Too Nice, Too Sunny

Today, I was in charge of lock down. That meant being the one at home to follow through with the punishment de jour.

Ben "lost" his clarinet book which meant he could not practice his clarinet. If Jeanine and I had been born, say, yesterday, we would have believed him.

But, alas, we were not.

So, until he "found" the clarinet book, he could not leave the house. That seemed to require his responding with some language not fit to reprint.

Next stop? His room.

Jeanine, Zachary and Jake went to the mall to spend some hard earned allowance dollars. The mall, if you couldn't guess, is Ben's favorite place in the world.

But they were there and he was not. That made my young charge even more unhappy.

I thought about taking out Zachary's saxophone and playing "Swing lo... Sweet Chariot..." mournfully.

Instead, I took take my jailer duty to the porch outside my office. Read the New York Times. Got some sun.

Hummed my song. Thought about buying the sheet music for clarinet so Ben could have something to play when he is in his cell.

Sorry. Room.

Yup. I've been in one of those really good, can't be beaten down kind of moods. It's too nice and too sunny.

Next time? I'm going to bet he doesn't ditch his music book.

Only in New England

I was on the phone with my sister yesterday. Jake and I were out on the deck, sitting in the sun. It's beautiful, I said.

What's the temperature up there? she asked.

Oh, it's gotta be almost 60 degrees, I said.

It wasn't. It was 41 degrees. Only in New England do we think 41 degrees means tee shirts, shorts and sitting out on the deck.