Autumn has begun. It's been 90+ degrees.
I had replaced the shorts in Atticus's drawer with pants; the shorts came back out again. Edith brought her swimsuit to school on Friday for a water day, then wore her second swimsuit the next day when she begged Paul to get out the plastic pool. And yesterday I took the kids to a local splash pad for three hours.
It's hot.
We haven't turned on our air conditioning. I make sure to let in the cool outdoor air first thing in the morning and then again at night. Some of the schools in the large Columbus district don't have air conditioning (and I hear that some classrooms don't even have windows). They let out early yesterday and are scheduled to again today in order to get kids home before the worst of the heat. Students who live closer than 2 miles from their schools aren't eligible to ride the bus, so I guess it's easier to walk home earlier in the afternoon rather than later.
Still, I'm not complaining. I don't mind fall except for the fact that it means winter is that much closer. Bring on the sunny weather for a few days more.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
18 Years Away from Home
I'm usually obsessed with dates and anniversaries of all kinds, but Facebook reminded me of one this week that wasn't on my radar. I left Defiance to move to Columbus 18 years ago, as an entering freshman at Ohio State.
I turned 36 this summer, so that means fully half of my life has been away from my hometown. To be fair, I would say that I didn't really move to Columbus until two years later, in 2001, when I rented my first apartment. (There's something about signing on the dotted line of a lease that makes your residence waaaaaay more permanent than a dorm room could ever be.) But still, 1999 marks the beginning of my getting to know Columbus as more than the abstract "Ohio's capital."
I had been to Columbus many times growing up, particularly as a 4-Her visiting the Ohio State Fair. But I certainly didn't know the suburbs, the parks or what the city is really like when the Buckeyes play at home in the fall. Now I have long been able to find my way around Franklin County better than I ever could Defiance County, and I'm confidently able to navigate the interstate system to boot!
Of course, six of those 18 years away from Defiance were spent living in New York, but even then we never fully left Ohio. In addition to owning (and renting out) or first home on Columbus's west side, we visited often and kept up with the changes within the city. (Oh, the surprise when we came back and saw the renovated Kroger that sits between campus and downtown!)
We're in Columbus now for the foreseeable future, maybe forever. Who knows? But even 18 years later, Defiance is still home.
I turned 36 this summer, so that means fully half of my life has been away from my hometown. To be fair, I would say that I didn't really move to Columbus until two years later, in 2001, when I rented my first apartment. (There's something about signing on the dotted line of a lease that makes your residence waaaaaay more permanent than a dorm room could ever be.) But still, 1999 marks the beginning of my getting to know Columbus as more than the abstract "Ohio's capital."
I had been to Columbus many times growing up, particularly as a 4-Her visiting the Ohio State Fair. But I certainly didn't know the suburbs, the parks or what the city is really like when the Buckeyes play at home in the fall. Now I have long been able to find my way around Franklin County better than I ever could Defiance County, and I'm confidently able to navigate the interstate system to boot!
Of course, six of those 18 years away from Defiance were spent living in New York, but even then we never fully left Ohio. In addition to owning (and renting out) or first home on Columbus's west side, we visited often and kept up with the changes within the city. (Oh, the surprise when we came back and saw the renovated Kroger that sits between campus and downtown!)
We're in Columbus now for the foreseeable future, maybe forever. Who knows? But even 18 years later, Defiance is still home.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
9/11, 16 Years Later
I'm sure I wasn't the only one who spent a few minutes yesterday ruminating on 9/11. Sixteen years already? I was only 20 years old when it happened.
I've written before about where I was when I first heard about the terrorist attacks. What I thought a lot about yesterday, however, were the anniversaries that have occurred since then and the many reminders I've had about the attack.
When we lived in Brooklyn, Paul and I walked to the shore in Bay Ridge on the anniversary once or twice, watching the beams of light shoot forth where the twin towers used to stand. I worked just a couple of blocks from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan and almost daily watched the progress at the World Trade Center site from 2007 until 2012. I visited the National September 11 Memorial when I was pregnant with Edith more than five years ago.
But now 9/11 seems almost like just another day. It'll never truly be that -- I remember the feelings and the images of that day all too well. But the TV specials, the memorials, the remembrances: they just aren't as all-consuming as they once were. We remember, though, and maybe that's enough.
I've written before about where I was when I first heard about the terrorist attacks. What I thought a lot about yesterday, however, were the anniversaries that have occurred since then and the many reminders I've had about the attack.
When we lived in Brooklyn, Paul and I walked to the shore in Bay Ridge on the anniversary once or twice, watching the beams of light shoot forth where the twin towers used to stand. I worked just a couple of blocks from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan and almost daily watched the progress at the World Trade Center site from 2007 until 2012. I visited the National September 11 Memorial when I was pregnant with Edith more than five years ago.
But now 9/11 seems almost like just another day. It'll never truly be that -- I remember the feelings and the images of that day all too well. But the TV specials, the memorials, the remembrances: they just aren't as all-consuming as they once were. We remember, though, and maybe that's enough.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Edith Starts Preschool
Edith started school last week and absolutely loves it. Even on her first day, she barely looked my way when I dropped her off and said goodbye, and she didn't much care to leave when I picked her up.
She has made a friend already (play date information exchanged), and playing in the giant sandbox outside seems to be her favorite activity.
Meanwhile, Atticus is adjusting to all of his new one-on-one time. Books! Stores! All of Mommy's attention! It's a whole new world for everyone.
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