'Til the Wheels Fall Off...

The training wheels are off. Henry is pumped. We are about 36 hours into this ordeal and it is not going to be easy. We will keep practicing.

Balancing the bike with Henry on it and going up and down the driveway is actually a very serious workout. I guess that means I am getting old.

Henry didn't actually fall off the bike. He was running toward me and just plain wiped out.

Violet inherits the trike.

The quintessential hot mess...


Henry has the uncanny ability to round up chickens when needed. We call him the chicken wrangler. I told him he is the best chicken wrangler out there. Tonite Henry was following me around as I was on patrol cleaning up dog turds in the sideyard and Henry told me I was the best turd wrangler out there.

I have returned to vegetable gardening with a vengeance. It's a pretty small garden but I thought it would be best to ease back into it with something that I could stay on top of. Mostly salsa ingredients and a few other things with some heirloom varieties of tomatoes such as Purple Cherokee and whatnot. We should have more tomatoes than we know what to do with.

This picture shows the chicken coop, the garden, the sandbox and the new landscape project. Just a couple years ago this area was a big pile of dirt! There are some sunflowers planted behind the garden fence courtesy of mama that are growing like crazy.

Here I give gentle instruction to Henry on the nuances of carrot thinning and other gardening secrets.

Here is a better look at the ongoing landscaping project along the front elevation of the house...

Henry has been big into watching Peter Pan lately -- a favorite also of Michael Jackson. Here is a glimpse into the artwork of a young boy about to turn four. It's a drawing of Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Not bad, I say. He has an eye for detail that is developing rapidly.