This summer thing is working out just how I had hoped it would. At the beginning of the summer, I sat down with the kids to brainstorm what they wanted to do. In reality I wanted to lay down the law (and present what they wanted to do as the carrot). They wanted visits to grandparents, bike rides in the neighborhood, playing in the sprinkler, popsicles and berry picking. I want a quiet time every day where I can nap or read. All has gone according to my (evil) plan.
Mid June we went out to my parents’ place in Sheridan. The weather was only so-so summery. It took a long time to warm up in Sheridan, which is even cooler than Portland.
As it was, the plan to “sleep out on the deck” with my childhood friend Maria became a midnight “haul the kids in out of the rain”. My parents have two dogs who love nothing better than barking their heads off every night. Mom and Dad don’t mind. They claim to not hear a thing, which I would attribute to hearing loss if there weren’t complaints of city noise when they stay in town. Anyway, midway through our sleep out on the porch adventure, I heard strange scratching noises on the scaffolding underneath the deck. My dad had been pouring a new footing that day and had beams strung under where we were sleeping. The dogs were freaking out, and it quickly became clear that SOMETHING was hanging out down there. I jumped up and yelled over the edge and the unknown lurker tumbled down through the hop trellis, taking half the scaffolding with him (or her). At that point, I was thoroughly freaked. Although I knew rationally that a raccoon is not going to climb back up the deck and into bed with me, I felt vulnerable with all those kids strewn all over the deck. And I guess I am afraid of raccoons after seeing them go after chickens so enthusiastically. I was actively talking myself out of being scared of a raccoon when it began to rain steadily. Thank you RAIN! Now I could wake up my friend and tell her we needed to move inside without sounding like a scaredy cat city girl! Yes!
Maria and I managed to move 4 sleeping children into the house without waking a single one. Actually I am not sure that Maria was awake herself.
In the morning, this one slept on:
My dad is amused by us. I love how relaxed my parents are about their hospitality. Some people fuss over you when you come to stay, and in their fuss, make you incredibly uncomfortable. I once stayed somewhere where the parents wanted to give ME their bed, which embarrassed me to no end. My parents just figure that people can find some nook or cranny where they can be comfortable, and because they’ve been so flexible with their views, over the years I have brought scores of people out to crash on the floor. Mom and Dad just flow along with it.
The next day it was a visit to a chicken breeding farm out in Sheridan. Even though this farm had my same town as the address, it was so far in the hills that it took nearly half an hour to get there. Once there though, the rewards were great! I learned a lot from the farmers. They were incredibly generous hosts and we saw some gorgeous birds.
.
In the afternoon we were off to Sheridan Days parade, which is sort of weirdly charming and strange at the same time. It is mostly emergency vehicles with their sirens on and protestant church groups angling for more fish in a small pond, attempting to show you how much fun their youth groups are having by sitting in pick up beds singing along the parade route. When I was a kid there were big log trucks with the biggest tree they had cut down that year, but those are mostly gone now. Remaining are bagpipe groups and a smattering of rodeo queens from small towns, plus some freaky clowns from the coast and this really strange group of old dudes from Lincoln City who dress like devils, pull women out of the crowd, take them to their “float”, put them in a stockade and stamp “SEXY” on their cheeks. I am not kidding. They are called the “Red Devils” and I suppose they are a social group of some sort, (but I do NOT want to know what they do for fun at their secret meetings because their public outings already give me a heart attack). Half my life I have been afraid of the Red Devils. The other half I have been pissed at them. Perhaps for this reason, I have never been picked by them. They are not dumb, and surely they know to avoid the woman yelling “sexists!”. Maria was picked though, and she, being a better sport than I, allowed a devil to escort her to where she was branded “sexy”. He was polite about it, but I couldn’t help but be worried about her as she disappeared around the corner with the Devils. For Maria’s part, I figure she knows she is sexy. She is just allowing the Red Devil the mistaken pleasure of thinking it was somehow his discovery.
I need to not be so ernest, but that is a life long struggle for me.
The sun set on much candy gathering, and as you know, I am a gatherer. I have taught my children my unique skill set.
Too bad you can’t make this crap into jam.
5 Comments | In: Chickens Are Super Fabulous, family, My super freakin' cute kids, on the road again | | #
We named her Eva and she is about the cutest thing ever.
This is not a fantastic photo of course, but you can see the stark contrast between Eva and the other monsters around here. She’s the one who looks like a little crow. She’s small.
