"Golfs in the Offlers"

Caleb's latest obsession is "golfs in the offlers," which can be translated as "golfing in the flowers."

Now that we live in a neighborhood, I'm getting used to a new way of life. Growing up in Forest Grove, my siblings and I played in the cornfields that surrounded our house, pretending we lived on our own, and hording leftovers from the garden to survive on. Even now, the scent of a old, mushy cucumber reminds me of our imaginary existence in a clearing in the field. Once, my brother set the corn field on fire...and we had to extinguish it using wet rags, just like an episode of Little House on the Prairie. Occasionally we had a cousin over to play, or the neighbor's grandkids were around to teach us new games, but we never lived close enough to other kids that we had neighborhood friends.

But, during the summer our cul-de-sac has become a haven for wandering kids -- kids who just play out of the sight of their parents. Because we're outside with Caleb quite often, our house has become a magnet and Tim and I often find ourselves surrounded by kids who are playing with Caleb's bikes, T-ball set, and golf clubs. But, all this leads me to wonder, when do I let my son loose? When is it safe to just let him play on his own, to let him run out the door (which he can do on his own now) while I stay inside to make dinner or unload the dishwasher? I'm guessing age two is not the answer. We'll give it a little more time.

I have discovered that our new little friends who inhabit our yard like to tell us details that their parents may or may not prefer to be shared. But, hey, when you're the resident adult out "on duty," I guess you just get filled in on all the latest news.