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It’s been nine billion years since I last posted (and 7,999,999,999 times I’ve opened a blog with that sentence), where to begin?

Hmm, how's this…if you’ve seen CoffeeMate’s Vanilla Carmel Creamer in your dairy aisle, get it. You’ll thank me later. I got a bottle for my mini-fridge at work and forgone the coffee all together. I’m now just sipping the creamer through a straw. I see an intervention in my future.

On to the good stuff.

Let’s start off with ducks. Easter came and went, and with it, so did Tenzin’s first duck costume. The Whetstone library holds their annual duck parade right outside of the Park of Roses. All of the little quackers (and some very interesting looking parents) line up in costume, assembling at the bottom of the hill to march their way to the library for stories, puppet shows, and crafts. Here’s our man:

Yes the costume is homemade, but that’s a whole different story. You see, I’m still bartending one night a week, so it’s a little odd to find yourself clutching a hot glue gun in one hand and an embellished feather in the other, making an elaborate duck costume just hours before you shove libations down the throats of Columbus’ 20-something set. Batik and bourbon, weaving and whiskey, repoussé and rum, liquor and lapidary, quilting and quinine…they don’t really mix, you know?

What’s worse?

Paula Dean was cooking her usual butter and bacon in the Food Network-background, so basically I was macramé-ing a duck costume to a paper bag whilst watching (listening to) a cooking show. Oh how times have changed.

Needless to say I had to grab a beer to man-up the festivities (later, I scratched myself inappropriately and talked about the Craftsman Catalog to customers. Initially they thought the scratching was rather unfitting of a foodservice worker, but soon identified with its necessity when I told them of my night of crafting…some of my customers have kids, thank God).

The next day, Tenzin marched along with the other duckies, admiring his older cousin the entire way. I love watching them together, because you can see Tenzin learning from Henry’s every move. He watches him intently, looks where he looks, and runs when he runs.

Unfortunately, the costume didn’t last too long. The Zen wasn’t as mobile as he’s used to being, and began to trip on his bag-bottoms. Some tears were shed, but they were mostly a result of the nap-free morning.

After that it was on to the library, but the little man was waaaaaaay too tuckered out to continue. Check him out, all glaze-eyed in the young adults section. He can't read yet, but he knows that's where all the ladies hang out.

What else?

Rachel's mom (West Coast Grandma) stopped out for a spell and got some Tenzin time. We wish she could have had a little more fun but a tooth was bothering her, and we all know that nothing says fun like a dental vacation. So, unfortunately, she had some work done, but made it through and convalesced like a champ. Tenzin made sure to hug her back to health.

This is the first time we didn't do anything super exciting. The weather was still too cold to do anything warm-related, and too warm to do anything cold-related. It's unfortunate, because everything is finally starting to clear up. Yesterday it was 70 and sunny, the birds have been chirping like crazy, the grass is beginning to grow (I'm not ready to mow, yet), I think Spring is finally here. Maybe next time (no thanks to Skybus...RIP) we'll have clearer skies.

In the meantime, I'll give you what you came for...here's Tenzin being a goob: