Hiking with Toddler

The toddler and I were awaiting other mothers with wee ones on the former back nine of the Mt Airy frisbee golf course.  This was the meeting point for the weekly incarnation of Free Forest School.  Which I lead, because no one else wants to.  The air was brisk but we dined on pantry forage sans gloves.  If my wee one is toughing it out without gloves I will allow her example to be the one I reinforce upon her.  She's two and half.  Before we set out for our hike she admonished me for wearing gloves.  I reluctantly threw them in the car.  I was pretty excited to wear these gloves too as they were a spring clearance item at REI.  It goes without saying that I haven't had a chance to wear them

But I get ahead of myself

It was chilly, maybe upper thirties, I thought a few folks might show up.  If not, the kid and I can just go off and wander.  An intrepid spirit in his sixties approached from trail yonder with dog in tow and made way for us.  He displayed such enthusiasm for us about to embark the trail in these conditions.  Since selecting this location (on the former back nine of the disc golf course) for Free Forest School, I half expect folk to assume I'm talking my daughter disc golfing.  That actually sounds like a great idea.  I digress.  The man asked me which trail I was going to take.  I told him that I'd just follow her.  He thought that was a good idea and told me about the conditions of either path.  It wasn't as frozen as he hoped, which indicated muddy, but you can always just turn around.  Well, obviously I couldn't let this man see me put my baby in the car before I saw him again.  It was imperative I not let this man and his dog down.  Which was sorta an issue because it became apparent after about fifteen minutes that no other mothers were going to show with their charges and I was a bit anxious that I left a burner on on the stove.  I was thinking about this the entire time.  I occasionally am OCD about it.  That and locking doors.  My assertion has borne fruit in the past.  Which makes it even worse.  Not the stove though.  Knock on wood   

So no mothers came.  I asked the kid what she wanted to do.  Go hiking, home?  Do you really want to go home?  She wanted to hike up a barren disc golf hill, not these other trails lush with forever green trees which pique any landscape.  We came across that old man and his dog as we made our way back to the car.  He smiled and most likely went home assured that all was right with the world

Almost forgot my house could be burning.  The cats.  Turned out, nothing of the sort

93 Ford Festiva

Just thinking about that damn car reminded me I needed to let my buddy know it was available for him to use.  Yeah he loves to drive that car.  So do I.  I don't know if you've ever tried to parallel park a small car without power steering.  I was trying just that this morning and busted by front teeth on the halfway open window trying to navigate.  It's tough to get the window all the way down and you just give up after a while.  I thought the window was down which is otherwise my style.  My teeth are fine thank you.  The last time I busted my teeth it wasn't all that good.  A chip from my front tooth crumbled into my mouth as I tried to do something funny with a beer bottle.  We were at one of the those throwback roadhouses conveniently just a mile from where we were living so we could afford to ruthlessly assault our bodies.  I couldn't tell ya what I was trying to accomplish with that little stunt but I do know that I had a captive audience and they turned their attention away at that pivotal moment.  I think I would remember the high fives after I gleefully bore witness the affliction in the palm of my hand.  Seated at the bar at that very bar maybe months later in the daylight hours this feller and I were trading stories over Budweisers maybe waiting on friends maybe not, I told this man that story and he laughed.  My mouth is my moneymaker I said.  He quit laughing and we stopped talking.  I understood why