I had a feeling things were going to go this way. I missed my afternoon coffee because of a dentist appointment at lunch. I know I need to maintain my caffeine intake or my writing suffers. Today that translated into little energy for these words and a half-finished Horrible.

The Northwest part of the United States has a bunch of good parts. The rainy winters is not part of the good parts—although you can say that the huge trees and lush vegetation is the result of this rainy time. Another good part is the wild life. A few weeks ago as I was getting on the highway, I watched a bald eagle make its way along the lake. There are a bunch of them flying around these parts. From far away they almost look like crows except for the white tail and larger size.

Dinosaur is asleep in the car seat next to me, Tiger is up in her room in the process of going to sleep, and Doolies should be at Naginata and beating people over the head by now. That leaves me again alone. My stair fitness program is going well. I almost went into an elevator this afternoon before remembering the plan. I spoke to Doolies about it again and told her that there aren’t enough stairs to keep me fit. She told me I’m not spending enough time going up and down them. She has a point. I don’t know if I have the energy to walk the stairs without purpose, but it’s something to think about. She also suggested I use the walking time to think big thoughts. Perhaps I’ll walk up and down the stairs while thinking about whether it’s worth it to walk up and down the stairs.

Tiger started her Little Kickers’ program yesterday at day care. Little Kickers is a popular youth soccer league. They start them young with different activities so by the time they’re old enough to play real soccer, they’re stuck with the company. It’s brilliant. What’s even more brilliant is offering it as part of the day care program. Keep the friction low for the parents until they’ve sucked you in and you end up on a cold Sunday morning in the middle of winter staring at fifteen four year olds running after a ball in the mud. Yes, I see my future, and I. Do. Not. Like. It.

Tomorrow is Friday. I can’t remember if that means this week went faster or slow. I planned to cook Cholent for the first time tomorrow, and even soaked beans yesterday. Cholent is a traditional Jewish stew that simmers overnight so it can be eaten on Shabbat day. We had it at a rabbi’s house a few months ago, and really enjoyed it. It’s also another recipe I flagged in the Jewish recipe book. By the time I escaped work, however, it was too late to stop by the grocery store to pick up the meat and assorted ingredients. I had hopes of cooking it tonight while Doolies was in Naginata so it would be ready for tomorrow night. While not technically Shabbat day, it’s about as much Shabbat as we get in this household. It looks like it’ll be fried beans instead tomorrow. Speaking of beans, the Italian bean soup lasted two dinners and two lunches (for Doolies). It was quite yummy and will be on the menu again.

Besides the fatigue and recovery from the dentist, not much else is going on in my brains tonight. This will be easier with the right afternoon caffeine. Dinosaur startled himself a moment ago and is now sneezing. He started to get fussy but some strategic rocking soothed him. Hopefully that’ll last long enough for me to go through the week six photos and post something tonight.

P.S. the rocking did not work.