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I think Mikala (however you spell her name) gave me her cold. Or she gave it to Nathan who then proceeded to give it to me. All I know is my head hurts and my nose is runny. Looks like I'm going to be majorly dosed up these next few days. Can't afford to take any time off; I've only got one and a half days of sick time left and I've got to save my vacation for the new arrival. Oh well. At least it's not a completely debilitating cold. That would suck.
Dean and Mary Jo are planning on putting in a fence. I told them I don't have a problem with it but, in all honesty, I do. The neighborhood I lived in when I was a kid started out fenceless. Acres and acres of green lawns to run and frolic in. All the parents would occasionally gather in their backyards and chat while the kids ran around like chickens on crack. Then a fence got put up. And another. And another. Soon the entire neighborhood was chopped up into little pockets of isolation and the kids stopped playing with one another because they couldn't leave their well-defined yards without making an appointment and filling out reams of paperwork in triplicate about the people they were going to see.
I like not having fences. I love looking at my backyard and seeing a large expanse of lawn(s) where Nathan and the other kids (and soon to be more kids) and run and play unfettered. Yes, it means we'll have to keep a better eye on the kids but isn't that what parents are supposed to do? So much of our world has been chopped up into little parcels and sold to the highest bidder. People living right next to you are complete strangers -- or worse, bitter enemies -- because of some line drawn in the sand that says "This is mine and that's yours and don't even think about crossing." What's so wrong about trying to buck the trend and bring people together?
In all honesty, I can see their point. Keeping up with Nathan is damned near a full-time job and a half; toss on trying to grill dinner or do some gardening at the same time and it's damned near impossible. I can't count the number of times he's gone dashing off across the street and through people's yards just to follow something that caught his eye. Fence him in and there's a lot less need to constantly watch him to keep him from running off.
But I still don't like it...
Dean and Mary Jo are planning on putting in a fence. I told them I don't have a problem with it but, in all honesty, I do. The neighborhood I lived in when I was a kid started out fenceless. Acres and acres of green lawns to run and frolic in. All the parents would occasionally gather in their backyards and chat while the kids ran around like chickens on crack. Then a fence got put up. And another. And another. Soon the entire neighborhood was chopped up into little pockets of isolation and the kids stopped playing with one another because they couldn't leave their well-defined yards without making an appointment and filling out reams of paperwork in triplicate about the people they were going to see.
I like not having fences. I love looking at my backyard and seeing a large expanse of lawn(s) where Nathan and the other kids (and soon to be more kids) and run and play unfettered. Yes, it means we'll have to keep a better eye on the kids but isn't that what parents are supposed to do? So much of our world has been chopped up into little parcels and sold to the highest bidder. People living right next to you are complete strangers -- or worse, bitter enemies -- because of some line drawn in the sand that says "This is mine and that's yours and don't even think about crossing." What's so wrong about trying to buck the trend and bring people together?
In all honesty, I can see their point. Keeping up with Nathan is damned near a full-time job and a half; toss on trying to grill dinner or do some gardening at the same time and it's damned near impossible. I can't count the number of times he's gone dashing off across the street and through people's yards just to follow something that caught his eye. Fence him in and there's a lot less need to constantly watch him to keep him from running off.
But I still don't like it...
