When last we checked in on this tale, we had just received a notification from our homeowners association that said something to the effect of, “You’ve added one heckuvan eyesore to your property, and that just ain’t gonna fly.” Julie submitted a retroactive request for approval of the pole. The response? Two options:

• Plant three spruce trees near the pole to shield its eyesore-ness from our next-door neighbors
• Relocate the pole to be closer to the back of our house

Needless to say, neither option appealed to me:

• The spruce trees would definitely hinder games of catch in our backyard (not to mention the hassle of buying/planting them)
• Relocating the pole closer to the house would put it in “Molly’s Poop Pit” (Julie’s term)

Luckily (from a marital harmony perspective), Julie didn’t like either option, either.

Once the snow melted down to 3-6″, I slogged out and removed the pole.

Don’t think, gentle reader, that this saga is over. Julie is now pondering a concrete-filled tire to make a semi-portable pole that can sit in the driveway and be stored in the garage. <sigh> “Stored in the garage.” That’s Julie’s version of penicillin — it is the first option to cure any problem!

 [Update: Julie read this and informed me that it is Benton, rather than she, who is making noise about the concrete-filled tire solution.]

The bad news is that we aren’t the only people who have taken pictures of the tetherball rig in our backyard. The Homeowners’ Association has as well (albeit without anyone playing a game at the time). We received a notice this week asking if we’d gotten approval to put this up, as they do not have a record of it. Well. Um. That’s because we didn’t realize it would require approval.The good news is that it is semi-removable. With a shovel, a screw driver, and weather in the 40s, I could have it out in 15 or 20 minutes. Julie thinks we’re just going to have to paint it to match the house (painted plastic where a rope constantly rubs across the surface — that’s going to look really nice by the third game, I can imagine!). We’ll see. She called today, and we’re getting the paperwork submitted. We’ll find out. As my luck has gone with this whole experience, I’m expecting that I’m not only going to have to remove it, but I’m going to have to re-sod the 12′ ice/mud pit that surrounds it!

The weather dipped into the teens during the day shortly after the installation was complete, but that didn’t stop Benton from pestering anyone and everyone into bundling up and playing a few games with him. We found out later that my dad — the most obliging grandfather EVER — managed to tweak his knee a bit, to the point that it was still bothering him a week or two later (and hindering my folks’ cross country skiing plans in Maine)!

Unfortunately, the photos of those rounds are forever lost with the camera that disappeared. But, shortly after the new camera arrived, Benton’s friend, Josh, came over for a Friday night sleepover. On Saturday, in 35 degree weather, they headed out to play:

After 45 minutes or so, they decided they were getting too warm, so they stripped down (Longhorn jerseys both! Hook ‘em!):

But, the ground was still frozen, which, apparently, added to the challenge:

All the kids took turns riding it. When I surprised Benton by snapping a picture of him rounding the corner of the island in the kitchen, he immediately blurted out, “Don’t put that on the internet!” The little bugger is a fast learner (still recovering from the trauma of the dogs putting a picture of him without a shirt on in their holiday missive).

Alana had no such qualms (give it time…):

On the recreation court at the boys’ school, with a steady drizzle coming down, I took a quick break from Benton’s and my tetherball matches to catch Alana tooling across the pavement on her Princess Hog:

Carson decided that slick concrete was perfect for skateboarding. He only took one or two spills: