A Word for My Sponsor

By Al Horn

The arrival of two kids and moving into a new house has curtailed my writing as well as my ability to get out to writing conferences and other writing related activities. I have been fortunate to get the time I have. For the most part, I have one person to thank for the few opportunities that I do get. My wife.

The Barmaid has spent most of the last seven months as caretaker, peacemaker and interior designer. All of these activities keep her busy. As such I have refrained from using my favorite Hagar the Horrible quote about women having poor time management skills. I try to maintain the peace, too.

Being a caretaker for two young children is time consuming and exhausting. The two year old demands almost constant attention when he is awake. Children's shows and DVD's help but he loses interest fast then wants to be played with. The five-year-old also wants her share of attention. Sometimes she is content with getting it from her brother but for the most part she wants to be mentally challenged on some levels that little brother can't supply.

Through all of this she has done an excellent job of keeping the house in order. No mean feat when everybody in the house tends to leave something where it doesn't belong. The kids and I can always count on clean clothes, a stocked pantry and healthy food. These are just a few of the dozens of chores she juggles while keeping peace in the household.

Peace is sometimes a fragile commodity in our humble abode. Both children tend to want what they want, when they want it. They also tend to hold on to things that others want like a mother bear protecting her cub. Fierce battles can sometimes erupt on a moment's notice. I do my share of mediating when I'm home but during my ten-hour workdays she is the sole voice of reason.

With all the above to keep her busy you would think she'd relegate things like painting, hanging pictures and dealing with draperies to me on my day's off. I catch some of these duties but not all of them. She has a mental image of what she wants the house to eventually look like and she's not always willing to wait for my next day off. On top of that, some of the painting techniques she has applied were beyond my grasp.

Combine that with some of the handcrafts she has created and her masterful grace in the kitchen and you have one well-rounded artisan. I am grateful for all of these talents. The one talent that has been sorely neglected in the last seven months is her unique ability to write. She is a published author in her own right and wrote many free lance articles before the children came into our day to day lives. She has found very little time to write as evidenced by how often she contributes to our 'From the Tap' page.

Sure, she could steal ten minutes here or thirty minutes there and leave the kids to me. Instead she grants me the time to write in hopes that my abilities(?) will flourish. For that I am eternally grateful.