Boys' night in; girls' night out

This past Saturday night Marian had a rare opportunity to join a couple of her friends for a "girls' night out". I encouraged her to go and try to enjoy herself as she rarely gets any time off away from the boys and with adult friends both. They'd made plans to go to the city to attend a free concert of some kind (probably some of that rock and roll music the young ones like so much these days) and a sleepover at one of the girls' houses. She was scheduled to leave our house in the afternoon to meet the first of her friends in Lawrence and go from there.

The boys and I ate a big breakfast and took our baths in the "functional" bathroom we have (it is functional, but lacks minor cosmetics like flooring, lighting, mirrors, sink, a door etc). I hooked up the bike trailer to my trusty 70's model Takara 3speed, and attached the Weeride front baby seat to the crossbar. The canteen was filled with high quality City of Ottawa tap water from the kitchen sink, a soft sided lunch box was filled with a trio of buttered biscuits leftover from when Jack earned the assist on helping to make breakfast; a couple of quartered turkey, cheese, and Miracle Whip sandwiches and an apple completed the picnic. I took along hoodies for the three of us even though it was sunny and warm, and a book bag full of books we planned to return to the library and replace with a new stash.

We said our good byes to Mare, and she tried to make it meaningful , but the boys were just ready to get going, so with the blaze orange trailer flag flapping and my yellow construction vest reflecting and all three of our noggins protected by the best brain buckets our LBS (abbreviation for Local Bike Shop, a.k.a.
Wal-Mart)  had to offer, we took off.

We took an indirect route (the long way) so I could go by the Casey's store and make use of their free air compressor. I'd taken along my pressure gauge for just such a task. I made short work of that and was pleased to need only add a small amount to all four tires. I was further pleased to learn the recently re-blacktopped stretch of old highway 59 from the north Casey's store into town at the Kansas highway 68 junction had recently been re-striped as well to include a bicycle lane on each side, and a turning lane down the middle. It was a nice six foot or so lane I felt comfortable in, even pulling the trailer.

We went to the city library right off and quickly replenished the supply of children's books. I had thought there was supposed to be an outdoor concert near the library at a downtown lot park, and as I listened closely at the library bicycle rack, my suspicions were confirmed. It didn't sound like my kind of music, (probably some of that rock and roll music the young ones like so much these days) but, I was looking for just about anything free, outdoor,  and fatiguing in nature to a three year old and a one year old. We pedaled over to check it out.

It was indeed an outdoor concert and a loud, and apparently disgruntled, young man complained about something or other in a part growl and part whine. Luckily, the boys weren't interested in the music, but were interested in the other little boys and girls running around like heathens all over the place. I figured they were safe enough on their own in this downtown park adjacent to Main street, so I just pulled my cap down over my eyes and layed back in the shade of a tree and prepared for a nap. Not really. I wouldn't quite do that! I did pretty much let the boys run around as much as they wanted and climb around on the different benches and cement planters and the gazebo like thing there (an interesting side-note: despite having a smallish gazebo like thing permanently on location and available for the needs of bands, singers, performers, etc, the outdoor concert did not make use of it; instead, a largish, rather ugly fifth wheel flatbed trailer was backed into the street at an awkward angle, cutting off  traffic, for the performers to, well, perform upon. Furthermore, it was out directly in the full brunt of the sunshine, which was considerable on this afternoon, while the gazebo thing was up tight against the side of a building and was therefore in the pleasant shade. Also, none of the permanent seating which was in the park faced the street, it all faced the gazebo thing. I know it was small, but it seemed to me it would have been a minor inconvenience just to use the dang gazebo!)

The boys took me up on my granted freedom and played really hard all through the remaining songs of the "angry young men" band; all through the husband and wife country style novelty songs duets (example: Shopping at 7-11 instead of Stairway to Heaven performed on banjo); they played partway through Souled Out too; perhaps the best band I saw, although it annoyed me that the lead singer insisted on singing ". . . very sTupersticious . . ." with that extra "t" at the beginning. Somewhere amid this trainwreck of musical styles, the boys ate the biscuits and sandwiches and one shared cherry snowcone.

It was getting on close to five oclock and I'd promised to take the boys to the park too, so we geared up and pedaled toward Forest Park. There, the rest of the edge the boys possessed was rendered blunt by "equipment" and "other kids" and trying to actually move about with agility in that 6 inch deep pea gravel they keep under all the swings, ladders, and slides. Around six oclock or after they started hinting around at being hungry, so we split.

At home, a crock pot full of ham and beans had been percolating all day, and before we'd left for the day I'd baked a pan of cornbread, so the kitchen smelled fantastic when we entered. Since it was a special occasion of sorts, I let the boys eat their dinner watching a Bob the Builder episode on DVD.

I finally recognized these boys after all the park dirt and dried up snot was removed from their faces in the bath and they looked so much less like heathens I thought Marian and I should bathe these boys every night! But, I quickly came to my senses and decided bathing them once a week when we remember was good enough for someone else at one time, so it was not going to change on my watch (JK). Leo was right ready for bed and required no persuading. Jack, though worn down, still required further attention. He came back in the kitchen as I was cleaning it up after putting him to bed and wanted to know about the words he'd been singing all this time to The Star Spangled Banner. I did the best I could to explain it so he'd understand it, but it's difficult to explain things so simply, especially when they haven't experienced much and just don't know a lot. I tried to remain patient and use repetition, and I think I satisfied his curiosity. Since mom was gone for the  evening, I let Jack sleep with me in mom and dad's bed. He was like a rock and didn't move, I don't think, all night.

Sunday arrived and we fixed breakfast again and I took a bath and cleaned up the house and sent the boys outside to play. Mare came back home around noon and we all ate lunch together before we left in the afternoon to go the the pumpkin patch for a hayride, moonwalk, hay bale maze, and slides. The boys had a blast and so did the parents. Jack picked out both pumpkins for himself and Leo; they were good ones. Right as we were leaving it decided to rain, so we timed that just right.

Marian's night out went without incident, and as predicted she had a real fun time, but was very anxious and glad to be home.

My last entry  on this blog directed readers to get out there and enjoy the weekend and "do something"; well, I feel like I practiced what I preached and enjoyed a full weekend with my family. I hope you did as well. We love you; We're blessed; We pray blessings upon each of you our friends, and all our enemies too.
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