Babies and baths - aren't they a great combination? I was on a trip to Pennsylvania to handle some family estate stuff, and I took my son, who was about 18 months old at the time and still nursing. We had a really long day at an auction, then I loaded the trailer and we drove to the town where my great aunt was in a nursing home to spend the night. (Jersey Shore - what a name for a town in the middle of the state!) The hotel was an old fashioned brick multi-story building, and it just didn't look at all like home and my son was so tired and out of sorts.

I pulled out my rescue kit - several of his favorite bath toys - and ran a bath. For him it was a descent into normalcy, water and toys and Mom there like usual, even if the room looked different.

The next morning we visited my aunt, and my son was such a hit in the nursing home day room! A blond curly-headed toddler moving around the room, and all of the elderly folks reaching out from their chairs, hoping to get a cuddle or one of his laughs, while I visited with Thelma.

Today I finished my hall closet shelf, and then loaded it with the light weight of backpacks, daypacks, and a few bags. The rest is in a plastic milk crate on the floor in the same closet. I have a stack near the back door for the Goodwill.

The dogs got a brisk walk this evening, and I roasted veggies in my roman clay baker for dinner, along with a steak. The house still smells wonderful.

This evening I tackled my ugly fireplace, to get a good look at it. I'm thinking about using some of the pink insulation boards (from Home Depot) and building a liner for the thing and closing it off. If I do that, I might not get cold and damp air coming out of it and I could put the large television in front of the opening on the hearth itself. I might have to get a piece of plywood to level the hearth for things to sit on, the stone work doesn't appear to be level.

SRS