A Rish Family

Christmas Jedi

2011-12-25T22:49:00.001-05:00

December bike riding

2011-12-16T13:35:00.000-05:00

Super hero rock

2011-10-14T14:46:00.003-04:00

We Moved

2011-09-05T14:22:00.000-04:00

Old news, right? We'll get some photos and videos up soon of life in Georgia. Check the sidebar for our Flickr stream and our YouTube channel. Or if you're on Facebook with Erin, you can continue to ignore the blog.

Here's a video of the boys getting the mail. We hardly recognize them.

Riding Bikes to School

2011-07-07T07:14:00.002-04:00

The boys rode their bikes to school this week because my car was in the shop. As word spread in the preschool, more kids are riding their bikes. Henry said that one of his friends has his Dad follow him in the car as he rides to school.

I shot two videos with my phone. Need to rotate the phone next time.

Arthur without training wheels

2011-05-14T20:06:00.003-04:00

New Pictures Uploaded

2011-05-07T13:04:00.005-04:00

New pictures uploaded to our Flickr site; sets include New Orleans trip, Spring Concert, Easter, Zoo Field Trip, and Free Comic Book Day. Some of our favorites:

Uncle Paul in the House

2011-04-01T15:51:00.002-04:00

Uncle Paul stopped by to read a bedtime story about healthcare from the bad old days. Arthur is sporting evidence of a tough week that included: getting hit with a shovel in the face, having his lip caught in a car seat buckle, and sticking his finger in a light socket.

Life Imitating Art

2011-03-04T08:52:00.003-05:00

2011-02-25T20:07:00.005-05:00

Henry wanted to share this picture on the family blog:

"It is a barn and a house. With a sheep in the barn, eating hay. And there's a spider web on the roof of the house. And there's super heroes in the house. And they are Human Torch and Reptil. There's clouds in the sky."

New House

2011-02-16T08:30:00.003-05:00

Henry wanted to put this picture on the family blog (and not on his personal blog). He said more people would see it if it was on our family blog.

"The car is on fire, and a plane is flying. There is a slide in our yard."

Who are your top-5 superheroes?

2011-01-09T08:24:00.006-05:00

We made our top-5 superheroes lists this morning. Who is on your top-5 list?

Making Capt. America's Shield

Henry

Human Torch
Silver Surfer
Black [Symbiote] Spiderman
Ironman
Iceman

Capt. America & Havoc

Arthur

Batman
Cyclops
Captain America
Marvel Girl
Ironman

Tony Stark complete with mustache

Erin

Batman
Wonder Woman
Hulk
Ironman (because of Robert Downey Jr.)
Mystique

Spidey's in trouble with the law, again.

Ryan

Wolverine
Spiderman
Jean Grey/Phoenix
Nightcrawler
Storm

Then and Now

2010-12-28T11:30:00.005-05:00

Family Picnic, Summer, 1983

Christmas, 2010

Meet the Pirates

2010-11-24T23:44:00.005-05:00

Took a picture of Henry & Arthur when they were playing pirates. They pushed the beds together in the guest bedroom to make a pirate ship and sailed off across the high seas. Arthur was the Captain, and Henry was the First Mate. Arthur was in charge of the maps and navigating the boat. Henry was in charge of loading and unloading cargo. My job was to come up with new names for islands to visit.

PIRATE UPDATE: Christmas wishes granted.

10.10.10

2010-10-29T15:03:00.002-04:00

This is our video submission to the One Day on Earth project.

Costumes

2010-10-13T00:02:00.002-04:00

What's the plan?

2010-08-31T08:42:00.002-04:00

Henry: What are we going to do today?

Ryan: I don't know. What do you want to do?

Henry: I want to go to the big, big park that is the one after the small park?

Ryan: You mean the bumpy slide park?

Henry: Yeah.

Ryan: The one where we use the bridge over the highway to get there?

Henry: Yeah.

Ryan: Are you sure you don't want to go to the park where there will be more kids?

Henry: Where?

Ryan: Selby Park will have more kids than bumpy slide park.

Henry: How many?

Ryan: Selby Park will have 10 to 20 kids. Bumpy slide park will only have 1 or 2 kids.

Henry: Selby Park. Will the monkey boy who climbs on the roof be there?

Ryan: Maybe.

Arthur: Selby Park, yeah!

Ryan: How should we go there?

Henry: We should eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, put on crocs and helmets, and get out our bikes.

Ryan: Okay, then what?

Henry: We should go to Selby park, play, come home, eat lunch, take naps, play outside, eat snack, pick up the living room, little bit of video games, and eat dinner with Mommy.

Ryan: Okay, then what?

Henry: Take a bath, brush teeth, read stories, go to bed, get up, breakfast, brush teeth, park...

Ryan: Okay, okay. Let's just eat today's breakfast, then we'll see.

Bike Swap

2010-08-20T12:53:00.004-04:00

Henry decided that he too was ready for a new bike. He pulled out the 16" bike I had in the garage for him and said he was ready to ride it. Henry took off on the 16", and we had a nice 2-mile ride to Selby Park this morning.

When we got back, Henry thought it was time for Arthur to learn to pedal. We put the training wheels back on the 12" bike and set up Arthur to spin a bit.

New Bike

2010-08-19T20:49:00.002-04:00

Skuut No More

2010-08-16T19:50:00.004-04:00

What are the odds that our first ride with the boys' new helmets would result in the demise of the Skuut? This time it wasn't the Skuut's fault.

At the bottom of the fork blades are bolts that keep the plywood compressed against the force of the wheel axel. These bolts fell out a long time ago. For a time, I kept track of them and tightened them up, but then they were lost for good. With these bolts missing, it was only a matter of time before the punishment Arthur dishes out when hitting curbs and walls would result in total failure of the plywood fork.

If these bolts are loose or missing on your wooden balance bike (they all seem to have plywood forks), I recommend replacing them and applying some Loctite Threadlocker (maybe the red).

Cow Town - TMBG

2010-08-01T22:27:00.002-04:00

Featuring the many faces of Arthur and Henry's dance moves.

One of our favorite songs to rock out with in the living room.

2-Wheel Park Ride

2010-07-13T14:18:00.004-04:00

First ride to the park and back without training wheels. Pure joy on Henry's face.

Training Wheels Off

2010-07-10T20:46:00.006-04:00

2nd time taking Henry's training wheels off at the park.

Skuut: Brief Product Review

2010-07-07T10:49:00.012-04:00

The Skuut is one of the less expensive wooden balance bikes on the market. I'm not sure how the "original" wooden balance bikes were/are built (not interested in that conversation), but the Skuut has two major design flaws. Below is a slideshow, if you click on the photos and open them in a new window, you can see annotations I've added to the four photos.

The first is that the handlebar is attached to the front fork using wood screws. This means that the wood screws screw down between the layers of plywood. Any impact or torque on the handlebar results in the separation of these layers. In the case of my boys, these impacts are often at high speeds resulting in complete separation of the handlebar from the fork. I've attempted to draw the plywood back together by drilling two holes and using long chainring bolts and washers. I've also been reattaching the handlebar with the wood screws by shoving matchsticks down the screw holes to give the screws more wood to bite into. This evening I drilled an additional set of holes so that now four screws hold the handlebar to the fork.

The second design flaw is that the wheel is held in the center of the axel assembly by the combination of compression rings and wooden hub pieces. The wooden hub pieces work themselves loose allowing the compression rings to pop out of their groove. The result is a wobbly wheel. The wooden hub pieces eventually split from being forced back on to the hub, so I've replaced them with hose clamps. The wheel still wobbles, but at least it stays in the center.

The boys love their Skuut. Like any loved toy it is starting to break down. The boys are hard on the Skuut, e.g., deliberately crashing it into walls, riding off of steps and high curbs, dismounting at high speeds and dumping it to the ground. They have occasionally have left it out all night allowing moisture to weaken the plywood and rust the wheels.

If you're in the market for a wooden balance bike, look carefully at how the handlebar and wheels are attached. We're going to keep ours patched up and rolling, but I don't think we'll be handing it down to any friends.

Any repair advice from family carpenters and engineers is appreciated.

Bike Ride

2010-06-24T17:12:00.005-04:00

We have 4 parks that are within walking/biking distance. We try to hit 1-2 of them each day with the goal of exhausting the boys. Below is a video of our ride to "bumpy slide park". It's just shy of a mile away. The video is kinda long (and Blair-Witchy when Henry has the camera).

New Game

2010-06-16T17:06:00.006-04:00

Summer is in full swing, and the boys and I are still sorting out how to spend the day together (with a lot of playing for them and a little writing for me). I'm getting a little better at coming up with things to do rather than continuously reminding them what not to do, e.g., peel paint off the garage and eat it, spit on each other, throw toys in the neighbors' yard.

Here's a game we came up with today. We don't have a name for it yet.

Pony Tail

2010-05-17T17:03:00.002-04:00

The girls at school were getting pony tails, and Arthur wanted one too.

When I picked him up, he said, "My pony tail is cool, Daddy."

"Yes, it is Arthur," I replied.

School daze

2010-03-30T17:07:00.003-04:00

Daddy sure knows how to dress the boys for school.

Signing your name

2010-03-30T17:03:00.002-04:00

Getting a kick out of Henry writing his name.

If you can name the rash on his wrist, let us know. I think we're off to the doctor soon.

Arthur on the Balance Bike

2010-03-24T13:57:00.003-04:00

Jedi Gerbil in a School Bus

2010-02-07T14:02:00.004-05:00

Teaching Arthur to Jump

2010-02-07T11:04:00.005-05:00

Arthur in the Rain

2010-02-07T10:38:00.006-05:00

Soup-a-Doup

2010-02-07T08:29:00.007-05:00

Henry's Blog

2009-12-19T11:53:00.003-05:00

Henry wanted his own blog to post his videos and drawings. He just started using the video camera independently. He is making most of the editorial decisions under a little of Mommy and Daddy's advisement.

Check out: Henry's Things.

Book Shelf Discovery

2009-11-29T21:34:00.004-05:00

After pulling this book from the shelf, Ryan found a funny note inside....

Priorities

Go back to school

Get new job

Read Crime and Punishment

...and yes, I did the last one, too.

Maybe I should read this book again.

Jumping in the Leaves

2009-11-07T20:20:00.003-05:00

World Record

2009-10-16T19:26:00.004-04:00

We usually don't like to post videos longer that 2 minutes, but we think this may be a World Record for two Rish boys reading together (without wrestling). We are still in disbelief.

Super Hero Talk

2009-10-16T18:52:00.002-04:00

Wolverine taken out by juice box

2009-09-18T14:41:00.003-04:00

Doc Ock

2009-08-21T08:51:00.003-04:00

Henry wanted to be Doctor Octopus...this is what we came up with:

ARTHUR-ZILLA

2009-08-17T14:22:00.002-04:00

I like mud & mud likes me.

2009-07-31T15:57:00.003-04:00

Great Grandma Nugent

2009-07-13T11:17:00.006-04:00

CAMBRIDGE, OH -- Christine S. Nugent, 91, of Cambridge, died Friday (July 10, 2009) at Southeastern Med, Cambridge.

She was born April 6, 1918, in Claysville, daughter of the late John P. Hulka and Anna Valenta Hulka.

Mrs. Nugent was a graduate of Brown High School. She was a homemaker and a long-time member of St. Benedict Catholic Church, Cambridge, Catholic Daughters of America and Guernsey County Right to Life.

She was a great cook, seamstress and long-time primary caregiver for her daughter, Barbara.

She was preceded in death by her husband, L. Paul Nugent, who died July 11, 1988; two daughters, Barbara Nugent and Libby Jackson; four brothers and two sisters.

She leaves four sons, Larry Nugent of Cambridge, Jim (Guliz) Nugent of Alpharetta, Ga., Bill Nugent of Longmont, Colo., and Paul (Deb) Nugent of Elkhorn, Neb.; four daughters, Sister MaryAnn Nugent of Manitowoc, Wis., Peggy (Bill) Ditto of Cambridge, Winnie (Henry) Wells of Lore City and Tricia (Jerry) Jones of Columbus; 14 grandchildren, Mary Elizabeth, Eric, Christine, Susan, Will, Erin, Paul, Michael, Arthur, Ted, Selin, Jimmy, Dana and Evan; 14 great-grandchildren; son-in-law, Richard Jackson of Coshocton; brother-in-law, the most Reverend Msgr. James Nugent of Columbus; sister-in-law, Mary Helen Hulka of Canton; many nieces, nephews and friends.

Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at Thorn-Black Funeral Home, Cambridge with wake services at 7:30 p.m.

Funeral service will b e 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Benedict Catholic Church of Christ Our Light Parish with the Rev. Fr. Robert Borer officiating.

Burial will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Cambridge.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Bendict School, 701 Gomber Ave., Cambridge, OH 43725, or Guernsey County Right to Life.

Personal condolences may be sent to the family at http://www.thorn-blackfuneralhomes.com/.

The Law of One-One

2009-07-01T15:37:00.002-04:00

Arthur was much more stubborn than Henry in accepting the Law of One-One.

One-One is pulled out near the end of meals when something more preferable (e.g., blueberry muffin) is presented during the consumption of something less preferable (e.g., turkey sandwich). Arthur has mastered the art of what is known by the boys as Little One-One (bite for bite); Henry has graduated to the art of Big One-One (all of something for all all of something else). Both boys have their weaknesses: for Arthur it's blueberries (especially frozen), for Henry it's melon (especially watermelon).

No One can resist One-One.

Spiderman Cast

2009-06-25T23:10:00.008-04:00

During the process of packing the car and getting ready to head home after a visit to Papa and Grandma Rish's house, Henry asked me for one more slide. I gave in. Henry and Arthur slid, they swung, and then...Henry fell...on my watch.

Henry had an ouchy, I'm responsible for the ouchy, Grandma felt guilty for the ouchy...then we headed home. On the way home, Henry assured all of us (Grandma included on the phone) that his ouchy was OK. At home, the ouchy was still ouchy (see the before pic below).

Before:

When Mom got home from work, we decided that a trip to Urgent Care was needed. And the doctor who looked at the ouchy pictures taken on the big camera, decided that Henry needed a cast (see after pic below).

After:

While Henry picked out the color, I convinced him that having a purple cast is part of being Spiderman (sometimes Venom is inked in purple). Henry slung (imaginary) webs at the nurses on the way out of Urgent Care. Later that evening, Henry asked me to take his cast off, and I told him he had to keep it on and stay Spiderman.

When it was time for bed, Erin tried to take off his Spiderman shirt, and Henry said that he needed to keep it on to be Spiderman. Might be a long recovery in the same shirt...stay tuned for the next episode of the Amazing Spiderman.

Quintar

2009-06-16T08:39:00.004-04:00

Before there was Guitar Hero, there was the air guitar.

Let Summer Begin

2009-06-11T11:12:00.002-04:00

Saturday with Thomas

2009-05-27T23:46:00.001-04:00

Spiderman

2009-05-13T08:06:00.004-04:00

I take every opportunity to point how cycling benefits our family. In this case, the bag that comes with SRAM Red shifters makes a great Spiderman mask.

Happy Birthday, Henry!

2009-05-03T21:40:00.003-04:00

One guess who's idea this was....

Thank you, Crayola, for washable markers

2009-04-20T22:45:00.003-04:00

Sharing

2009-04-19T09:56:00.003-04:00

The Impersonator and the Comedian

2009-04-16T21:40:00.006-04:00

As Henry put on his sunglasses yesterday, he stated, "I'm Papa."

Arthur

2009-03-18T23:17:00.005-04:00

There is a little man walking in our house.

Took us a while to steal a moment with the camera...our Zone D is now set at full-court press.

Figerman got new boots

2009-03-13T23:33:00.004-04:00

OSU's Daycare asked that we provide rainwear for the boys, so we picked up some boots for Henry to splash through the puddles. I tried to convince Henry that they were cyclocross wellies for the pits, but he's convinced they are figerman (fireman) boots. Today, he found a leather hairnet of mine for a figerman hat, and he tromped around by the back door saying, "Bye, I'm going to figerman school to do the ladders and trucks and bucket in the sky. Bye!"

Happy Birthday Party

2009-03-08T21:40:00.007-04:00

We had a "Happy Birthday Party" for Arthur's first birthday. The cake featured Erin's handiwork of a running game in our house: "The Trikadile [Crocodile] eats the Frog." You can see the frog on the top of the cake, but the trikadile is on the far-side of the cake.

After the party, Henry reviewed the highlights of his day in bed, while playing with Arthur's birthday toys.

366 days and no birthday

2009-03-01T13:47:00.006-05:00

Will be celebrating my first quarter birthday next weekend when my cake buddy, Daddy, is back in town.

Sniffer

2009-02-07T21:29:00.003-05:00

Lately, Arthur has been making this snorty, sniffer face. His teachers at school call it his ornery face. Here's a short video....

Arthur Hop

2009-01-29T10:56:00.003-05:00

A Date!

2009-01-22T11:29:00.003-05:00

Erin and I went on our first date in...well, since Henry was born...well, maybe even before that...before bike racing...let's just say that it's been a while. We went to see Garrison Keillor at the Midland in Newark. Erin admitted that she may have even enjoyed herself for a few brief moments during the show (in between all the other moments of thinking about the boys).

Art and Kristen watched Henry and Arthur; we were more worried about Art and Kristen surviving than the boys. They all did great! We can leave the house without them...even as weird as it feels. We're just hoping that we didn't scare Art and Kristen into not having their own children anytime soon. After all, everyone we know should be having babies, right?

When's that baby coming, Julie?

Dance Party

2009-01-18T09:23:00.005-05:00

At school, Henry jumps the wiggles out and shakes the sillies out. At home, we rely on basement dance parties when it's too cold to go outside.

As you can see, we could use a little coaching from Uncle Arthur.

Favorite Ornament

2009-01-03T01:22:00.004-05:00

I get plenty of grief over this one every year, but she sits close enough to the center of the tree that not everyone must see her.

More Babies

2008-12-28T21:37:00.005-05:00

Erin & I are at that stage of our lives when we think all our recently-married friends and family should be having babies. Here's our list of recently arrived and highly anticipated babies (in no particular order, mind you)...

Baby Wells (Julie & Mike)
Sarah Katherine Hagerty (Nicole & Bruce)
Marissa Rish (Deb & Heath)
Katy Jackson (Becky & Eric)
Baby Fisher (Michele & Chris)
Baby Swain (Carmen & Tim)
Levi Abney (Terri & Ben)
Baby Bonnell (Joe & his wife)

Looking to add to our list, so let us know. And if you have a boy, we have some clothes for you!

30lb. Mouse

2008-12-16T07:28:00.006-05:00

Erin and I were in the basement watching Arthur crawl around, bulldozing over everything in his path when we heard a noise coming from the air ducts. The noise was that tell-tale sound of little feet scurrying.

Erin: What's that noise?

Ryan: Probably a mouse coming in for the winter.

Erin: We can't have a mouse.

Ryan: We might. He was probably cold.

[silence (except for Arthur) waiting to hear the sound again]

Erin: Where is it?

Ryan: Probably came down the furnace vent and is crawling around.

Erin: You know that vent on the floor is open.

Ryan: It's an intake. He's probably on the other side of the filter.

Erin: I'm going upstairs. [scoops up Arthur and goes upstairs]

[a few seconds later]

Erin: Ryan, get up here; you have to see this!

Henry: Cheerios raining.

[later that day on the phone]

Nate: Well, now the food is there for when the mouse does come.

Henry's letters

2008-12-11T17:42:00.003-05:00

H
A
M
D
X

These may not mean much to you, but for Henry these letters represent his family. When he sees these letters, he identifies them by a family member's name.

For example, when he saw a AAA sign, he told me, "Three Arthurs, Daddy."

I replied, "Oh Henry, one Arthur is enough."

Check this out

2008-12-07T17:26:00.004-05:00

I was digging through some files and came across this. The file info says that I made it, but I have no idea why or for whom. All I know is that it was a family picnic that I missed because I was in Dar es Salaam, but Erin was there. Too funny. The front is supposed to read 1998 Family Reunion.

Bandages

2008-12-06T15:24:00.006-05:00

An HHH mashup using some clips of the boys.

Xola is a good sport

2008-11-16T20:59:00.003-05:00

(Not) Studying with Arthur

2008-11-16T20:17:00.005-05:00

Saturday night

2008-11-10T22:42:00.005-05:00

Henry's ?s

2008-10-14T08:32:00.007-04:00

If a branch of a tree falls to the ground, it becomes a stick. But what is it in the air during its fall? Is there a philosopher in the house? Nate?

The actual conversation went something like this...

H: Sticks in the tree.
R: When sticks are in the tree they are branches.
H: Branches in the tree.
R: Yep.
H: Sticks on the ground.
R: Yep, sticks on the ground.
H: Branches in the tree, sticks on the ground.
R: Yep.
[pause]
H: Sticks in the sky.
[pause]
R: Branches fall to the ground and become sticks.
[pause]
H: Branches in the sky.
[pause]
R: I'm not sure if they are branches or sticks when they are in the sky.
[pause]
H: Branches and sticks in the sky.
R: We'll ask Mommy.
H: Mommy in the sky?
[laughter]

Arthur

2008-10-04T09:26:00.003-04:00

Perspective

2008-09-25T07:39:00.004-04:00

This picture makes Arthur look huge...not that he isn't.

Sturm und Drang

2008-09-18T08:52:00.005-04:00

We were pretty lucky with the storm; I posted some pictures on our Flickr site. And the best thing is that our power is back on.

Good Job, Daddy

2008-09-12T16:02:00.003-04:00

Sometimes it is a great feeling when Henry tells us, "Good job, Mommy" or "Good job, Daddy," like when we are drawing a picture with him. Sometimes it is just hilarious, like when we are sitting on the potty. Other times it comes across a bit sarcastic:

Pink House. Henry's favorite color is pink. He has discovered that if he dips sidewalk chalk in water he can get better coverage when he is "painting." I came around the corner the other day only to discover that he had "painted" several rows of siding pink on the back of the house. I explained to Henry that he was not to "paint" the house. I spent the next 30 minutes scrubbing the siding with water (and solvent in some parts). When I was all done, Henry said, "Good job, Daddy."

Locked In. We have a crazy garage door opener. Sometimes the button gets stuck and opens or closes the garage door at random. Henry and I were in the garage when the opener in the house shut the door on us. When the button is stuck on the opener, it cancels out the button in the garage. So we were stuck in the garage, and I was trying to figure out how to pop the pin before the automatic light went out. I finally found a pair of pliers and a hammer and got the door open. On cue, Henry said, "Good job, Daddy."

Diaper Disaster. Arthur considers a diaper change to be a wrestling match. He throws his head back, arches his back, and flips over like a wrestler not wanting to be pinned. Henry came in while I was in the thick of a nasty change/wrestling match. There was poop everywhere, and everything in the vicinity needed washed including much of what I was wearing. A half a box of wipes later, Henry said, "Good job, Daddy."

"Thanks, Henry."

Mowing

2008-09-08T23:31:00.006-04:00

The lawn mower. Thanks Tracy and Matt. You'll get what you know you have coming (a really, really annoying toy for James) one of these days.

Tracy and Matt gave Henry a toy lawn mower for his 2nd birthday. It blows bubbles. As soon as I saw it, I hid it...in the basement. When we moved, it made it on to the truck and has resurfaced in the living room.

Now Henry and Arthur are obsessed with mowing. So much so, that we now have mowing rules, e.g., no mowing in the kitchen, no mowing before Arthur wakes up or after he goes to bed, no mowing the dog, no mowing Arthur. You get the idea.

Sorry about the song (not really); I just thought it was funny that I could get my extended family to listen to an annoying song (some of you may listen to it more than once).

Arthur

2008-08-28T14:29:00.006-04:00

Paul asked how Arthur likes the new house. Well, he doesn't seem to agree with how we have arranged things.

Not Tiger'd

2008-08-26T17:20:00.004-04:00

Babysitting Conner

2008-08-25T16:50:00.004-04:00

Who said Conner was a handful?

Uprooting

2008-08-25T13:28:00.008-04:00

Our move was pretty exhausting, physically and emotionally. We found it hard to say goodbye to our home. When we bought the house we honestly thought, "Next stop, assisted living." When we moved to Newark, we thought we were there to stay. We made emotional investments in our home and the city of Newark, which made both very hard to leave. We will miss the great people we came to know and see everyday.

A change in career goals and rising gas prices prompted us to put the house on the market. We listed just before the bursting of the housing market bubble was felt on the local level in Newark. A long year on and off the market lulled us into an acceptance that the house was not going to sell anytime soon and that we really didn't have to think about moving very seriously.

Then a last-minute showing turned into an offer with a tight time line. And then we held our breath during the inspections, appraisals, and clearing of the newly erected hurdles for the buyers' financing. And we held our breath during a few hiccups that seemed as if they were going to dismantle the whole deal.

Then we closed. We looked at each other in disbelief. I could see in Erin's welling eyes that this wasn't what she signed up for. We had talked about it, but now we were really packing up and pulling out. We were selling our home: the place where Henry learned to walk and ride a balance bike, the place where Arthur first sat in a high chair, the place where Xola chewed through the drywall and ate insulation as a pup, the place where we celebrated with friends and family, the place where we mourned lost loved ones in private, the place where I came home for lunch everyday, the place where Erin's flowers grow and her goldfish swim, the place we still think of as home.

And the next day, we moved. With the help of family and some very special friends, we packed up a truck and moved to Columbus. We are renting a house: a house that will help us accomplish our goals, a house that will move us a step closer to finding a new place to call home.

Last weekend we passed through Newark on the way back from our friends' wedding, and it was very hard to look in the windows of our home and see the new family painting the walls and making our house their home.

Paula's 'Did You Ever!' List

2008-08-24T12:50:00.004-04:00

I was sorting through some papers after our move, and I ran across this list written by my Grandma Rish. It's a photo copy, but it's in her handwriting.

Did You Ever! by Paula Rish

Did your father die when you were 3 days old?
Did you set the curtains on fire when you were 5?
Did you raise a brother when you were five?
Did you go to school in a covered wagon with horses?
Did you ever warm an iron on a wood stove?
Did you ever start a wood stove?
Did you ever start school at seven and speak no English?
Did you ever do your homework on the back of wallpaper?
Did you ever go to school with an outhouse and 2 rooms downstairs and 2 up?
Did you ever have a kerosene lamp you carried from room to room?
Did you ever milk cows and watch them eat grass, then they would chase you?
Did you ever hoe 5 acres of corn and chop snakes heads off?
Did you ever live in furnished rooms on the 5th floor with cockroaches?
Did you ever win a dance contest to Glenn Millers Band?
Did you ever work for $3.00 a week?
Did your family want you to leave when you got out of school?
Did you ever die twice, once with 2 blood clots, another when the hospital broke my intestines?
Did you ever have colitis 25 years and be pregnant?
Did you ever stay home for 30 years because your husband wouldn't go out?
Did you ever raise 2 sons and have no problems?
Did you ever have $100,000 and go downtown?
Did you ever feed people that can't use their hands?
Did you ever feed bums and bag ladies and get a 5 cent tip?
Did you ever to go to Florida 20 times?
Did you ever go to Europe twice?
Did you ever have an -ostomy?
Did you ever sue three Doctors at a hospital?

Grandma was a character for sure. I continue to draw on the example she set...her selfless giving and her belief that everyone deserves a fair shake regardless of who they are or where they come from.

We Moved

2008-08-20T19:40:00.003-04:00

More Cousins Please

2008-08-13T17:29:00.003-04:00

Henry and Daddy playing the Uh Oh Name Game.

Flower Bed Bikin'

2008-08-05T21:14:00.002-04:00

Rish Boys

2008-08-05T08:52:00.003-04:00

Dawes Arboretum

2008-08-02T17:49:00.004-04:00

We added some pics from a trip to Dawes Arboretum.

We did more walking than picture taking, though. The rest are on the Flickr page.

Mommy took all the pictures...not nice Daddy.

Backyard Bikin'

2008-07-23T19:40:00.003-04:00

The story behind "wucky tiger"

2008-07-22T11:42:00.003-04:00

After we were married, we moved to Columbus so I could go to graduate school at OSU for the first round. I found a barber shop that I liked on High St. somewhere between Worthington and Clintonville. It was old school and inexpensive; you had your choice of one haircut, the barber used a straight razor to clean up your neck, and you didn't have to talk if you didn't want to...just the way I like my barber shops.

I tend to go a few months between haircuts, so I wasn't exactly a regular. Erin used to comment about the hair tonic that the barber used...it was strong and reminded her of the Lucky Tiger tonic that her brothers' barber used on them when they were kids. Erin's brother Paul disliked the smell calling it "wucky tiger." I didn't care for it either and usually took a shower when I got home from the barber shop.

On one trip to the barber shop to bust down my puff and scruff, my barber asked me where I was from, who I was married to, and where she was from. I told him that Erin grew up on a dairy farm outside of Old Washington, east of Cambridge. He said not the dairy farm on Range Rd. run by Henry Wells. Turns out my barber, Pete, was the same barber that used to cut the hair of Erin's brothers. And I was indeed coming home smelling like "wucky tiger."

Just thought I'd share the "wucky tiger" inside joke; let me know if I am remembering the story correctly.

Just call me "wucky tiger"

2008-07-20T11:26:00.002-04:00

The Drilla

2008-07-20T10:18:00.003-04:00

Barber Shop

2008-07-20T07:37:00.006-04:00

Yesterday at the barber shop, a father was explaining his rationale for pulling his son out of one school system and shopping around for a better system. His son will be a sophomore, scored a 28 on the ACT his freshman year, plays a solid outside linebacker on JV, and wants to become an engineer. His father lost confidence in the school system his son previously attended; he cited a drop in the property values in the district, an increase in minority enrollment, levy failures, and a subsequent decline in test scores and district rating.

The father is looking for a district that can serve as a better platform for gaining admission into competitive universities: a district where his son's class rank will have more weight, a district where the mean ACT score is higher (to improve on that 28), a district where his son might see some varsity playing time, a district that spends more per pupil, a district that passes its levies...which in effect, although unsaid, meant a district in central Ohio with a higher rating and less minorities.

The father is playing the game: a game defined by a historically unconstitutional school funding system, a game he has the social and financial capital to play, a game that is won and lost along lines of class and race, a game the father didn't create, yet a game he will play to win.

It's also a game that historically and in the present only has losers; we all lose by not providing equal opportunities and resources to all of our students, regardless of class and race. But it's also a game that elected and appointed officials have no incentive to change for the constituents that make up their power and campaign finance bases have no problems playing and winning the game.

In the May/June 2008 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education, eight contributors wrote letters to our next president. In Gloria Ladson-Billings' letter, she reframes the national conversation around the racial achievement gap to one of educational debt, shifting the focus from the students and teachers who aren't winning the game (irrespective of social and financial capital) to all of us, as members of a democratic society, who are complicit in sustaining the game and complacent with who the winners and losers are.

Henry's buggin'

2008-07-11T12:21:00.005-04:00

Henry, Henry, why ya buggin'?

Henry brings us bugs, big bugs, small bugs, dead bugs, live bugs...he's into bugs.

Here's a pic of a fruit fly he brought me perfectly intact, yet dead. How he finds them, picks them up, and delivers them is a mystery.

That's 12 point TNR. Our camera can't even get that close.

Henry's Solo

2008-07-09T10:04:00.005-04:00

Henry's daily solo for Arthur; it's usually good for 20 minutes of being able to get some housework done.

Thanks Grandma

2008-07-08T14:36:00.003-04:00

Henry thanking Grandma Wells for letting him pick raspberries.

Memorial Decals

2008-07-08T08:21:00.008-04:00

Lately I've become interested in bumper stickers and car decals during my commute to and from Columbus. As we all have observed, the back of a vehicle can be an interesting piece of real estate for all kinds of political messages, vacation locales, advertisements, sports teams, and well...identity work. In the past few years, I've noticed more personalization of messages on the backs of vehicles. Of particular interest to me are the "In Loving Memory" rear window decals. The decals typically include the name of the deceased and their birth and death dates. I've also noticed that the dates most often span only 1 or 2 decades, indicating that the death may have been untimely. Sometimes the silhouette in the center of the decal is of a child. I find it very interesting that this space on the back of vehicles is used as a memorial to lost loved ones and friends.

I find them interesting because this space, which is often used to mark a relationship with a political ideology (e.g., "Nobody died when Clinton lied"), an affiliation with a place of recreation (e.g., "OBX"), the use of a product (pick an advertisement), and/or support of a sports team (e.g., "I bleed scarlet and gray"), is being used to mark a relationship with an individual, an individual who has passed away.

The first memorial decals that I can remember seeing were military related (e.g., POW/MIA). Then the first decal that memorialized an individual that I noticed was for Dale Sr. (i.e., #3 with wings). Then it seemed to me that this space on the back of vehicles that was appropriated for memorials took a personal turn and the "In Loving Memory" decals started to appear. I'm not suggesting that there is a connection between these types of memorial decals; only that this is what I have observed in central Ohio.

Yesterday, a truck passed me with two of these rear window, memorial decals (both for children) and a bumper sticker centered at the top of the window that read, "My Sons Were Murdered." I let them in my lane.

Arthur

2008-06-30T17:44:00.008-04:00

Just a reminder that our blog exists most importantly for Mom to sneak a peek at her boys while at work.

The Boys

2008-06-22T13:41:00.004-04:00

I used some extra footage to goof around with...

Big Bike Ride

2008-06-22T11:09:00.004-04:00

Henry went on an epic ride yesterday: around the block! It's about 1.5 miles and includes side walk, bridge over 16, suspension bridge over Raccoon Creek, and bike path. I wanted to shoot some of his downhill action, but I couldn't operate the camera and spot him (running alongside) while he was bombing down the hills.

The Debate Continues

2008-06-16T15:04:00.004-04:00

Erin and Henry are convinced that this is a dog, while I think it is some kind of cat.