Back in the band

 "July, July, July, you never seemed so strange..." ~ The Decemberists

The kids are back in school.  Luke was invited to join the gifted program.  We accepted for him.  July flew by in a blaze of 95+ degree days that left even the most global warming skeptics rethinking their views.

Fourth of July weekend found the Bone family making the familiar, if arduous, trek to Mrs. B's homeland.  The land of cheese and roundabouts.  Unfortunately, over half this drive is spent in the catatonia-inducing state of Illinois, which I believe is derived from a French word meaning "flat and filled with corn, windmills, and state troopers."  Don't quote me on that.

Mrs. B's mom decided that would be a good weekend to be transported to the hospital with a heart rate of 220.  After a four-day, three-night staycation in the cardiac care unit, she was sent home with a shiny new heart monitor.

Even thought we rode in the 4th of July parade, it felt difficult to be patriotic this year.  America right now feels surreal.  Military troops in the streets of American cities.  It's like all the things we saw in other countries thirty years ago are here now.

I've come to believe it's not a left versus right thing, but a top versus bottom, elite versus commoners, 1% versus 99% thing.  Wouldn't it be horrendously ironic if the Epstein scandal was the thing that finally brought us back together?

We also slipped away last month to Cincinnati for an overnight trip to take in a Reds game.  It's been heart-warming to see Luke inherit the Reds as his favorite team, though I know the many heartaches that rooting for a small-market baseball team will bring him over the next 60-80 years.

Speaking of Luke, he has rediscovered his love of music/Imagine Dragons recently.  He's dug out his mic stand, amplifier, and electric drum set, which means I have had to dust off my self-taught drum skills.  So now we're apparently in the market for a used drum kit.

Harper loves her second grade teacher.  She has more confidence than twenty supermodels, and I hope she keeps it for always.  Her fashion sense is impeccable and must have skipped several generations.

I was asked at my last job interview what I would consider to be my biggest accomplishment.  I replied, being a dad.

Their kindness and innocence gives me hope for the future. And God knows I need it.