March 13, 2013
-
Plan B
Today was our big day to go to the zoo. The weather was perfect: crisp and cold at sunrise, but warming up nicely thereafter. We packed our picnic and set off, planning to eat our lunch before actually entering the zoo. (I’m sure you’ll be relieved to know that I brought my tea in a thermos.)
Alas, it was not to be. When we arrived at the zoo, we found ourselves confronted by something I’ve never seen there before: a full parking lot. I drove incredulously around the whole lot, including the “overflow” section which I’ve never seen open before, and every single space was taken. There were several other cars circling in the vain hope of finding a spot also, and as we gave up and drove back out, there were yet more cars driving in.
Having driven that far, we were not about to turn around and come home, especially since the kids were very hungry! Instead, we drove to a park that I have been to before and had a very lovely picnic lunch. The park was also quite full, but not as full as the zoo! We realized that we were just a few blocks away from where Spencer’s buddy Britton lives, so Spencer called him on the phone and a few minutes later Britton arrived and picked up Spencer and Jasper and took them home with him. (Britton has a younger brother Jasper’s age.)
Lucy and I decided to enjoy our “girl time” by checking out at store on the other side of town. Gander Mountain is a sporting goods store that I have always been curious about because we used to get their catalog. Besides, I had a legitimate reason—I was in desperate need of new and supportive flip flops. Right away, I found a pair of flip flops I liked. Then I saw the price was $90, and I liked them a lot less. Fortunately I did eventually find a pair in my price range!
We really enjoyed checking out the camping equipment (me) and clothing (Lucy). My favorite thing in the camping section was a plate with collapsible sides that could double as both a serving bowl and a cutting board. I LOVE multi-purpose things! I also did find a bag I really liked, but again, my admiration faded after inspecting the price. The only other thing I actually bought was some new marshmallow toasting forks for chai parties. Our old skewers are nearly 20 years old and they look it!
We still had a little time left, so we went to Barnes and Noble and enjoyed browsing for a few minutes before heading up to pick up the boys. So, even though it wasn’t the day we planned, we all had a good day. Spencer was thrilled to get to spend time with his best friend, Jasper had a blast with Peter, and Lucy and I had a great mother-daughter outing.
Unbeknownst to me, Walter took the afternoon off to finally start working on our bathroom sink plumbing. We have been making do with a bucket under the sink for a couple of months now. It’s going to be a big job, apparently. He plans to work some more on it tomorrow.
After supper I took Mercy out driving and she drove to Walmart for the first time! She did just fine. We really need to remember to let her practice more!
