The old life

I thought we'd found the perfect situation for Allison: Spanish immersion Montessori school. We dropped her there one day this week to try it out, but it was not a good fit. There are only two children her age there. The rest are babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. It is only this summer that the school added older kids to the mix, with 1st through 3rd grade this fall. The idea was for her to have some fun with kids her age and practice Spanish, but we'll find something else.

Beau is very focused on preparing the facility for his business. His biggest obstacle seems to how to deal with our drunken sign painter who lives upstairs in the warehouse. Robert "adopted" him years ago when he was a drifter in need and now he's a permanent fixture. My sons can't remember a time without him. He is extremely amusing--he has a unique way of communicating that is reminiscent of Dennis Hopper, always twisting and pivoting and lots of "Yeah, man." Beau worked with a carpenter to build an alternate stairway to keep him out of sight of the customers.

The warehouse will get the giant black, red, and white raceflag exterior to tie in with the theme of our business. It sits visible to the highway so to be a perfect eye-catcher. Beau's hired and fired one painter and decided he could rent the sprayer and do it himself. He came home last night so coated with white paint particles that he looked ghostly. We are sitting together at the dining table (a thing I really like) and sharing our day's events with one another. I'm making things like pot roast and spaghetti again, and having to buy a gallon of milk a day just like the old days. Allison and her dad went on a nature walk where she instructed him on leaf varieties (something she learned at the day camp her aunt Sara took her to before we returned home.) Earlier she and and I emptied the coin jars and piggy banks, sorted coins and packed them into paper rolls. Before that I had to cut up a cardboard box so she could make a house for the salt and pepper mice shakers and ceramic horse. Like me, her projects are never simple--I had to walk away before she'd have me laying wall-to-wall carpet in the thing. Point is, she is happy to be home doing familiar things.

Ryan seems relieved we are home. As footloose as he is, he still needs our guidance. We have had some nice talks and he played some new tunes he's created on his guitar. Family is coming for dinner Sunday. Tonight we see our nephew perform in Oklahoma at an outdoor park. It's nice to fall back into the old life--for awhile.