It Pleases The Gods

I was walking through TJ Maxx today helping Miss M select a pair of gym shoes for school. Select may be a generous term. Handing her shoes and making her put a foot in at least one and...gasp...actually tie it is closer to the truth. She does not like shopping. People tell me that she will grow into it, she's a girl and MY child after all. At 12.2 years of age she shows no sign of it yet. Her general compliance today was the result of bribery. Yes, I told her she could rent a movie of her choice if she at least didn't cry and yell at me when I handed her clothes to try on.

So I am in the shoe aisle. We happen to wear the same size now, you know. And I was thinking that with all the money I save due to her aversion to purchasing clothes and shoes this might be the year I buy myself those red, mid-height Frye boots. Just then I turn to check the rest of the size 7's and guess what!!!!? NO. Not Frye. But Franco Sarto, whom I also love. Red. Mid-heights. COWGIRL boots! For 1/4 the price of the ones I was going to go home and order online.

The shoes gods must be rewarding me for taking such fastidious care of my soles! It pays to exfoliate, girls.

Yawl: a drawling yawn which can last between 20 seconds and 3 months

Can we just blame my lack of posting on the fact that I have no idea where my alarm clock is? I don't generally know what time it is these days to be honest with you. It is that time of year. That is as close an estimate as you are going to get out of me. End of summer. The part where I avoid any and all mention of back-to-that-place-the-children-go-to. I am not ready for that yet. So NOT ready, in fact, that I do not know when the first day is. People keep asking me and I don't know. Really. There is some stuff some time about meeting teachers and dropping off disinfecting wipes. I suspect we will be missing it. Or may have already. Rest assured, Educators, this is a parenting choice. Not indicative of neglect or substance abuse. Just about our priorities as a family.

Back to this morning:

Miss M is enjoying hot chocolate and buttered toast on the porch watching her brothers and covering up her urge to laugh at them. See, a few months ago Moose's father was here for a visit. Every morning he walked the kids to the coffee shop where they did I know not what but they always brought me home a beverage and that was all that mattered. But one day...they came home and left again with the little red wagon. When they returned there was a very heavy Old School Ergometric Exercise Bike on it! A neighbor had it out with a "Free. Take It." sign on it so they did. This machine now rests on our front porch where the boys generally pretend it is something like a speeder bike or a pedal-powered solo helicopter.

But back to today:

Miss M and I are amused because the boys have turned the friction knob thing so tight that their body mass is not enough to move a pedal. I went over and pedaled it for a bit just to prove it was not broken. And so we could watch them try to figure it out a little longer. Turns out their combined body mass is still not enough to turn the crank shaft. I am going to make a conservative estimate here and say we are going to get another 2 hours enjoyment out of this.

But wait! Big C just came back with a tool box. And a pocket knife. His new plan is to cut away the felt pad thing that is clearly gumming up the works. Perhaps I'll step in and save the integrity of this vintage piece. Or not. It is that kind of a summer.

And I am not ready for it to end just yet. Try me again in November.