Stories From May 2003

May 31, 2003     Zoe's dance recital was held at John Marshall High School again, and the school has a very nice auditorium. The balcony is hard to find, though, as Gus and Daddy discovered while trying to find Mommy and Zoe before the performance so Gus could help Mommy keep the girls occupied while waiting for their turn to dance.     Zoe's group danced twice. The first time, they did ballet to "Beauty And The Beast." Immediately after them, some of the older girls danced to a different version of the song. Then Zoe's group came back on and danced with the older girls to yet another version of the song. The second time, Zoe's group tapped to a song with elements of "Give My Regards To Broadway" and "Hurray For Hollywood."     Zoe danced wonderfully. She was awarded a medal to wear around her neck for her efforts. After the recital, her brother presented her with a bouquet of flowers. He had written on the card in his second best cursive ever: "Great performance, Zoe. Gus Mom and Dad."

May 29, 2003     Zoe "bridged over" from Daisies to Brownies tonight. The ceremony was held at Silver Lake Park, so we walked over to it. It was nice to have something we didn't have to drive to. And the girls actually crossed one of the stone bridges in the park during the ceremony. Gus took some pictures of the ceremony and then got bored. He went and played, so Daddy took the rest of the pictures, forgeting to save the last two pictures for Gus's Lego creations.     After the ceremony, we all ate a pot luck supper, the main course being two big Subway sub sandwiches. Mommy had to work, so she missed the ceremony, but she made some "monster cookies" for the meal so she could be there in spirit. By mealtime, Gus had found a couple of his friends, so he ran off to play with them and watch the Society of Creative Anachronism, who were doing medieval battle in the park. Jenna, Zoe's friend from Daisies, ate with us, and Zoe talked nonstop, at one point saying, "I like standing and sitting!" Then the girls had a conversation about how Shaggy and Scooby Doo eat subs.     The weather was beautiful, with a mostly clear sky and no wind. Daddy, Zoe, and Jenna had a walk down by the lake to talk to "Jake" the goose. The girls wondered how Daddy knew which one was "Jake," and he replied by marveling that they couldn't tell the geese apart. Sometimes subtleties are lost on 6-year-olds. We then walked onto the thing that is a cross between a pier and a dock, where Zoe told outrageous fibs about Daddy to Jenna. Jenna threw the last bite of her cookie into the lake, and we wondered if the geese would eat it or if they only eat bread. Then Daddy asked Zoe if he could take a bite of her since she's now a brownie.     All in all, a fun evening was had by all.

May 28, 2003     Gus's baseball team won their third game. The score was 18-5. They jumped out to an early lead with 4 first inning runs and at least 4 more in the second inning. Gus went 2 for 4 with two singles, two strike outs, and a run scored. That last item made him happy!     In the first inning, he hit a grounder past shortstop. The next batter advanced him to second, and he took third on a passed ball. In the second inning, he struck out looking. In the fourth inning, he struck out, but he laid off a couple fairly close pitches that were balls and worked the count full before going down swinging. In the fifth inning, he lofted a ball over the shortstop for a single. He took second on an infield hit and took third on an infield out. He was then knocked in by an outfield double.     On defense, he covered second on a runner's advance on a passed ball. The throw was late, and the runner was safe. He needs to work on knowing who covers second on a grounder. He also needs to keep his attention focused on the game rather than grinning at Mom and Dad in their lawn chairs, but that will come with age and experience.     After his second strike out, he was pretty low. He really pasted his second hit, though, and that, coupled with actually scoring a run, brought his spirits back up!     During this game, Daddy saw something that he has never seen before. There was a girl on the other team, and as she was batting in the fourth inning, she fouled a pitch right back into her face. She went to the bench for a bit and had ice on the bump, but she was back out in the field a while later and came up to bat again in the sixth inning. That's one tough young lady!

May 27, 2003     Daddy was watching the Twins and Gus was listening to downloaded songs on the computer. Zoe had been playing outside when she suddenly shouted with great urgency, "Daddy! Come here and look!" It didn't sound like an emergency, just a great excitement. Daddy went to the back step and looked. There was the Roscoe's Bar B Q hot air balloon low in the sky above Silver Lake. It was so low you could see the people in the basket. Daddy and Zoe waved, and then Daddy went back to the television.     A few minutes later, he heard Lee, the neighbor, saying something to Zoe. Daddy thought Zoe was getting into some kind of trouble, so he went to the front step to check it out. Lee, Ann, Emily, and Zoe were heading down to the park to see the hot air balloon land. Daddy yelled to Gus to come watch, and they followed. Several other neighbors also came to watch. After the balloon had landed, everyone returned to what they had been doing.     Gus asked if he could go back and watch the balloon, and Daddy said yes, thinking the boy would watch from the top of the hill at the end of the sidewalk. Zoe asked if she could go, too, and Daddy said, "Sure, if you stay by Gus."     Several minutes later, a breathless Zoe stuck her head inside the front door and said, "Gus rode in the balloon! I saw him!" Daddy just had to check this out, so he went with Zoe. It looked like the people with the balloon were giving short rides up to about five feet in the air to bystanders, but Gus was coming from the opposite direction with his scooter. Daddy had doubts about Zoe's story, but she said she was sure she had seen him in the balloon, and Gus confirmed that he had, indeed, been up in the balloon. This, of course, made Zoe want to go up in the balloon, so Zoe and Daddy asked if they could take a short ride, and into the basket they jumped. The basket was smaller than Daddy had imagined, and the sound of the burner made Zoe cover her ears. The balloon looked twice as big looking up at the inside as it looked from the outside, and it was neat to look down at the ground from a few feet in the air. This was the first time in an aircraft for Gus, Zoe, and Daddy!     We stopped at the top of the hill on the way home to watch the crew deflate the balloon. It's amazing that such a huge balloon can fit into such a small trailer when it's not full of hot air.     On the way home, Zoe was giddy with excitement to the point of nonstop talking. She struck up a conversation with the neighbor four houses down from us who happened to be outside potting some plants and dragged her back to our house to look at Mommy's upside down tomato plants. Mommy has cut holes in the bottoms of two buckets and planted her tomatoes so they are growing out the holes in the bottom. These are hanging precariously from a fence pole planted maybe six inches deep in the garden. Daddy needs to get out there and plant the fence pole more securely.     After that, Zoe had a shower while Daddy finished watching the Twins beat the A's in dramatic fashion. To finish off the exciting evening, Daddy read more of A Wizard Of Earthsea to Gus at bedtime.

May 24, 2003     We went to Gramma 'Ancy's for Aunt Sara and Bill's wedding. Zoe was excited, Gus wanted to stay home and play with his friends all weekend, Mommy went along "for Sara," and Daddy had a four-day weekend!    The wedding was held at Ortonville's Methodist church. Daddy was dispatched to pick up Gramma Semmler and bring her to the church. He told her that it was only a block from Northridge to the church and asked why she couldn't have walked. She hit him.     After the pictures were taken and before the ceremony began, Daddy occupied Gus and Zoe with a tour of the church. Grampa Semmler had been the janitor at the church when Daddy was Gus's age, and Daddy had spent quite a bit of time exploring the church. He showed the kids the rooms in which he'd had Sunday School, the room where the choir robes are kept (with its door to the ladies' room that Daddy had always thought was like a secret passage), the boiler room, and the back staircase that is like a secret way up to the sanctuary. Gus correctly guessed that the choir uses that way to get upstairs. Then they toured the kitchen and the Fireside Room. Later, Zoe dragged Mommy downstairs to show her the kitchen and the fireplace. After that, Gus and Dylan roamed the church, and came to the ceremony late. Poor Gus was certain he'd ruined Sara's wedding, but Daddy assured him that he'd done a good job of quietly going through the basement to the back of the church and quietly slipping in.     The wedding was small but very nice. Sara's softball team showed up at the end, and the happy couple exited the church beneath an archway of upraised bats.     The reception was held at the Big Stone Legion, after which tables were moved aside, and the dance began. Daddy was dispatched to take Gramma Scoblic home so she could rest. He told her it was only a short distance down the road to her house and asked why she couldn't have walked. She hit him.     Zoe and Gus had a great time at the dance. Gus danced with Gramma Nancy, Mommy, and of course, Sara. Zoe danced with Mommy, Daddy, Gramma 'Ancy, and Bill, although she was scared to dance with Bill and had to be talked into it. She later did the chicken dance with great alacrity. Gus had been practicing his break dancing. When the deejay brought another 9-year-old boy out to do some break dancing, Gus cut a quick exit, afraid that he'd be called upon to perform. Daddy took Gramma Semmler home at about 11:30, and Gus had to go with so he could stop at Gramma Nancy's and change into clothes that made him "feel like himself." He was ever so dressed up in a polo shirt that was too long to tuck in and a pair of khaki pants with a multitude of pockets. The deejay closed shop at 1:00, and both kids were still awake but quite zombie-like. Zoe had been content to be held by Mommy (and then Daddy when Mommy's arms gave out) for the last hour or so. Gus slept quite late the next morning, and both slept half the way home to Rochester.

May 21, 2003     Gus's baseball team won their second game. This one was also a one-run game, and the score was 6-5. The other team also thought they won by a run. Daddy had it as a 6-6 tie, but he has trouble counting lately. Gus walked twice and struck out twice (Daddy thinks--he only remembers 3 plate appearances but he remembers 4 results), and he actually hit a straight-up popper that fell about three inches foul and would've scored the go-ahead run if it had been fair. He played right field, first base, and third base. While playing third base, he got a throw on a steal attempt. The throw was to the foul side of the base and Gus was a little late breaking to third to cover, so the ball went into left field, and the run scored. Oh, well, catcher's throwing error. There's a kid named Mike on Gus's team who may make it to the majors by being able to be hit by a pitch. Monday he got hit in the same spot near the ankle twice, and last night he got plunked again.     This year, the boys pitch to the other team. In previous years, the coach has pitched to the team. Some of these kids are pretty good. It sure seems like they're a long way from the plate when they let the ball go. There tend to be a lot of walks and strike outs--when the pitches are close, the kids are pretty free swingers.     Gus was pretty disappointed in his game again. He needs to work on seeing the ball. And he has his Dad's tendency to swing at everything. But there's nothing that can't be worked on. Gus has a great stance, a sweet swing, and a full follow-through. Now that we've found his Sammy Sosa bat again, he'll have a little more bat speed, and maybe he'll get some of those close pitches.

May 19, 2003     Gus played his first baseball game of the year tonight. His team won 10-9 after holding back the other team's last-inning rally. Gus had an RBI with a walk and 3 strike outs. He's gotta learn to lay off those scalp-high pitches. He also had an assist while playing shortstop. The time he DID get on base, he made the third out at third base. Poor kid--he was so disappointed in his game. And so cold--I think it was -40 with the windchill. At least it quit raining by first pitch.

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