Milestones

 

At Kennywood Amusement Park in Pittsburgh

 

Emily casts a sideways glance at Andy, as if to ask "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

It's been a little over one year since we moved from sunny Felton, California--home of the redwoods--to city life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania--former steel capital of the U.S., where the weather keeps us guessing. Should we walk to the store? When will the clouds part, and for how long? Will it thunder? Pour? Or merely sprinkle? Will we need the ac unit on the entire weekend, or just a day? Is there enough breeze to open a window?

While the forecast is unpredictable, I am learning to anticipate the constant signs of a Pennsylvania summer. Our Rose of Sharon is in bloom. Fireflies sparkle near the ground at dusk. Cicadas, these ugly insects, beging to chirp. This year, their chorus is a pleasant backdrop to a humid evening on the porch. Last summer, several Cicada species emerged at once from their five, ten and thirteen year underground hibernation cycles. Their noise was deafening.

It's also been one year since my Dad and Jacob's car accident. After an artificial hip replacement, my Dad is now pain-free and walking a mile a day. Jacob recovered quickly, and went on to star in his high school musical, receive his black belt in Tai Kwon Do, graduate, and gain acceptance to the University of Pittsburgh. (I'm not at all proud of my little brother!)

Another important milestone, and one I can hardly believe is happening: Andy is becoming potty-trained! We're on day 6 of this new acheivement, with only a few accidents. Ironically, one of these accidents happened at the park when I was bragging to a friend about how well he was doing. Just as the words were coming out of my mouth, Andy found a drain by the drinking fountain and hovered over it, pissing down the side of his shorts. Take that, mom!