Why am I already dreaming about another vacation? Maybe it’s because I was sick on this last one, or wasn’t mobile. Or perhaps because having a toddler means a vacation is full-on oversight time with little time for yourself. Maybe this is the quandary of parenting: leave the kid at home so you can enjoy yourself, or will you not really enjoy yourself because of the guilt. Or the third option: leave the kid with family so everyone wins. Or the fourth option: send the kid on a flight to Malaysia, and the parents stay at home and relax. Until the US Embassy calls.
I am feeling overly proud of the lentil soup I made this week. Because of last weekend’s dirt soup snafu, I wanted redemption. This time I followed directions and ended up with a delicious and vegetarian hearty lentil and Arborio soup. When my wife took the first sip she asked, “Does this taste like soap to you?” Perfect. From dirt soup to soap soup. Actually I couldn’t taste it and suspected it was something in the lentils or vegetable broth. Baby Harbat wolfs down this soup, which is a good thing since she usually calls out for yogurt and breakfast bars. Geez, we stopped giving her breakfast bars in October but the addiction is still running strong in her system. Maybe a couple days of soap soup will detoxify her.
The home improvement docket is surprisingly light for this month. Which concerns me, since I know some major appliance is ticking out sparks or perhaps a waste line is about to explode. Maybe this will be the month we finally plant some stuff in the front yard. Don’t get me wrong, things are growing there. After our two winter rains, a lush green carpet has filled the front yard. But it’s not grass—we’ll find out what it is once it reaches the three- to four-foot height and the neighbors have assumed we are holed up for Armageddon, sharpening our knives, double-checking the ammo stockpile, and muttering verses from the Bible.
Since I’ve got a good rhythm going here, I’ll reveal the secret to a winning blog post. Structure: banal detail, banal detail, banal detail, one-liner joke. See? End each paragraph with something funny and readership will soar. Which would happen with my blog except Rippers from Singapore is the only regular reader.
See?! It works!
Writer, architect, father, husband.