Mom’s been agitating about building a tree house for the last few months (years?). She’s gotten more serious about it since her chicken ranch fell through and she was left without a spring project. So last Sunday she took Alice out shoe shopping (her old shoes were leaving bloody blisters on her heel) and said that she’d look at tree house building supplies. Just look, she said. Naturally, when she got back, she had a van full of wood. Apparently the project is on. We have a basic design now, plus joists, but the first step is doing some tree trimming. I think Mom’s biding her time until the end of school / early summer rush of activities slows down a bit