NHL Archives - Page 26 of 39

Squirrel Abandonment Issues

October 20, 2010 TechyDad Animals, NHL, Photos, Videos

Months ago, NHL began expressing fear that a squirrel would come up to him and bite or scratch him. I explained to him that squirrels would run away from any people that approached. Eventually, he understood and his fear went away.

Fast forward to today. I was going to pick NHL up at Hebrew School, but I was running early. I decided to go to take some photos for a website I’m working on. I parked in the parking lot, grabbed my camera and got out of my car. That’s when I saw the little guy.

At first, I thought he might be injured. I approached slowly and took his photo, intending to move on once he ran away. But he surprised me and ran towards me. No matter which way I dodged, the little guy would look around for me and hop over to me.

I tried taking a video, but he wouldn’t cooperate – running closer to me than I could shoot.

I tried leading him to a tree in the hopes he’d climb it, but he kept coming back to me. Eventually, I couldn’t wait any more. I had to pick up NHL. But I didn’t want the little guy to run to me and get crushed under my car. So I ran over to and around a parked car. As the little squirrel hopped over to find me, I quickly went around, made a beeline for my car and got in. The last I saw of him, the baby squirrel was peaking out from under the car, looking to see where I went.

I know it was just a squirrel and could have even been sick, but I felt awful. Almost like I abandoned my own child. I called the Temple as I picked up my son to see if someone could call Animal Control, but nobody was there. Maybe it’s the dad in me who hates to see any baby alone. Maybe it’s the animal lover in me. Maybe I’m just a big softie. All I know is that the baby squirrel will haunt me for awhile.

Should I have done something different? What would you have done?

Wordless Wednesday: Ride the Merry Go Round!

October 20, 2010 TechyDad Fun, JSL, NHL, Photos, Six Flags, Wordless Wednesday

A Festival of Frightful Proportions

October 19, 2010 TechyDad Family, Fun, Holidays, JSL, NHL, Photos, Six Flags

On Sunday, we headed over to Six Flags. We had been meaning to go back there ever since NHL’s incident back in June. With only a couple of weekends left in the season, we decided to make the trip. Of course, this time of year, Six Flags parks decorate for Fright Fest. This means plenty of (phony) spider webs and ghoulish decorations.

There was also lots of candy both of the giant display-only variety and trick-or-treat edible variety.

The kids got to trick or treat a bit and then go on tons of rides. This was even more fun than our usual summer trips because: 1) we weren’t dying from the heat and 2) the lines were insanely short. A few rides let NHL and JSL take a second pass without exiting because there simply weren’t that many people waiting on line. A few times, they were the only ones on the ride!

They were a bit disappointed that the characters weren’t out, but at least Tweety was (dressed as an angel).

Hey, it’s Tweety and NHL Putty Tat…. uh, I mean lion.

After tons of rides, the evening was approaching. Not only did this mean we would have to leave because it was a school night and we needed to eat dinner, but it meant we had to leave because the scarier elements of Fright Fest were coming out. There were guys with chain saws wandering around lunging at park goers. Yes, the chain saws are fake, but they sound real and are scary to little kids. You could buy your kid a “don’t scare me” necklace for $3 but that sounds like some kind of weird Halloween extortion to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of the chain saw guy as I was busy herding my kids away from him so they wouldn’t get scared.

Even worse, I missed a zombie photo opportunity. While waiting on our last line, a woman walked…. well, stumbled by with pure white eyes and a sliced up smile. She was clearly a member of the walking dead. She would stumble up to people and engage them for a bit before shuffling on. How I wish I could have jumped off line, leaving B with the boys and gotten a photo of her. But the way the line was set up (and as close as we were to the front of it), that just wasn’t an option. After exiting the ride, I looked for her, but she was long gone. Off to score some choice brains, I suppose.

All in all, it was a great time. Perhaps we’ll even go back another time in the next week or two before the park shuts down for the winter.

Apple Picking and Pumpkins Too

October 19, 2010 TechyDad Food, Fun, JSL, NHL, Photos

On Saturday, we were trying to figure out what to do. We had wanted to go apple picking for some time, but weather, Jewish holidays and other things kept getting in the way. With the weather cooperating and no other plans on our agendas, we finally decided to stop by the local Pick-Your-Own place.

Needless to say, the boys were excited. They love picking their own produce. Not only do they get to wander around outside in the fresh air in large fields, but they get to pluck things off trees and put them in bags. This may sound like a simple thing, but the simplest things are sometimes the most entertaining. The bonus is that they can eat what they are plucking!

I tried to get shots of everyone, but I must confess that the photos were a bit JSL-heavy. That’s mainly because NHL was too quick. He was off, finding apples, plucking them, sticking them into his bag and running off to the next tree for more. Meanwhile, JSL was having trouble navigating all of the apples that had dropped to the ground. This meant he was slower and more photographable (if that’s a real word).

In the end, we picked 29.5 pounds of apples.

Our fridge is now packed full of apples and we’re going to need to figure out what to do with all of them. Slow Cooker Apple Sauce will be made, but we’ll need to come up with some other things as well. We have some frozen pie crusts…. Maybe apple pie?

During our apple picking, we also stopped by their pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin for carving. There were plenty of interesting specimens here for us to look at.

In the end, we decided that these had been sitting on the ground during too many rain storms. So many were rotting that we were worried that any “non-rotting” one we picked wouldn’t last until Halloween. On the way back, we passed a place with plenty of pumpkins to pick from. (Try saying that three times fast!) Here we picked a 22.5 pound pumpkin which will soon be sliced and diced into a Jack-o-Lantern.

I plan to save the innards to make something with. Roasted pumpkin seeds, of course, but I’m open to other “pumpkin innards” recipes.

We headed home with a car 52 pounds heavier and a pair of very happy boys. Hurray for pick-your-own farms!

What are your favorite pumpkin and/or apple recipes?

Dear Kid Saturday: Pause The Rush

October 16, 2010 TechyDad Dear Kid Saturday, NHL, Parenting

Dear NHL,

Too often, I feels like we’re always yelling at you to do things. We’re rushing to get things done with all the worries and concerns of our adult world weighing on our minds. You’ve grown up so much now that you are in second grade and are so smart that it is easy to forget that you are just a kid. Much of the world is still a mystery to you. Mysteries can be fun and exciting, but they can also be scary and terrifying.

A few days ago, your mother went to a PTA meeting. While she was gone, you, JSL and I went out to eat at Dunkin’ Donuts. We came home with 25 Munchkins for dessert, but you didn’t get any that night. You kept not listening to me and doing the opposite of what I told you. As I gave you chance after chance to earn dessert, you seemed determined to blow it each time and then try to win it back by showing remorse.

After having you sit in your room for a few minutes, I did something that I haven’t done in far too long. Something that I want to make more time to do more often in the future. I sat down on your bed with you and talked, father to son. We talked about things that make you nervous in school. Things that frighten you. Things that go on in your head.

I calmed you down a few times as you got anxious talking about these things. It’s good to get them out. Trust me, I know. I’m the master of bottling up your anxious feelings and it does *NOT* feel good to do so. They’ll just fester in there and make you feel worse until you want to find a quiet, dark spot to cry in.

Keeping things bottled up doesn’t solve anything. Your mother and I are here to talk with you any time you want. Though it might not seem like it when we’re yelling at you to get dressed because we’re running late and you’re watching TV half out of your PJs, we’re on your side. If you’re having trouble with something or someone at school, we want to know. We can’t work to fix it if we don’t know. While I can’t guarantee that we can fix everything that worries you, we promise that we will try our best.

So let’s make these father-son talks a regular event. I’ll pause my adult world worries and just focus in on you. We’ll go into your room, lie down on your bed, shut the door if you want, and talk about whatever worries you. Above all, know that I love you and just want the best for you.

Love,

Daddy

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