MrsDoF's Dear Ones

Yesterday morning, some terrible storms blew through the area, so dark at 9:30 that the streetlights came on.  I didn’t have anywhere to go in a hurry, so I sat in the breakfast nook crocheting.  Oscar is so scared of thunder that he scurried down to his hidey-hole under the basement steps.  When I went down to check for water in the basement and to empty the dehumidifier, he slinked out and cozied up to my ankles whilst I was standing beside the sink.  Poor widdle kittycat….

I went out for errands a little while after Noon, when the weatherman said the worst was over.  We had a beautiful sunset, and some cool breezes through the evening.

This morning, there was the sound of chainsaws coming from the north and the south, and a leafblower three doors down.  Clean-up from the storm, I would imagine.  All I had to do was sweep the front porch.  There are a few small branches down on the grass, but I’ll wait until the ground dries a bit more before going to fetch them and tidy up.

Our front stoop is on the west side of the house, facing the Court.  The newspaper is delivered to the front yard, and I can usually sit in the shade out there reading or doing a yarn project, until 10am or so, when the sun is high enough to be shining over the last eave of the house.  One of my most favorite activities of the Summer, sipping my second cup of tea and listening to the neighborhood.

The sign on the corner of the Court has a yellow sticker saying NO OUTLET.  There are only 8 houses, and we have nice yards and driveways to provide living space.

However, an overlander/ intercity bus, full of passengers, decided it might be a shortcut, turning a bit too quickly around the corner where the fire hydrant stands.  From up high where the driver sits, he saw his mistake and slowed down, but did not come to a full stop until he had passed three properties.

I let my crochet hook rest in my lap to watch.

The end of the Court has a tall black walnut tree growing fairly close to the pavement.  The loop is just about big enough for the garbage or a fire truck to maneuver slowly, but this driver may not realize that.
He began to back up, the noise scaring every bird away from every tree and nest.
As he got to the corner, there is really no way to see if cross traffic is coming.  Luckily most drivers are watchful, so a fella in a pick-up truck stopped to allow the bus to get back out onto Gregory Street.  It headed west toward Main, where making a left turn takes awhile.

Just as I was getting back into hook rhythm (the Diagonal Box Stitch pattern baby blanket is more than half done just since Saturday!) a cranberry color Niszan Altema pulled up at the end of the walk.  Two middle-age women inside stopped to ask directions to Old Fort Jesse Road.

The passenger asked what I’m working on, so I had to show the yarn, and my new hook with the square wood handle.  She wrote down the name and said she would look it up.  I gave them directions using “turn right and turn left” phrases, which doesn’t usually help as much as saying “go East on” but I hope they make it to their meeting alright.

Sitting on my front porch is interesting enough, so I can sorta imagine being on the balcony of a nearby complex watching this building When Things Roll Over

It’s about time for me to be getting on with the rest of the day.  At Noon (Illinois time), I have a dentist appt to make repairs to the crown drilled through for the root canal.  After that, who knows? 

~~love and Huggs, Diane
ps You will be glad to know that my camera is returned from young son, complete with new memory card, the battery charged, Husband cleaned the lens.
Now if only I remember what I wanted to get pictures of…..

Alright, I will confess.  My little trip to deliver the old newspapers to the recycling bin was actually an excuse to drive onward a few streets to visit H L the craft store.  I had not been there in awhile, and I found a 25% off coupon at their website (although it had not been printed in the paper—marketing alert)

The item I’m looking for is holiday colors in 3-ply sport weight acrylic yarn.  There is a red twist which might work, but I have time to keep looking.

While standing and staring at shelf after shelf full of yarny goodness, I overheard a mother talking to her youngun in the seat of a cart.  The boy was maybe a little over a year old, and he kept slapping his mom’s arm, or tummy, and tugged on her shirt.  I remember that being a signal from my pre-word son that he was umm, thirsty.
This mother told him to “No Hit! Not Nice!” a bit too loudly, considering she was standing close enough for him to smack her arm again.
Then she backed up a little so he could not reach her, and said “If you hit mommy again, I will have to spank you.”

I walked around the end of the lane and almost bumped into a clerk who was busy counting stock.  She turned and looked at me with a wrinkle in her forehead.  “Did I just hear that?” she whispered.  “If you hit again, a spanking?”

I nodded, just as cart with child and young mother came into the aisle.

The clerk winked at me as if we shared a secret.

I’m still not quite accustomed to seeing people the same age as my sons as being parents.  The girl most likely did not realize about her choice of words and actions, and does not have the years of hindsight that I do.  The toddler looked fine enough, tho there did not seem to be any other interaction between mother and son.

Neither the clerk nor I said anything, but I smiled at the child.  I smile at every child I see, but the “stranger! danger!” lessons don’t allow a kid to smile back very often.  This one did not.

I used the coupon on a 4-ply acrylic yarn called Earthy Ombre a bunch of lovely shades of Autumn and it will peg loom knit into a fine hat—maybe nice enough that I’ll keep it for me.

~~love and Huggs, Diane