A busy week, with conflicting after school activities, frantic air conditioning emplacing and screen making. The Bermuda high came by to really roast us, so last weekend I ran around putting air conditioners in. I put one air conditioner in twice, the first time it didn't work, the fan wasn't spinning. So I removed it, took it apart, got the fan working, put it in the girls' room, and ran it again. It grudgingly worked, and exuded a burning smell, so I took it out. We threw it out, but some optimist took it before the trash truck came. Maybe they can fix it.

We ended up buying a new one for the girls, it wasn't wide enough for their window, so I used charming piece of old plywood to fill the gap.

I'm also trying to beat the heat by opening the attic windows. In the past I just opened them up, and the bats in the neighborhood appreciated it. This year I'm trying screens, making some out of wood, and some out of aluminum screening material (Lowes is much better at stocking screen stuff than Home Depot). I have a crappy spline tool, so neither option is the easy one.

It could have been worse, the AF's lost their power Saturday as they were loading a rental truck with heavy stuff to make sure they meet their moving weight allowance. We helped by having my parents pick up AF_girl to go camping with six year old (eleven year old was camping with newspaper_girl at the Girl Scouts). As it turned out, the kids came back that night, newspaper_girl was sick, and six year old didn't want to spend the night alone.

We got ours, too, and lost power one hot evening. It was okay, we had a squirt gun fight and I roasted coffee. The power came back on before bedtime, so we could use the ac.

Wednesday was tough, six year old's class had her exhibition, while eleven old had a presentation on what she's learned all year long. I took six year old, Mrs. Ha took eleven year old.

One evening I kegged my stout, Thursday maybe? T-Day is probably Saturday, I'm glad, I'm down to drinking Genny Cream in cans.

I only rode once this week, my trunk is now loose. I'm hoping for a few hours on Saturday to tighten my trunk and check my float levels, that would be a great Father's Day gift. As it is, Mrs. Ha and eleven year old were embarrassed by me wearing my punk boots everywhere, so they bought me some wide mens shoes from Europe, 1803 in size 45. They are nice, it's nice to have shoes that fit.

In other gift news, it's Mrs. Ha's birthday and she's getting some neat stuff.

We went to Barnes & Nobles a few weeks ago, apparently Disney branded Fairy Tales are big in the first grade, and six year old wanted to buy a few, with her own money. We helped her out, reading is a habit to be encouraged. In the used history section, I found Men of Company K: The Autobiography of a World War II Rifle Company, mostly recollections of a company from the 84th division as the fought in Europe in the fall of 1944 and the spring of 1945. It was good, so good Ambrose reused some of the anecdotes for Citizen Soldiers.

In other six year old book news, I have a stack of Magic Treehouse reviews to catch up on, including some Merlin Missions. In Stage Fright on a Summer Night Jack and Annie end up in Elizabethan London, and on stage at the Globe Theatre. You get to meet William Shakespeare, and a bear. Sadly, the bear does not pursue Will.

In Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve, the kids go on a Merlin Mission, subcontracting for Merlin instead of Morgan. These books are a little more complex than the previous ones, and I like them a little bit better. In this one, Jack and Annie and Teddy go to a medieval castle to find out where everyone went, and why are there so many ravens around.

In Season of the Sandstorm, the kids go on another Merlin Mission, to medieval Baghdad, where Baghdad is one of the most advanced cities in the world. For a Magic Treehouse book, it's pretty good.

We never finished our movie, so no movie review this week, in case we finish it tonight. What can I say, it was busy.