deebeedee

Every Wednesday, in between dropping off son no. 2 at the sitter’s and waiting for son no. 1 to come home from school, I have a bit of free time. Today, I didn’t know whether to do some web work or do some yard work within that timeframe. The web work I had in mind involves bringing one of the old websites I maintain up to the standards set forth by the W3C. This means removing unnecessary nested tables, eliminating 1-pixel gif hacks, and ridding the code of any hint of divitis or classitis. Yard work on the other hand involves mowing the lawn, plucking weeds from the garden bed, snipping out-of-control rose stems, and sweeping away dried leaves. Doing these things pretty much brings our front yard up to the standards set forth by our neighborhood.

I ended up doing yard work. Just the thought of any more jeers and sneers from my more conscientious neighbors is unbearable. *looks around suspiciously as he takes off his tinfoil hat*

The mucus-production that has gone on overdrive due to a perpetual cold and cough I’ve had for the past few months has rendered me unable to smell anything. Because I’m unable to taste food, mealtimes are hardly enjoyable. In some ways, it has helped though, like in taking out the garbage. I’m now practically immune to its nauseating effects. Changing the baby’s diapers is tolerable as well. Once before, I had to clean up after myself after getting sick from changing the baby.

My olfactory impairment came in handy yesterday too. I’ve had no luck getting rid of a clog in the kitchen sink Monday night. The massive amounts of Drano I poured down the drain didn’t work at all. My sister-in-law (who previously lived with us) said the only way to get rid of that type of clog is to use a plumbing snake on the drainage pipe from the side of the house. She warned that it was a messy, back-breaking and smelly affair. I put it off for the following morning. The stack of dirty dishes would have to wait.

So yesterday morning I unscrewed the end cap of the drainage pipe through a small vent for the house’s crawl space. I plunged the snake up the pipe and tugged a couple of times. Then I went in the house and checked the sink. Surprisingly, that did the trick. Sure, I was a little filthy but the whole thing only took about fifteen minutes. And I didn’t throw up.

The breaks in between the “beautifully timed” storms we’ve had for the past couple of months have been a Godsend. The times the sun has come out I’ve been able to mow the lawn (although it’s due for another trimming), take the family out to the City, and help my wife with her bi tri-annual yard sale. A couple of weekends ago, however, at the beginning of my wife’s Spring Break we welcomed the forecast of rain showers with eager anticipation for this meant snowfall up in the mountains!

We drove up to Lake Tahoe in a rented Toyota 4Runner (a necessity, I must say). It was the first time the younger boys had seen snow, and it’s a first for me to actually see snowfall. And boy was it coming down.

Simply put, it was a case of “life trumps blogging.” I’ve taken up the role of “Mr. Mom” as my wife is in school full-time. I work part-time now and manage to squeeze in some freelance work during my free time. But mostly I’ve been taking care of the boys and doing the housework while my wife is away. Our eldest son started second grade and I spend time checking his homework nightly. My parents come once a week to watch the kids on a day I work, which is a great help. We somehow manage to get by with my reduced income (Thank You, Lord!). More importantly, I feel blessed to be able to be home with my children at this stage in their lives.

The last major event of our summer was church family camp. That was a nice getaway for us all. Recently, our church launched a new worship service in the San Leandro/San Lorenzo area. Our church is small (less than a hundred members) but God has started a great work in order for us to reach out to the community out there.

I’ve no green thumb, but there I was yesterday in the backyard, doing an Indiana Jones by hacking down weeds taller than me. Short Asian man that I am, that’s not saying much but, believe you me, these weeds were tall, as in 7 feet tall. I had on an El Torito birthday sombrero to protect me from the sweltering sun as I pruned the mutant plants’ bamboo-like stalks. They may have actually released defensive spores or something because my exposed forearms were itching for a while there. As for why the weeds grew to be that big… well, hardly anyone goes in the backyard. Sometimes months go by before I venture back there. If anyone is looking for a spooky, atmospheric place for a shoot, boy, I’ve got the place for you.