Extreme Waiting

I blithely swung by Trader Joe's on my way home from another errand this afternoon, planning to dash in for a few items I needed for dinner. Perhaps the packed parking lot should have been my first clue that my idea was not original, but I got a space right away when someone pulled out. The traffic in the produce section was weird; many shoppers were milling more than usual. 

It wasn't until I turned the corner at the back of the store that I realized they were in the line to check out. Sixty people or more wrapped the entire interior perimeter of the store, waiting for their turn at the register. There were literally more people waiting than shopping.

I could have left, but I am always impressed by the efficiency of the check-out process there, and so I quickly finished my shopping and headed to the back of the line. Out of curiosity, I launched the stopwatch on my watch and then started watching my fellow waiters. Although there were plenty of wide eyes as folks realized just how long the line was, it seemed like everyone was as patient as I was, and in 12 minutes and 47 seconds, I was on my way out to my car.

Extreme Weather

Wait! What is that weird wet stuff falling from the sky? Could it be our record-setting 38-day drought has finally broken? This, after September nearly set a record for consecutive rainy days. Fingers crossed, we have a couple of record-setting blizzards in our near future!

Net Gain

Our cat Tibby is one of those plant-eating felines who can't leave anything green alone. As such, we have to hide or place any plants or cut flowers out of her reach. Over the years, that's become more challenging: our place is only so big, and Tibby's pretty adept at finding and reaching almost anything. 

There is one place that's an exception, though. The downstairs bathroom is always closed, so we have taken to putting any bouquets we receive in there. To be honest, it's kind of awesome, really. Fresh flowers in the powder room are a lovely touch.

Kids Only

Heidi was home today, and so we walked Lucy together. The three of us ambled amiably through the back greens and commons of the neighborhood, away from the streets and traffic. There are little playgrounds back there, near the pools and tennis courts, and we saw groups of children playing unaccompanied by adults, which is a rare sight in this area. 

Not surprisingly, the kids were doing and saying ridiculous things: shoving each other over a liter of Pelligrino, arguing over a swing, playing mean princess in a log cabin-like structure, and riding bikes recklessly down embankments. Even so, we were more charmed than alarmed by this display of untamed behavior. Both of us recognized it from our own, more free-range childhoods.

My only regret is that we were there at all, because each time we drew near, the kids either stopped what they were doing or stared defiantly at us to see if we would intervene. 

Wordle Wise

 Solved it in five:

Just a Little Bump in the Road

I made the mistake of checking the news when my phone woke me up at 2:30 last night, and I couldn't get back to sleep after that, no matter how many meditations and bedtime stories I listened to. The election results were crushingly disappointing: I really thought it was going to go the other way. 

As I lay there, I couldn't get that Batman movie quote about the hero Gotham needs versus the one it deserves out of my head. Which one is Batman? I wondered but didn't want to turn the phone on again. It turns out that Batman, incorruptible and strong, is the hero they deserve, but they need him to be a scapegoat and a villain. Yeah, it doesn't make much sense to me, either.

But what about America? Is Trump the president we need or the one we deserve right now? I think he's a deplorable character, but we elected him, so we deserve what we get. I sure don't think he's the guy we need for the job, but then, that's why I didn't vote for him. 

I read an article this morning that contained what I considered to be a bit of an understatement. The next four years are going to be rocky, it said.

I laughed, because we should be so lucky.

Kid Charming

On a long road trip, our conversation meanders, but it never wanders far from school and teaching. Despite my retirement in June, this trip was no exception. At one point, we were talking about a group of kids we both knew who were very charismatic, even if they were challenging in the classroom. 

I told Heidi about a time when the other teacher in my co-taught class was out, and I was fussing at some of the kids. 

One of them raised his hand. "What happened to the nice teacher?" he asked.

I raised my eyebrows. "What are you saying?"

He flashed his dimples at me and smiled. "I mean, what happened to the other nice teacher?"

Now, those are some social skills!