Solo parenting weekend

Ruth is in California for a long-postponed family memorial and I'm holding down the fort with the help of two teens, our dog, and my dad's dog, which we are hosting for a week. The dogs love each other's company and also love sleeping on Ruth's side of the bed. I just finished helping my youngest child plan for her school musical tryout. We're going to prioritize sleep and hydration and avoid dairy on Tuesday and Thursday morning.

I've enjoyed been engaged in things with the 16 year-old this weekend. Early this afternoon we went out to do a little shopping and get a Christmas tree. We brought home a nice locally sourced Abies lasiocarpa (subalpine fir) and set it up in our living room. My oldest daughter is the smartest and most savagely comic person I've ever known, it's a blast to drive around and drop in on shops and tree stands with her. I helped support a pizza and movie party at the house for her friends on Friday and caught up with a kid that was on a soccer team I coached five years ago.