Day Two

The morning got off to a good start. The boys slept in until 7:12, which, Michael claims, is the third latest they have ever slept. In addition, as a bonus, they did not get out of bed until 8:00, which meant I was able to read in bed. Lovely. However, after breakfast we took Luka for a walk, and I don't want to go into details, but the glow from the loveliness of reading in bed was soon extinguished. Suffice it to say that (1) I told the boys not to let Luka eat their peanut shells last night; and (2) I did something that I wouldn't have thought I had the capacity to do. Eww.

On the walk we looked for rocks. I still like to find agates and Spencer was interested in finding quartz this morning. But not just any quartz, it had to be "shimmering quartz." I tried to point out rocks that fit this criteria, and although I helped find one good one, it seems that I am not expert at discerning this (somewhat subjective) trait.

At some point today, I had to have a talk with the boys, both of whom should be seriously considered for careers in negotiations - hostage crises (crisises?), politics, labor unions, etc. It seems that no matter what I suggest, they have a counterproposal - perhaps a completely different idea, or a slight (or major) modification. At any rate, I told them that I get to make the decisions, and that when I tell them what the plan is, I would really like to hear, "Wow, Mom, that's a great plan. Well done." So for the rest of the day they have been saying "Great idea" to everything I suggest. They think it is funny. Which it is. But it is nice to hear too.

I continue to be less than adequate (maybe that is too harsh) in the kitchen. First, I didn't think to bring charcoal. On the other hand, I have never really grilled, so probably that is for the best. I did bring brats, which, as I just discovered on the internet, are Wisconsin's Soul Food. I had no idea. I brought the brats because the boys have recently told me they love them. What they love is the pre-cooked, cheese-filled variety of brats (which is what I should have bought). I purchased uncooked brats from the meat counter at Whole Foods, turkey, no cheese. I have no idea how to cook them. After about 45 minutes, I tried to convince myself that perhaps they are meant to be pink. Or, if that is incorrect, that eating undercooked poultry probably wouldn't do us any harm. However, I made a pizza and figured that I could keep cooking the brats and maybe we could eat them tomorrow. However, it has been three plus hours now, they are still really pink inside, and I'm starting to have doubts...