Unbagging the Cats 1

Unbagging the Cats 1

Friday, February 10, 2012

Timing is Everything

Since I'm throwing myself a virtual party on Saturday for my birthday/blogoversary, Hick wanted to take me out to dinner tonight. Or to put it in Hick's words, "You wanna go to supper?" He had in mind a local catfish restaurant to which we both received a five-dollar coupon in the mail. That would be grand, except The Pony had math team practice until five o'clock. Yep. The Pony is a mathlete.

The original plan was for Hick to take me to the South County casino. It's name escapes me at the moment. We've only been there once, and I was not impressed. But it's the closest one to us. Again, that would have been grand, except The Pony had math practice until five. I floated the idea to my mom, she who often invites The Pony to spend the night, but it sunk like a lead balloon. With Genius out gallivanting with friends, taking one of their midst out to dinner because it's her birthday (never mind that it's MY birthday), we were left without a person to sit The Pony.

Five o'clock is not the witching hour out here in the sticks. But it means another thirty or forty minutes for us to drive home from school. Then an hour-plus drive to the city, or a half-hour to the restaurant. And by then, the Friday evening crowds are out. People start lining up for dinner here around four or four-thirty. Maybe it's shift work let-off time at the few remaining factories. Or maybe folks want to strap on the feedbag and get home before dark. I don't want to wait in line to eat my birthday dinner. Is that so wrong?

You might think The Pony is plenty old enough to stay home alone. But when you consider that we are fairly isolated here in Backroads, and The Pony can't drive, I am hesitant to leave him all by his lonesome. Besides, The Pony does not do well after dark. I can't say as I blame him, what with the sounds I hear in the area of his room every night. So leaving him until the wee hours to fret over phantom footsteps while I gambled the night away did not seem like a good idea.

Hick compromised by meeting The Pony and I at the local Chinese restaurant. Which was a reminder of why we haven't been there in a while.

12 comments:

stephen Hayes said...

Did you at least get a cookie with a good fortune in it?

BECKY said...

Happy Blogaversary/Birthday!! I can (probably) remember this, since the 11th is also my wedding anniversary!! Party on, Val!

Val said...

Stephen,
Yes. My fortune said that if I have confidence, success will come. That's a paraphrase. Now don't go trying to do that "...in bed" thing with my fortune!

************
Becky,
Oh, there'll be more about the party on Saturday.

Kathy's Klothesline said...

Chinese would have suited my guy to a tee. Teens are so inconsiderate!!

Author Joshua Hoyt said...

Happy B-day! Darn kids anyways :) I had a great great great... Grandpa at the age of eight took care of the farm by himself for a week while his family went to town. Its hard for me to leave my kids for a couple of hours.

Mrs. Tuna said...

The reason peeps are eating at 4:30 is they are old retired people. Their eyesight sucks after dark. That's why old men who drive or more desirable than men who kept their hair at the retirement community.

Sioux Roslawski said...

Happy birthday and happy blogoversary. I will buy you some black and white cookies for the occasion.

Val said...

Kathy,
What I had piled on my plate was good. But the fork with food stuck on it was not.

Genius is all about Genius. But I refuse to take responsibility, since he has been that way from the day he was born. Exhibit A: slamming his head into my face as an infant, just to see if he could make my lip bleed. I know this, because he would grab my mouth with both hands, and say, "Mommy beeb!" I suppose he's always been a junior scientist.

**********

Mrs. Tuna,
Well, then. I need to keep Hick on a short leash.

**********
Sioux,
I would love the black and white cookies. As long as they don't mean the end to my 10-year no-vomit record.

Val said...

Josh,
You just slipped through the comment-response crack. Luckily, I saw you dangling.

Kids today are delicate hot-house flowers. The Pony barely knows how to forage for himself. In a land flowing with Pringles and donuts, he could survive.

On the scary side, there are too many predators to leave kids unsupervised. Did you see the video of the 7-year-old girl in Walmart, who fought off her would-be abductor? Frightening! In broad daylight, in a store with surveillance cameras. No child is safe anymore, it seems.

Author Joshua Hoyt said...

That is really scary. I actually gave my sister in law quit the scare a while ago in walmart. She left her kid in the shopping cart and had turned her back. I took that opportunity to snatch her kid and step around the corner. (I just couldn't resist I know I'm not as mean as it sounds) anyway it is crazy how quick I could have left. I agree with todays world it is hard to leave the kids alone.

labbie1 said...

Well, happy birthday anyway! At least you didn't have to cook, right? :)

Val said...

Josh,
You ain't a-woofin', that's scary! My boys think I am paranoid, but they are too midwestern trusting of strangers.

************
labbie,
Yes, I did not cook. Victory was declared by both sides.