In Which I Don't Get Lost

K. woke up better today!  Yesterday she was much the same as Wednesday – starting with that thrilling morning run to the bathroom – but today she woke quite perky.  She is still a bit wobbly (two days without food will do that), but it is good to see that smile again.

T. did his best to finish his school work promptly, so we could make the long anticipated trip to Walmart, but things happen.  K. was distracting (which is normal), and the minister from the Baptist church at the corner dropped in to say hi (which hasn’t happened before).  The minister chit chatted for quite a while about homeschooling, real estate, Baptist beliefs vs Episcopal/Catholic, etc., but finally left us to finish grammar so we could get on to the big trip.  By the time we finally piled in the van it was quite a bit later than I’d hoped, but I figured we could still make it home before dark (a crucial point, since I am fully capable of getting lost at noon and would have no hope of getting home again after dark).  Unfortunately, we timed our arrival in Dobson (on the way to Mount Airy) to arrive precisely in time for the Homecoming Parade.  We waited while the Dobson football team (the Eagles, if the mascot was an indication), the cheerleaders, the pep squad, the FFA, the babysitters club, the computer club, and every other group you’ve ever heard of associated with a high school walked or rode by, and then, just as we thought we might be allowed to drive on, there they were back again.  Apparently the parade route was a fairly short loop, and we happened to be in the right place to view the entire thing, twice.  Even the longest parades must end eventually, though, (and this one was astonishingly long), and we were allowed to proceed.  Walmart was all the usual joy (I really do like being able to buy hamburger meat and carbon monoxide alarms at one convenient location, but even in North Carolina, Walmart lacks charm), and I spinelessly let the kids browse through the toy and Halloween sections, so it was dusk by the time we got out.  Despite my fears, though, I made all my turns, even the tricky one at the end, and got us safely home.  Hooray!

I had thought that Ed might be a little concerned for us, since it was after 7:00 when we got home, but he wasn’t.  Either he has great (and very misplaced) faith in my abilities, or he was distracted by putting up shelves on either side of the stove.  The shelves are a subject for tomorrow (I think they look lopsided and he thinks they are a work of art.  Modern art, maybe.).