"We've got a lot of secondhand waffle irons," admits actor Bill Pullman, 57, who stars on TV's Torchwood: Miracle Day. "You always keep them in the hopes that the kids will stop by and say, 'We want waffles.'" He and wife Tamara are now empty nesters (the youngest of their three children just left for college). Here, a look at their Los Angeles home life:
The best part of becoming an empty nester is... a certain kind of freedom. For instance, we will be able to travel in the fall, when we used to be tied to the school schedule.
The worst part is... I'll miss making lunch for Lewis [age 18]. The kids always prepared their own lunches, but the last few years, I got soft and packed Lewis's lunch every day. I liked the ritual, and having a connection to him midday.
My favorite dad moments are... the destabilizing ones when things aren't going well. I like those crisis moments — if you're on top of it and don't get pulled under by panic and fear, it's a very bonding thing.
The secret to a happy marriage is... being able to share a perspective about what we want to do — and also supporting each other.
Instead of a date night, we... schedule an afternoon of gardening. We've been cultivating our two acres for quite a few years. At Christmastime, we give out the fruit we grow. Each year we give our jars a title. Last year's was "Blood, Sweat, and Loquats," because the fruit is so labor-intensive.
The things I always do around the house are... pay the bills, roll the garbage to the curb, and tend to the compost pile.
One thing I never do around the house is... the laundry. There's a little distress around the house if I start to do it.
Our typical Saturday night involves... getting as much culture as we can — dance concerts, theater, music.
And on Sunday morning, it's... the farmers' market for Tamara. I love to prune. I have a physical need to do things.
My wife is always amazed that... I wake up as soon as it gets light. [As kids,] we all worked on a dairy farm in the summer, so I've always done it.
My wife would say my worst habit is... inviting people over without consulting her. And I'm always the last one to leave a party. She probably wishes that weren't the case, but she works with it.
