Summer to-do list

Around May we made a list of tasks that really, really needed to be done before fall. As September approaches, we now realize we were a bit ambitious and apparently unaware of the enormity of some of the projects.

We are now welcoming volunteers on any of the remaining work. (Just kidding...mostly.)

*Items in red are not yet done.
Aerate lawn
Caulk and fill holes in bathroom
Seal bathroom grout
Start sprinklers
Pull out tree stump
Cut down dead branches
Trip to the trash dump
Fill water barrels
Stain remainder of fence
Sand and paint peeling section of house
Fix broken shingles
Build garden boxes
Replace dead bush
Straighten tree
Put sand in sandbox
Call electrician
Fix electrical problems
Dig a deeper window well
Install window
Plant 4 trees
Schedule swim lessons
Schedule carpet cleaners

Daydreaming

Dallin and I are sharing a couch for quiet time today. I put my book down as I see him staring out the window, making interesting expressions, lips slightly moving. He must have seen me out of the corner of his eye because he suddenly turns to me and asks, "Do you know that I'm daydreaming?"

"Really?"

He looks down at his picture book version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and points at a character. "I'm in this page, and I see this bad wolf, so I'm gathering my armies to fight him. I have Star Wars armies, and lots of spells--like water and fire and quicksand--and I have the bad guys from Mulan..."

"Why would you want bad guys in your army?" I interject.

"They're on my side now."

"Oh. So they're good."

"Yeah. And I also have the 2000 stripling warriors. So we're going to beat the wolf."

Apparently, it is quiet time only on the surface. Inside my Dallin's imagination, great battles are being fought.