not sharing it because Charlie really didn’t want to take it, so I don’t think it is fair to him to post it.

This week Amanda and I did the Good Inside (Dr. Becky) Deeply Feeling Kids workshop. It gave us some tactics to help us handle and reframe some of the intense meltdowns Charlie has been having. We recommend it if you are dealing with them, too.

Thursday I went into the Automattic office in NoHo and worked with some coworkers who were in town. After work I had dinner with Chris at Shukette. Pretty much everything we ordered was good, but the stand-outs were the frena and kofte. I’d definitely go back.

Friday we finally got a reprieve from the heat and humidity, so we grilled hotdogs and played outside until bedtime.

Saturday we got up and out to go get Charlie a haircut, then we did a little bit of shopping before coming home for lunch. In the afternoon I took advantage of the cooler weather to mow and run the weed eater, then tidy up inside with Amanda. We got pizza for dinner and watched another movie together on the projector (Cars 3).

Sunday (today) we got the car washed and the inside cleaned, went grocery shopping, and cleaned more of the house. I unclogged our two Dysons and vacuumed (it is amazing how fast the various attachments can clog up), tidied my office, and schlepped some stuff down to the basement.

This piece in the local paper broke my heart and made me angry:

Mother and Child Taken by HSI Agents Tuesday, Returned Same Night – Peekskill Herald

Amy Lituma said law enforcement was looking for her husband

peekskillherald.com

That night, Lituma said her four-year-old child did not sleep, wet the bed twice, and woke up repeatedly, terrified, looking for his mother.

How awful! It is going to be a long time before that little boy sleeps soundly again. Why did these thugs arrest the mother and a child when looking for someone else? Why force her to call the person they are looking for? Why take them away without a car seat (child endangerment!)? I don’t care what the husband/father did, this isn’t how you treat innocent parties.

I finished Matt Ruff’s 88 Names and enjoyed it. Fast read, good twists. I started Jeff VanderMeer’s Area X series, and I am enjoying it, but it is kind of intense for my pre-bedtime reading. I might have to sub in some light Wodehouse occasionally (like tonight).

Charlie likes to listen to Thomas and Friends Storytime in the car, and one episode mentions a calliope, which I hadn’t heard of, so I looked it up. Pretty interesting instrument. Here is a video of one: https://youtu.be/urInNOQz1u0

Tomatillos and plum tomatoes are coming along nicely.

I need a project outside of work to focus on. I paused fly tying because I had everything I wanted to fish with and no more time to fish, and I’m waiting on a replacement part for my lathe to start turning bowls again. I want very little to do with my computer after work, I prefer to do something with my hands.

Maybe I start tying hoppers or bass flies? Not sure, but feeling a little unmoored lately, and I notice I get that when I set my hobbies aside for a while.

That is all I have this week. Going to read for a bit before bed. Good night!