(this is) durkin.org

My good friend Shea left the wide world of Washington, DC last year to follow one of his passions - the art of radio production. No, not knob-turning in a radio station, but the kind of production work you might hear on NPR - narrative, documentary, whatever. Today, the NPR listeners heard from him for the first time (click Listen).

Congratulations, Shea!!

For the sixth year in a row, the Pepper Place Saturday Market will bring locally grown produce and goods to downtown Birmingham. The Market features live local music, demonstrations by local chefs and fresh foods of all kinds every Saturday thoughout the summer.

When MR and I started going several years ago, I figured it had been a decades-long kinda tradition, and am somewhat surprised to find out that this is just the sixth year. It’s a great way to spend the morning; the kids love the music and crowds, not to mention trying out some new foods (or at least new-for-breakfast foods). If you are in Birmingham one Saturday this summer, I can’t recommend it enough.

On Sunday, Reilly tried his hand at breaking concrete. With his forehead. That’s right - he was playing on the front porch, took a push toy down the stairs and onto his forehead on the concrete.

It was not a pretty sight.

We flew to the ER, scared the ever-loving crap out of everyone in the entire waiting room, channeled a little Shirley McLain a la Terms of Endearment in the hallway, won an award*, got some stiches, and went home. Under three hours, all told. When we got to the house, MR and I felt so terribly about the evening that we let him watch an entire movie.

Oye.

*The triage nurse told us we won the “Parents of the Day” Award. I thought she was being sarcastic - weren’t we supposed to be watching, etc. But she said we were calm and controlled, and she liked that. She said she also gives out a drama award, but we were not in the running.