R and I played a full game of chess this morning.
He remembered the rules, how to set the pieces up and everything. White to the right and Queen on her own color. He remembered Castling, pawn can move two squares on the first move.... I was impressed. We hadn't played in months. Before the game was over all the boys were standing by the table coaching him. I didn't realize E and R knew the rules also. M was a bit hesitant to play. I thing (over analysis alert:) M was hesitant to play against his younger brother because he didn't have the confidence he could beat him. I had noticed this before: he knows the rules and how the pieces move but he doesn't seem to want to take the chance of losing to his younger brother. I have mentioned to him before that I would love to teach him how to really play the game, strategy, position and tactics. I would be SO proud to have two chess players in the house.
Just gave some money to the kids so E and D can take em up to get some fireworks of our own. Neighbors do a great job, plenty of $ spent on boomers. Big ones too. I remember doing the hustle of setting up the mortars, trying to get some correspondence and some timing of the different types of devices. That was fun. These days, I believe, I'd rather sit back and watch my boys get everything they can out of it. Is it age creeping up on me when I say I'd rather watch them get lit off than do the lighting? Nah, it's scientific, it's what we call the Conservation of Matter and Energy, if it don't matter then I'll conserve the energy.
Seeing all the kids pile into the back of D's car and head off was quite a site. Even aunt S piled in the car. To much excitement for one vehicle. Hard to see how anything will get done with that many little brains running around looking for colorful boxes that have explosions on them.
After we blew off the few firecrackers we had all the boys wanted to run around the street and look for crackers that had 1/2 a wick left to try to lite them. They called them excities, great word for the feeling you get trying to light a wick that is less than an eighth of an inch long. I remember having the Black Cat crackers as a kid, they seemed so much stronger then. I had one blow up in my hand once, I remember the tingle and the numbness lasted and lasted. The scary part was my what if my MOM found out. That's the way it always seemed to be, perpetual state of fear of her.
My B is not here this evening. Her business takes her away for a few days, shame it has to be on a holiday. I wish she were here to experience the quiet moments before the explosion of kids, black powder and iron phosphorus. The temperature is perfect, the light is perfect, the sound level is perfect. I am going to start a seperate blog about the Work issues.....
The only thing necessary to experience complete happiness is to not compare this moment to any other moment. Simple. Right?
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