Saturday, November 11, 2006

Porchblogging: Dinner for Two edition

The Monkey Mama and I ate candlelit dinner out on the porch tonight.

It's not finished or anything. But the weather has been unseasonably warm (70s) and we impulsively decided we might as well enjoy it.

Because it's (mostly) there.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Porchblogging: Functionality edition

We have a back porch. The Monkey can run on it. The dog can walk past it to relieve herself in the back yard.

It still needs railings, a roof, and screens.

The crew of two has been working on it almost every day (including Saturday) since they started 8 days ago. They took a half day to thru-bolt a ledger board to the brick siding. Then they framed out the joists. Then they erected three 8x8 posts that will support some weight, eventually. Next they framed out the bump-up over the basement stairs. Luckily I was home for that: they had set the bump-up height at 23" over the deck, too high to be usable as a bench. I caught them in time, and they dropped it down to a comfortable 19". Then they put decking over the joists, and started in with the ledger board that will form the 2nd level/roof portion of the deck. There are a few rafters connecting the upper ledger board to the roof rim joist, but it is still a work in progress.

But at this rate, I should be sipping lemonade from my back porch in no time. In November, but soon.

Why I (Don't) Blog

A friend recently wrote me: if you treat the blog as a chore, you'll never update it.

In truth, blogging has never been a chore for me. Here's why I do it:

* Above all, as a space to reflect on my experiences as a parent generally, a stay-at-home dad specifically
* A creative outlet
* A way to update distant family and friends about a very special little boy
* A vanity project (it's a blog, right?)

I think my drop-off in posting has a lot of reasons. Now that I'm working 4 days/week, there is less time for reflection. It's back to the grind, so to speak, and moreso than I wish. My work demands a lot of my creativity (that's good, I think). The day I spend at home with the Monkey is usually somewhat more regimented than it used to be, with chores and errands. There is less time for a creative outing, like the Zoo, the Arboretum, a museum on the Mall, or others. It's hard enough to carve out space for me and the Monkey Mama, and I make that a priority over blogging. And sleep, precious sleep, is still too elusive.

Another reason is the Monkey. He is hard to keep up with, literally and figuratively. Literally, because he is walking. Figuratively, because he is developing so much and in so many ways. He is on the cusp of speech. His sense of humor is manifesting itself. His ability to imitate behaviors is growing (and cute). He is so evidently enjoying himself in the world we share together that it is harder for me to obtain critical distance, to separate myself from him for reflection. And as the externalization of his development continues to accelerate, I don't know how my words could keep up.