Filling the pool

What a day! Since his birthday Frederick has been noticing the lack of pool in the backyard. In the past few years, we have always set up the pool on the morning of his birthday. But until just a few days ago nighttime temperatures have been in the low 40s so there didn't seem to be much point in setting it up. Finally this week has warmed up (almost a bit TOO warm) so we promised to set it up the day after the school year ended. As soon as the water got to be about 3 inches deep, Frederick stood outside and watched it slowly fill up. HOURS later, it was finally full enough to get in. It was VERY cold:

Today was also grandma's birthday so we all went over for snacks and cake. Before the party, Thomas drove me (!) to Bordine's to pick something out for a present. I saw many lovely plants which I thought were very nice (hint, hint) but he rejected them all ("Too pink." "Too purple." "The leaves are too skinny." "The petals are too ripply.") until he finally saw the plant of his dreams, a very strange, dark green, flowerless tropical plant that looks like it would be at home on a Dr. Who set--THAT was the thing he had to gift. We made it there and back without too much drama. The only exciting moment was when we neared the nursery and were enjoying having the entire road to ourselves until we came over the top of a hill and saw in front of us a bicyclist wobbling side to side between the road shoulder to halfway into the right hand lane (our lane) and a double-wide bus roaring along, going about twice the speed limit, taking up the entire oncoming traffic lane. Thomas was presented with either either running down "The Bike Dude" or avoiding him and driving straight into "The Big-Ass Bus". Paralyzed with fear he hit the brakes and we screeched to a complete stop. He waited for the bus to pass and then gunned it, careening around the bicyclist.