1. Summer Time

   August 7, 2026

   On the way home from a Dr’s appointment, BW made me slow down and buy some flowers at a roadside stand on a sunny August Day.

   

   Also, on an August day I picked up the child who despite being just a little sunburned was also in a sunny disposition. This is a good thing.

   Upon return - the child promptly hopped into the shower to wash off the day. Also good.

   Out of the shower, there were no clean shorts for her - because camp is a little hard on laundry so she hopped into the yellow peach dress you see above. When I brought it out of the dresser she gasped a “yes, it’s beautiful”.

   Then she saw mommy’s flowers on the table.

   She grabbed them and wanted me to take her photo of her “posing” with the flowers. The photo above is the best of the bunch.

   She danced and spun in the living room in the yellow sundress with the peaches.

   And that’s how we spent our Thursday night.

   Until next time,

   TH and Co.

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2. The Scoot

   August 6, 2026

   Today, we won.

   

   Photo by Gnana Prakash on Unsplash

   I think that, maybe I may have won the battle of the NO’s. Maybe.

   There was some minor push back, but nothing like yesterday.

   She came home from camp. MUDDY. I don’t think there’s any camp left because it all came home on her shirt, knees, face. The question I have is that from about 12:30 - 3:30 pm today she was indoors at an indoor trampoline place, so I don’t understand.

   While she was grumbling up the stairs towards the bathtub I told her that after bath and dinner we can go out and go for a scoot around the block. We started with her razor scooter but the balancing is not there yet so we made it to the corner and then regrouped and restarted our walk with the stabler 3 wheeled version.

   And then, I made a mistake.

   We were walking along and I don’t even know how - but I started a story. A made up story: There once was a girl named curly-haired[my child’s name] and straight haired Steve.

   This is where it should have stopped. It was just something I said. I was just being silly.

   My pink-helmeted little scooter buddy looked up at me with wide eyes and asked:

   ”What happened next?”

   Meanwhile, I’m like…”Oh, that was supposed to be it”

   She did not want the story to end so over the course of our walk I do what I do best: I made shit up. 1

   At the end of our mile walk we had the orginal 2 characters, both a policeman and sargeant, a firefighter, 2 dogs - one was named ralph, one mother-in law and then 2 parents, a sibling and of course - every story would not be complete without: donuts

   In some ways I wish I could record this stuff and remember it later but then again maybe not, and I should just remember it for what it was:

   A scoot and a story.

   And donuts. It’s always about the donuts.

   until next time,

   TH and Co.

   1

   this blog is the perfect example.

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3. Laying Down the Law

   August 5, 2026

   “Hey Dad”

   

   Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

   ”What is the law?”

   “Listen to your Dad”, I replied.

   ”No, not like that - like WHAT is the law?” she persisted.

   I then explained how laws kind of work, and gave a few examples but the gist of laws are really a simple rule: be nice
   Don’t speed because you could kill somebody.
   Don’t rob a store.
   Don’t cheat on a contract.

   These all boil down to being…well, nice.

   I get my little mud infused child home and the first thing she has to do when she gets home from camp is to go shower, because …ew.

   “No.” She told me.

   “I’m sorry, what? “

   “No”, she told me.

   Her timing was not perfect because I had a chicken on the grill at the same time and the last I checked the flames were…kind of scary. So, I tell her that she better get her little mud infested body in the shower before I get back.

   Or… NO camp tomorrow.

   Cue the screaming

   I run downstairs on a poultry rescue mission and once I get that sorted, she is still in the bathroom fully clothed.

   I told her. OKAY - no camp tomorrow. You can stay in your room and I can stay home and make sure you stay in your room.

   Cue more screaming.

   I go check on the chicken again.

   I finally hear a shower. There’s hope.

   But then when she’s out she starts complaining about wet hair. I tell her to just dry it with a towel, you did today at camp and it’s 82 degrees outside.

   Cue even more screaming.

   I go tend to my chicken and she’s still calming down and so I tell BW to come and eat - we don’t want her at the table anyway in that mood. She hears us sitting down and comes down with wet hair and a pink nightie on and a face that’s the the same color - some from shame and some from sunshine.

   Before the NO started we had planned to shower/eat and go for a scoot around the block. The scooter went away obviously, because Dad might not be able to speak Spanish but he also has a word that’s the same as yours: NO.

   Cue even more screaming.

   She finally comes down and she happily eats and offers a half-hearted (and accepted) apology.

   I then tell her about Dad’s new law number 4567 of journal 440 of the Dad’s law of the land:

   This rule stipulates that if she tells me no 3 times, then I find a NO too.

   And MY NO IS BIGGER THAN YOUR NO. For example for tonight not only be that there we be no camp but there would also be no first field trip of the summer to the trampoline place she is so looking forward to.

   I think, I hope and I PRAY she got it through her head that she doesn’t get to say the word NO.

   But, you never know.

   Until Next Time,

   TH and Co.

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4. The Happy Camper

   August 4, 2026

   It seems odd to write this in August but today was her first day of summer camp.

   From May 15th until the came home this weekend she was experiencing winter in Argentina.

   

   Winter in Argentina

   She was of course up and ready to start her day earlier than I would have liked and had her lunch bag ready to be filled with a sandwich.

   Lunch box filled, we left for camp and when she arrived she was greeted as if she was royalty. We tried to get a photo of her but she had found friends and was gone.

   When I arrived to pick her up it looked like the camp had swallowed her up and spit her back out as she was covered in mud. Covered.

   After a long wait and a rainy greeting on the first day back she finally got her first taste of summer and by the count of the rings on the bathtub it was a pretty good day.

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5. On Leaks and Laundry

   August 3, 2026

   OMG YOU GUYS THE LAUNDRY

   

   Photo by PlanetCare on Unsplash | Our laundry room does not look like this and never will.

   I stopped counting at load 8. FOUR huge suitcases came back and upon emptying them I realized we have to wash all the things. I have washed shoes, gym bags and of course - socks. Surpisingly, all but two matched.

   I should get an award for this. The sock matching - not the laundry.

   The laundry was actually the good part of the day. The not so good part?

   The leaking roof:

   

   So yeah, that.

   This is one of those things you look at and think to yourself: “Nope, I didn’t see that” and then you walk out of the room.

   But here’s where it gets weird. We pro-actively are trying to fix this roof situation and have a roofer lined up for next month to replace our old roof with a brand new roof so the timing on this sucks. We are so close, but now it looks like I have to call the insurance company to see what the next steps are - if any.

   Compared to others with much bigger problems in the world, laundry and a bit of a leak are really nothing that time and a LOT of money can’t fix so I will end the day counting my blessings, and they all start with the number two.

   I have TWO of my favorite people home again, I only have TWO single socks so far and lastly there’s only TWO stains on the ceiling.

   I’m calling it a pretty good day after all, assuming I ever get the laundry done.

   Until next time,

   TH and Co.

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