Lord of the Castle

The Joys and Trials of Family Life

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“I don’t recall”

March 15th, 2010 · No Comments

My wife has never visited our oldest daughter in Dallas. I think she might be the only member of the family who hasn’t. So, for the better part of a month, she has been looking forward to this week since her school is out on Spring Break.  I too was looking forward to this week but for a [...]

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Tags: Marriage · Money

Deja vu all over again!

December 25th, 2009 · No Comments

Is there a pattern developing? In my last post, I told you about the similarities of Kimba’s departure last Christmas and her  arrival this year. Well, we aren’t quite finished. I was supposed to pick up my oldest daughter, Bean, from the airport last night. She was scheduled to take off from Dallas at 9:30 P.M [...]

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Tags: Family · Travel

There is a difference between ‘brisk’ and ‘cold’

December 9th, 2009 · No Comments

Before my oldest daughter drove up from Dallas, she called to ask me what the weather was like. “It’s pretty brisk.” “Does that mean its about 55º?” “55?! That’s not brisk. That’s nice.” “So what does brisk mean?” I thought it was in the 40′s but I decided to check. “It’s 37º.” “Thirty seven! O.K. Thank [...]

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Tags: Weather

She didn’t get it from a bottle

November 28th, 2009 · No Comments

My oldest daughter drove up from Dallas to visit us for thanksgiving last night. Even though I talk with her on the phone fairly often, I had forgotten one of her most endearing traits… She is a blonde! In the course of conversation, she mentioned that her car needs new tires. “What size are your [...]

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Tags: Cars · Children

A trip down memory lane

August 23rd, 2009 · No Comments

In August, 2004, my oldest daughter drove our new Ford Windstar for her first day of classes at the local community college. My son was with her because we had just learned that. although he was just 14, he qualified to enroll in a college Algebra class. Our youngest daughter was also in the car. [...]

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Tags: Cars · Money · Parenting · Travel

I wonder if I scared him off

July 13th, 2009 · No Comments

(I originally wrote this on June 18th. A certain unnamed party persuaded a permanently biased judge to issue a temporary injunction against its publication. The legal wrangling has finally ended and the banned post can now be made public) I don’t have the greatest set of social skills. I tend to be too honest. I [...]

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Tags: Masculinity · Parenting

Theys a who’ lot of growin’ up goin’ on ’round he-ah

May 26th, 2009 · No Comments

My youngest daughter started training for her new job… She will be a hostess at a very nice restaurant near our apartment, The Bonefish Grille. Inside the  restaurant, the lighting is subdued, the food is excellent and the prices aren’t cheap. What I am trying to say is that this is a place where adults [...]

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Tags: Parenting

HECK NO!!!

April 17th, 2009 · No Comments

Something happened to me that I have never experienced before… I’ve heard about this but have never experienced it myself and I have been around a few years! A young man called me on the phone and introduced himself. Nothing unusual there. Telemarketers do it all of the time. He then asked if he could take [...]

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Tags: Parenting

The morning of the big day

February 28th, 2009 · No Comments

It is bitterly cold here in Wichita this morning. 12° but it feels like 5°. Temperatures in the single digits make me laugh. It just sounds funny when I say it. Try it. My son is sleeping in. The coaches are going to wake him up at noon. I am going to wake him up [...]

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Tags: Parenting · Weather

Tick, tick, tick, tick (think 60 Minutes)

February 10th, 2009 · No Comments

The clock seems to be ticking faster than normal this week. In four days, my son will be wrestling in the league championships. In three days, my oldest daughter will drive up from Dallas. In two days, my mother flies in from New Jersey and my youngest daughter will play one of the three featured female [...]

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Tags: Family