I’m on the front porch, a fine late summer day, watching the dogs play over on the futon and sleeping bag. Don’t pee on my sleeping bag again, please, gentlemen.

This Labor Day “boys only” weekend has gone very well. What did we do yesterday? The boys just wanted to hang out, I guess, so we played video games, watched tv, and otherwise let the day pass without much productivity. No, I shouldn’t say that, I cleaned the entire first floor over the course of the morning. I wouldn’t relax with the house a mess. Then I read for a while on the front porch and would have fallen asleep but I knew one of S’s friends was visiting at 12:30 so I stayed awake. His dad and I talked about the comparative merits of fast and slow pitch softball for a while. After he left I read some more and talked with a neighbor across the street about his yard sale’s success. They made 800 bucks, but I don’t care, I’m not having a yard sale. After dinner I felt wired as hell so I knocked out thirty minutes on the elliptical with ESPN News’ college football coverage. The boys played outside with the dogs as the sun set. A quick shower and a Magic School Bus book later N was asleep. My sinuses were out of whack so I rotated the Lost in Translation s/t, Vic Chesnutt’s “Left to His Own Devices”, and Maria Callas while I half-crashed on the couch. I didn’t sleep well at all. Later, up in our room, N wanted to come downstairs early, near six, but I wasn’t ready. He played Wii for a bit until his brothers woke. They were great…they let the dogs out, etc. while I snagged another hour or so of sleep. Slightly older kids have advantages. Still, I felt guilty, and I didn’t want them hanging around the house two days in a row, so we jumped in the car and drove over to Cabela’s. The boys had fun, I think, checking out the animal mountain or whatever it’s called and the aquarium. N kicked ass in the shooting gallery, too, destroying his brothers in round one. Awesome. After we returned home I cleaned the kitchen, made lunch, and here I am. I’ll probably lift weights soon. More later. M returns tomorrow.