Ali cooked a meatloaf today. How’s that for midwestern? Yes, it’s another first. There has been more and more cooking going on around here lately and I blame it all on the kids. And before you chefs out there get all uppity in our face about it, let me just state for the record that cooking is absolutely not less costly. People always say that, but they’re nuts. We can eat out much cheaper than we can eat in. Especially at hole in the wall joints with no liquor license.

Ouest has this thing where she walks around town flipping up all the water meter covers. And in this town there are at least two or three per block. It’s a point of pride with her. Problem now is that Lowe wanders along behind her flicking them back down. All we hear walking down the sidewalk now is click, followed by an exasperated Ouest saying, “Lolo!”