Our flood started with the washing machine.

I was at work, mom and T at home.

I’m on a conference call and mom tries to call me twice before texting:

CALL ME. HOUSE IS FLOODINF.

I ran out the door and rushed home – and sure enough.

The utility room, kitchen, and entryway were all under water. And the mess was still spreading.

Long story short: Two hours later the flooring company (Carpet Tech) was tearing the flooring out of large sections of our house.

The water got under our laminate flooring and under the walls into our bedroom carpet.

In fact, rooms with tile flooring, and the smallest back bedroom were the ONLY rooms where our flooring did not get ruined.

A dozen industrial fans and currently drying out our home.

And I am typing this from our room at the Holiday Inn on Justice Avenue.

This is all a major pain at the wrong time of the year. Lots of decisions and work ahead. But we got this.

These are first-world problems.

And first-world problems are boring problems.

I love you.

-Dad

K, dropping you off at school this morning, you asked me to go and pick flowers with you.

At first I did not understand what you meant – or where you were seeing flowers.

We were standing in the parking lot, after all.

Finally, you pointed to the blooming bushes by your school building.

For the next 60 seconds, I tried to explain the tragedy of commons to you, like any over-reaching dad would do.

It went about as well as you expect explaining the tragedy of commons to a 3-year-old would go.

At the end of my monologue, you asked for the flowers again.

I told you I would get you flowers soon.

But you immediately asked me when.

Your birthday?

I said.

Yes. You get me flowers for my birthday.

You said back, pleased with yourself and ready for school.

The bushes were green and their blooms were pink.

I love you.

-Dad

Today was the first day my office was officially “back at work.”

I’m still trying to help out at home though with maternity leave and kindergarten still going on, so I left work at noon.

I was thinking how odd it is that many stores are requiring face-masks to enter.

Since doctors (at least from what I have read) think that only the “N-95” surgical masks stop transmission, the entire thing feels like a show to simply make people feel better.

Gloves are the same thing. If a drive-thru worker is not going to change their gloves after exchanging goods for payment with every customer, what’s the point?

When I got home we ate lunch and, H and K, I took you both for a long drive.

We took my white Tahoe, where you girls sat beside each other and played together the entire time.

It was just nice to be out of the house and moving.

I love you.

-Dad