tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10559358427181357882024-09-01T22:40:41.848-06:00- The Grass Looks Pretty Green to Me -Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-39038534185177402712010-07-05T17:29:00.004-06:002010-07-06T11:34:00.806-06:00

Five years ago we moved into a house with an aging, only partially operational, home intercom system. There are speakers in nearly every room but it doesn't operate as an intercom anymore. However, it's built-in FM radio does a great impersonation of a mumbling bumble bee sealed in a tin can... only amplified. In every room simultaneously. If there is one thing I've learned from living in the

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-57452496886129861522010-01-02T17:37:00.001-07:002010-01-02T17:52:33.663-07:00

Today, I sent a message to my future self... my Day-After-Thanksgiving 2010 future self, to be precise. I took down Christmas decorations outside this afternoon; collapsed twinkling trees, pulled electrical cord from beneath frozen snow, wound up endless strings of lights, and stuffed tangled lengths of electrical Christmas Joy into boxes with labels like "Thousand Points of

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-35223213622846101762009-11-07T05:00:00.015-07:002009-11-07T11:27:32.142-07:00

I have three kids, all very close in age, that are beginning their entry into the "tween" years. Based on my observations so far, this is the stage in development when the Conflicto Gland begins to saturate a young body with Scream-At-Your-Brother hormone. It's not new, conflict has followed us from wood blocks to cell phones, but the power has recently been cranked up on the

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-2902035594517485212009-10-10T20:23:00.008-06:002009-10-11T08:37:12.021-06:00

I found a hand written note on a Post-It in my wallet, it was written to me.  The message was cryptic and incomplete, as if the note-leaver assumed I was a mind reader who'd understand its obscure context.  I stared at it... I tried my best to interpret... and then I recognized the writing.  It was mine. I'm a husband, a father, and a professional in a technical field.&

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-5675807483922775682009-09-12T05:00:00.012-06:002009-09-12T05:00:01.730-06:00

As parents, Cristy and I do everything we can to ensure our kids don't hit any unexpected bumps in life's road.  Actually, if you extend that analogy a little further... it feels more like we're clearing forest, grading land, and laying down fresh asphalt that is smooth like stretched velvet. No bump is too small to warrant attention, apparently.  Peaches get peeled, pitted, diced, and

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-22675885942447424662009-08-16T13:27:00.008-06:002009-09-09T10:35:55.021-06:00

Years ago when wholesale warehouses were just getting traction in the direct-to-consumer market I lived with a young couple who eagerly signed up to save big. It was summer, we lived in a small house with no air conditioning, and they came home from the warehouse with a 40 pound bag of oranges. In the absence of proper refrigeration (of which there was none at the required scale in our house) an

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-46326223019174272262009-08-08T05:00:00.014-06:002009-09-09T10:39:11.852-06:00

I was walking out of a store last week and got blocked by an enormous, testosterone saturated, mass of teenager holding a booklet in his hand. "You wanna support local high-schoo fu'ball?". When I was a kid I wanted to play baseball. Circumstances as they were, I was encouraged to pursue more available (and free) offerings through my public school. Elementary schools, of course, do not have

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-67095222495920884742009-07-25T05:00:00.013-06:002009-07-25T13:31:04.607-06:00

I give my kids play money for doing chores... and they love it! A new currency was recently born in my home and, though it has no real-world value, it is sought after and tightly held. We now operate in a new micro-economy based on (wait for it)... "Covey-Bucks".A few years ago we started handing out allowance (in US Dollars) as a vehicle; to encourage saving, to teach about making wise

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-41565930796632740592009-07-18T05:00:00.014-06:002009-07-20T08:28:19.205-06:00

I live with a self-described "food elitist". She makes grocery lists that I am often tasked with filling... the lists say what I should buy but, for the most part, I have to rely on my home-schooling to know what not to buy. I don't always get it right. One week the list said "Hotdog buns (not the bad ones!)". Grocery lists are not supposed to have punctuation.In college I learned about simple

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-30257274370407791522009-07-11T05:00:00.013-06:002009-07-20T08:28:36.751-06:00

For most of us, reciting the vow "until death do us part" is a romantic and binding gesture of love, but for some it has a more sinister appeal. These are the Gladiators... poised in the marital arena waiting for the Emperor to cry out, "TO THE DEATH!".My wife, Cristy, works out 6 days a week religiously. She runs on a machine that strengthens her heart, she lifts weights, she can drop and do 100

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-55645323845931435582009-07-04T05:00:00.005-06:002009-07-20T08:28:57.220-06:00

Dear God, my dishwasher repairman (known hereafter as "Bill") has informed me that the unit's electronic control panel has been destroyed by an apparent power surge. Now I don't know much about the forces controlling electric power fluctuations, but apparently both Bill and You do... because Bill has fingered You as the culprit.Unfortunately, the 3 year warranty which covers my dishwasher's

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-17950864595098587932009-06-27T05:00:00.014-06:002009-07-20T08:29:18.837-06:00

Last spring we rescued a box turtle from the middle of a two lane country road, his name was Speedbump.Speedbump was more than a box turtle and he was more than a slow and gentle friend, he was a seed. He planted the notion that dogs and cats do not define the boundaries of pet ownership in our home, he demonstrated that parents are sometimes willing to adopt, and despite his plodding nature he

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-57615329658555492622009-06-20T05:00:00.003-06:002009-07-20T08:29:41.449-06:00

Each of my 3 kids has their own digital camera. They are not cheap cameras made for kids with disposable quality and very low image resolution... I bought each one second-hand through CraigsList and they're the real deal. In fact, my daughter's 30 dollar, 6 Megapixel camera with a gigabyte of memory is better than my own!While on vacation recently, we ended each day with a memory dump of images (

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-85494707980914868382009-06-06T05:00:00.013-06:002009-07-20T08:29:56.306-06:00

Molly, my 9 year old daughter, feeds the family cat twice a day. She recently decided that it would be of some benefit to have a way to call the cat, Jingle, at will. Like, for instance, if Jingle is outside in the yard and it's getting dark... we should have a way to bring her in without a chase.The chosen method involves a long, flexible, accordion-like tube. With pursed lips and a good strong

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-69847612357448660402009-05-30T05:00:00.012-06:002009-07-20T08:30:37.580-06:00

Everyone knows dogs and cats have an adversarial relationship, as if they've been bred to oppose each other in some grand scheme to create domestic balance. When talking about dogs or cats we often frame them each against a backdrop of the other, like Red and Blue states whose stark common borders are defined so clearly by the very character of their intense contrast with each other.It's not

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-33743485243750788882009-05-23T05:00:00.005-06:002009-07-20T08:30:53.617-06:00

I have an aesthetically challenged commuter car that has seen better days. He has one job... to ensure I get to work and back in a timely manner, a job he does reliably. However, a couple times a week I let him work from home. Transporting me to my home office allows him to remain in the comfort of his own garage without so much as lifting a piston. But, just between you and me, he doesn't really

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-87775107741816518382009-05-16T05:00:00.007-06:002009-07-20T08:31:10.640-06:00

Like good modern consumers we "recycle"; paper products, aluminum, steel, glass... whatever our curb-side recycler will haul away. We also "reduce" and "re-use" wherever possible, completing the 3R's triad. This leaves us feeling like responsible citizens and parents, setting a strong example for our children to follow into their adulthood as they inherit an ecologically stressed world.Spring is

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-11782225150272386412009-05-09T05:00:00.010-06:002009-07-20T08:31:25.780-06:00

My youngest son, Joey, had very recently graduated from the "Terrible 2's" to the "Terrifying 3's". His older siblings were in half-day pre-school and I was Mr. Mom for the day. "Half-day" is a misnomer... it was about 2½ hours and Joey and I had a lot to do. Outside of the typical male bonding you'd expect from such an arrangement we had chores; cleaning up, laundry, and grocery shopping.I

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-27411220465561971492009-05-02T05:00:00.006-06:002009-07-20T08:31:51.179-06:00

When my son, Garett, was about 18 months old I asked him a question, not because I expected an answer, but just to stave off the quiet. He surprised me with a response that was immediate and confident, as if he'd been waiting his whole life for someone to ask."So, Garett... what do you want to be when you grow up?""I be Lah-Lah-Lah" he said, and then broke into song; ♫ "lah--LAH--lah!" ♫We're

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-59163889770293746532009-04-25T05:00:00.020-06:002009-07-20T08:32:08.741-06:00

I joke that when we went dog shopping I took along a carpet sample. We came home with Sally; more than a simple source of hair in our house, she is an adorable Golden Retriever who completes our family.Her bloodline is that of a hunter, but she's a house pet. It's like keeping a race car in the city, she can rev her engine to red-line but never feels the thrill of open road. I throw balls in the

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-28722910801988117952009-04-18T05:00:00.006-06:002009-07-20T08:32:21.518-06:00

I went grocery shopping early this morning when shelves are stocked and traffic is light. Our budget is tight, we're under a self-imposed "spending freeze" in an attempt to re-balance our personal finances set off-kilter recently by a changing economy. It's not that we're making less money, but we're definitely worth less and are anxious about where things are headed. We're under strict fiscal

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-75794883924816852422009-04-10T12:49:00.015-06:002009-07-20T08:32:43.476-06:00

I am going to be 40 in 4 months. Milestones lend themselves well as reason for reflection and this impending giant has me looking both forward and back. Sadly, the margins of my life look pretty equidistant from where I stand. So I guess I'd better start planning my mid-life crisis.The rhythm of a person's life falls into patterns. Like marbles on a shaking table settle into a uniform plain,

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1055935842718135788.post-58336365315244993712009-04-09T19:23:00.008-06:002009-07-20T08:32:58.899-06:00

When the kids were born I had to trade in my sporty SUV for a mini-van. A white one. I love my wife... and I love my kids... no problem.The van (affectionately dubbed the "Brat-mobile") is driven primarily by my wife, Cristy. She had not driven such a large vehicle previously and she's doing a bang up job. Truly... I mean it! The van is really banged up.She turned right into the side of another

Scott Coveyduckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14835162677637721853noreply@blogger.com0