Calfgrit8’s Pokémon collection has grown a great deal; he’s got well over 100 cards now (not counting basic energy cards). Even Calfgrit4 has upwards of maybe 50 cards (not counting basic energy cards). We haven’t played the game in a long time, but the boys just absolutely love these cards.

Cowgrit bought them both a special book with pages of plastic sleeves for storing their cards (2 books for CG8, 1 for CG4), and this convenience has proven quite exciting for the boys. They carry their books of cards with them just about everywhere. When we don’t let them carry a book into a store or restaurant, they search through the pages and select the two or ten cards they want to carry in their pockets.

It’s rare that they don’t have at least one Pokémon card in their hand or in a pocket where ever we go. When we went to the park the other day, they had a few, and I and their nana ended up holding the cards for them while they played in the sand and water, so the cards wouldn’t get messed up.

It’s a joy to see the boys engrossed and enamored with these simple cards. At various times during a given day, one or both of the boys will have their books open in front of them just looking through the cards. They’ll pick a card, pull it out of the page sleeve, and place it on the floor next to them. Then they’ll go through the book some more, pick another card, pull it out, and place it on the floor next to them. They’ll do this several times until they have a dozen cards spread out beside them.

Then they’ll play with them in a quiet way that that just warms my heart to see. Usually, CG4 will have club meetings between his creatures — he’ll speak to and for the various critters. Occasionally, CG8 will have minor battles between the creatures.

I guess this is the boy equivalent of a girl having a tea party with her dolls. CG4’s play is more socializing between the pocket monsters, but CG8’s play is more an analysis of the creatures’ abilities — he can quote each Pokemon’s hit points, damage numbers, and resistances and vulnerabilities.

To CG4, there’s no better or lesser Pokémon — there’s just the ones he likes the looks of more than others. To CG8, higher game numbers make a Pokémon better than those with lower numbers — even though he doesn’t play the game with the cards.

It’s such a simple joy for me to watch them sitting around playing with their cards. It’s the kind of thing that just warms the cockles of my heart. No matter how busy or crazy or tiring a day has been, watching them quietly play on the floor with those Pokémon cards can ease my mind like few other things can. It’s their way of showing that all is well in their world. And that, of course, says that things can’t be too bad in my world.

Bullgrit

We’re outgrowing our current home. With the interest rates and home prices as low as they are, we figure now is a great time to grab a bigger house – one that’ll still fit us when the boys are teenagers, and we won’t have to move again, ever. (Moving is a pain in the butt.)

A couple weeks ago, we learned that someone we knew had their house up for sale. We went by to take a look at it, and it was really nice – we fell in strong like with it. We talked about it for a couple of days, and were seriously considering making a move on it, but then we learned they already had an offer, and they accepted it. Oh well.

Then we learned of another house near Calfgrit8’s best friend, and we called to make an appointment to go see it in two days. The day before our intended visit, the agent called and said someone else had made an offer and the owners accepted. Jeeeez.

Then we found another house to look at, and made an appointment to visit it the next day. One hour before our appointment, the agent called and said someone made an offer and the owners accepted. Oh for the love of . . . .

Okay, okay, we gotta be ready to act. We can’t do this lazily. So, we decided to go ahead and get our house ready to sell. Then we can get an agent to start looking for us and we can be ready to visit and offer without delay.

All last weekend and this week, we’ve had dozens of cardboard boxes scattered around the house. We’ve been moving out big stuff and storing them at my mother-in-law’s house, (she lives just a couple of miles from us), so we can show our house to potential buyers – want the place to look open and uncrowded with our stuff so buyers can more easily picture their own stuff in the floor plan.

Now, some areas of the house look worse than normal because of boxes and sitting piles of various stuff scattered about. But other areas are looking clear and open. We probably have another week of clearing non-essential stuff out before we can present our house to buyers.

The biggest problem we’re finding with trying to get this place ready to show and sell is keeping the boys’ toys in control. They can have a hundred toys strewn across three rooms faster than Cowgrit and I can pack a single cardboard box. We walk out of the den for one minute, come back, and the floor is carpeted in Pokemon cards, Lego pieces, stuffed animals, and Hotwheels cars.

Bullgrit

Continued from earlier.

We went to the Scout outing as a threesome, while Cowgrit went out with her mom. Turned out that the first half hour of the event consisted of experienced fishers talking and explaining the general points of fishing. They showed how to tie proper line knots (something I needed to relearn), how to cast and reel (something I needed to relearn), and how to handle the fish on the line (something I needed to relearn).

Unfortunately, Calfgrit4 just didn’t have the patience to put up with the teaching part of the fishing outing. He was a constant distraction for me, and then he got hungry for a snack. I had to take him back to our van to retrieve the crackers and water. I missed the instruction on handling the reel.

This reel on both boys’ new rod was different than the one I grew up using, and oddly, neither came with an instruction manual. So when we finally got to get to fishing, I had to learn the reels’ secrets in a trial by frustration.

I ended up calling Cowgrit away from her errands to come help me with the boys. My stress level lowered with her there. I could concentrate on figuring out how to cast with this new reel while she entertained CG4. I eventually got everything working properly.

We had big ol’ fat nightcrawlers for bait. I had forgotten how really nasty baiting hooks with live, squiggly, slimy worms is. It’s truly disgusting. And Calfgrit8 didn’t want to deal with it at all, because he didn’t like the idea of skewering a friendly little worm on a hook, drowning it in water, and feeding it to a fish.

Cowgrit has indirectly taught the boys that worms are nice and friendly — they help a garden to flourish — and they’ve many times played with worms in a happy way. So it was a little unnerving for them to torture and kill the things.

And then it started raining. It went from a light drizzle to a hard downpour in less than five minutes. We all grabbed our gear and ran back to the van, but we weren’t fast enough to avoid getting completely drenched. Ironically, the rain stopped completely by the time we got home (less than five minutes).

In our short time fishing the lake, we caught no fish, but we did loose a worm a couple of times. Calfgrit8 did reel in a stick, though, and CG4 told everyone we met about the stick catch. Fortunately, CG8 thought the stick was hilarious, and so was not bothered by his little brother passing the story around to everyone.

But let me tell you, the stick was at least this big.

Bullgrit

Continued from yesterday. Well, with my reminiscing out of the way, let me tell you about my boys’ first fishing experience.

Originally, I was intending to take only Calfgrit8 to this Cub Scout fishing event. Fishing is something that requires patience, and learning fishing takes attention. Calfgrit4 just doesn’t yet have these skills — no 4 year old has them.

But Calfgrit4 was so interested in, and looking forward to the event, that I let myself be talked into including him (I couldn’t bring myself to tell him he couldn’t come with us; it would’ve broken his heart). Last week, we all went to Wal-Mart and picked out a couple of rods and reels — a 5-foot rig with an included tackle box and gear for CG8, and little 2-foot rig for CG4.

Saturday morning (the first chance I got) I set up both rigs. I ran the string down the rod and tied on a float and sinker for both, and tied on a hookless lure to CG4’s rig, and a basic hook (for live bait) to CG8’s rig. CG8 watched me do this, and he listened well as I explained how it all worked. I especially made sure he knew and understood about the hook. The whole while, CG4 was excited and wanting my attention and to fling his rod and line about the house. Yeah, this wasn’t boding well.

I love the little guy, but I was really concerned about going through this first experience with him along. If he was a little older, and if I could give him all my attention the event could be fun. (Or if I wasn’t going to be handling it alone.) But having to relearn some things, myself, and having to teach CG8 everything he needs to know, while having CG4 crave my attention and want to get right into the action of fishing (now there’s a contradictory phrase), I feared this could end up a catastrophe.

My biggest fear was that someone would end up with a hook in some extremity. Both Calfgrits were impressed with my story of catching a seagull, and I didn’t want them to try to out do me by one of them catching a sibling or father.

To be continued.

Bullgrit