Hiya.

So I’m guessing by now you might’ve heard a little about that whole Pokémon thing that I talked about on Friday.   It’s a big deal.  According to today’s numbers, it’s about to catch up with Twitter in total devices running it.

I took Daphne to the local Dirt Mall on BumbleDay to replace my box fan, and there were literally hundreds of Pokémon “trainers” there, all hunched over their phones’ tiny screens, doing battle at the myriad gyms/Pokéstops nearby.

Jib apparently needed a Rattata of his own

A teeming ocean of people, all of whom were playing the same game, at the same time, in the same place, and yet none of them spoke a single word to each other.  It was, to put it mildly, a little creepy.  And this from a guy who really likes games.

Anyway, moving on…

There’s been a new development over the weekend with Daphne.  I’ve mentioned in the past that the girl really loves being outside.  Well, now she’s toddling over to the doors of the house and banging on them to convey her desire to be allowed outside.

Outside.
In Texas.  In July.

She is very clearly trying to assassinate her father via heat stroke.

Fortunately I’ve been able to distract her from said egress until the early evening hours, when the sun has moved away from its diurnal apex of 700 yards over Houston.  See, there’s a very short window of time when the temperature drops into the non-lethal high 90’s, but it’s still bright enough outside that the bloodsucking mosquito luftwaffe remain in torpor.

And it’s during this time that I open the door, take my daughter’s hand, and we head outside to play in the grass.

And by, “play,” I mean Daphne pulls the grass up…

Rubs it around in her hands for a moment…

Then throws it into the air…

And claps.

Then repeats the process.

And this simple act makes her the happiest little girl on Earth.

And if there’s a better way to spend the last moments before sunset, I’ve never seen them.

j.s.