I have wanted to give the Pixel kids a swingset/playfort since the beginning of the strip. My original plans were to have Harry build them one shortly after they moved in. But the story just took another direction and we never were able to fit it in. With things wrapping up with Rasterman, I wanted to go back to something ordinary and family-related, so the timing was good now. (Issue 251)

Our kids have a playfort and I have to admit they live on/in it during the warm weather months. It provides them with so many opportunities for imaginative play and just plain fun. The whole story about setting up the swingset is loosely based on how we built ours. Much like the Pixels, we just didn’t have the money to pay a company to build one for us. So, we went and got the plans, bought the wood, and then decided how we would do it over a series of weekends. As it turned out, my sister suggested that maybe my family would offer to come over and pitch in. Thus, we turned it into a small party. Now, in our case, we did not have 200 people show up. My family came, and a few neighborhood kids dropped by to watch the activities–and grab a burger or two (we actually grilled, not doing the pizza thing). It was hardly an hour and a bit of work. Everyone put in a good 8 hour, and during that time we managed to get the main frame up. Jim and I finished the project up an hour here, an hour there in the evenings and weekends over the next couple weeks. Anyhow, that is how fiction is often written, taking a bit of your own life and exaggerating it a bit. I am looking forward to all the fun the Pixel kids will have on that swingset, and the potential for storylines it will give us.

Now I guess it would be good to note, however, that if we did do something like this we could totally see it turning out like it did for the Pixels. Harry’s line about how these things always turn out that way for them is pretty much something we say regularly. We can plan and plan, but things never quite turn out the way we expect, and usually involve some sort of disaster!

That also said, I am truly yearning for Spring. We got teased with some 60 degree weather this past week. Now that it’s back to a more seasonal 30, I am longing for warmth and greenery. *sigh* That and the fact we are STILL sick. Yes, over a month of it bouncing back and forth between family members, and I once again have a horrible head cold. The doctor says it is simply bad in this area and everyone seems to be getting it. Either way, I can’t wait for some nicer weather and for everyone to feel better so we can get back to doing stuff rather than sniffling and sneezing.