Spring Is Here

Spring Is Here, Spring Is Here! Thank God Almighty, Spring Is Here!

I Hate Spring. Not just because I am staying home from work with a COLD due to 90+ degree heat with “unpredictable spring” winds (my weatherman, the asshole). I hate the idea of spring. Spring is the local opening act for Summer and I really hate summer. I’m a fall guy. With enough blankets you can maintain a comfortable level of warmth, at least until you have to go to the bathroom. But with Summer I can run around the house naked with three fans and still be sweating. Spring is just nature’s way of slapping us around to get our attention before it turn’s on the interrogation lamp.

Kids like spring, though, and I have kids. One of my own, a few that came with Mrs. Whatever, and Kadie, whom we made together. During the winter there really isn’t a lot for kids to do (Kadie is the only one at home with us and starts school next year). We ditched the whole “car thing” a few years ago so we limit our travel and the backyard turns into a bit of a mud pit October through April. We do have a hell of a lot of fun crafting, playing and sporting it up on our Kinect. But the Kinect shows you as you would be if you were outside playing those games so when spring is sprung, Kadie is ready to go outside. My older daughter was already living separately from me when she was Kadie’s age, so I didn’t experience Spring with her. Kadie will be five this month. That means last year I was still in charge and if Daddy want’s to be a socially autistic shut-in, we all get to. This year she knows how to unlock the big door.

Survivor and spaghetti have been a tradition in my home since before I had this home. Or this family. I can’t remember when it became my thing because I used to find it sad when a family had “pork chop night” or “meatloaf night”. Homer Simpson (of The Simpsons) has some kind of “night” almost every night. Somewhere along the way Survivor night became spaghetti night. I don’t remember when, but I remember when I accepted it. And weather it be Sunday, Thursday or Wednesday – the night Survivor is on – that is spaghetti night. It took a couple of season’s but Windy has gotten gotten into the social aspect of the game (she had a hard time with the lying and alliance-partner-swapping-action) and Kadie can’t wait to say “the tribe has spoken” with Jeff.

Last night, while waiting for Survivor, we were out front and after a while in her plastic pool while I played guitar, Kadie and I started to play a game with her cheap dollar store squirters and extra crap around the house. We colored water and carried it from one end of the runway to the other, emptying a squirt at a time into cups to see who could fill theirs up first. There may have been a hidden achievement for making the biggest mess (achievement unlocked)! We did it again with our cups on our heads and then just ran and transferred water until it was time to go in. Simple party games to you and I, but possibly the first May evening she will ever remember. Due to our shut-in summer last year this was still kind of new for Kadie and she wanted to know what we just played. Having recently watched a lot together on YouTube, I quickly blurted out “Double Dare”. Without missing a beat, my five year old shadow said “Awwww…but I wanted immunity”!

I think I might start to like spring.

In My Ears: Ancient Voices (The Theme From Survivor)

In My Heart: Playfulness

For Immunity