Mid-May in Boston is the among the six weeks of the year (also on the list: two weeks in early fall before it gets really cold, the part of June before it gets hot, each day when it snows but has not yet gotten slushy, and the three days in February and early March when it hits 60 degrees) when you say to yourself, "Maybe I won't move." We have chosen to honor this magical season of general weather satisfaction by going for many walks. We have discovered a really nice park right near our house which is garbage-free, a significant accomplishment for our half of Watertown.



The park is about a five minute walk from our house, and the trip there requires pushing the stroller over a fair amount of broken pavement. The uneven terrain makes Max's head flop from side to side like a salmon heading upstream, but he seems unfazed by this experience and tends to fall asleep. In fact, when we hit the nice, smooth rubber walkways in the park, he gets annoyed. So we push the stroller through the grass, which gives him the same bouncing effect. This works every time. Do not be surprised if I report 3 a.m. walks in this very clean and nearby park sometime soon.



Despite this fancy neighborhood park, we are having the darndest time renting the apartment. It is not a good time to be a landlord in Boston, since the cheap money of the past few years has sent home prices higher than corresponding rents could follow. Simply put, you can't pay your mortgage with most 2- and 3-family homes anymore, and if you can, then you certainly can't make any money on the deal. People consistently ask if heat is included, which is basically like asking if they could please have access to our ATM card and pin number, only in the form of clean-burning natural gas. Then they show up, say they love the place and want to rent it, and vanish off the face of the earth. Or they make appointments and don't show up at all. Sort of like landlords were acting about five years ago. When we were renting. Damn you, housing bubble!