I looked forward to Election Day for many days. Probably not for the reason you are thinking, however. I did have very strong feelings about who I wanted to win. I voted early, so as to have Election Day free from encumbrances. Invitations were sent. Trips to the grocery and Michael's in preparation were made. Lots of conversation with others in planning the day were had. Anticipation ran high. There was some feeling that when election day was over, sadness would ensue.
Finally, election day arrived and Tuesdays with Mellie was revived. Yay!!
Both boys were here by about 9:00 and our day began. First stop, Kroger to buy groceries for the Y.E.S. bags for Harvest Sunday. Pencils were sharpened, lists in hand, explanation of Y.E.S. and its purpose and who it serves were made. The list was read aloud as well as the scripture, Psalm 9:37-38. We proudly declared ourselves "workers in His harvest field!" There is nothing quite like a service project to make a day go brilliantly. It's true, pride goeth before a fall.
I am not exactly sure what happened in the car on the way to the store, but joy and enthusiasm for the project had waned greatly in the 7 1/2 minutes it took to drive to Kroger. It was declared by one boy that maybe he should have made alternate plans for the day. Tuesday with Mellie was not much fun. The lists had been scribbled on, holes poked in them. But, Mellie will not be discouraged nor impatient. We hunted for stuffing and gravy and chicken broth. Teamwork was the name of the game; not really. One of my buddies stated that he wanted to just go home to his dad, but when I pulled out my phone to call, he recanted. By that point, Mellie's courage and patience were wearing thin. Finally, we paid for our groceries, got them loaded in the car, and attitudes were improving. Praise God, literally.
Off to visit Nunny and deliver some funky little flowers we bought for her. She mentioned that her deck was covered in leaves so I asked the boys is they wanted to sweep it for her. Amazingly, they both were quite excited by the prospect. Fortunately, Nunny has two brooms, so to work they went, with great enthusiasm, especially when Nunny promised a monetary reward for a job well-done. As Nunny and I visited inside, suddenly, I heard loud yelling, followed by wailing. It appeared that one precious little boy was being quite bossy and when asked to stop, he refused, so the other precious little boy whacked him in the head with his broom handle. There were some discrepancies in the accounting of the event, of course. I went out and did a bit of sweeping to help them see why they did not have to both be working in the same square foot of the rather large deck, all the time singing our beloved song loudly and off-key: "teamwork, teamwork, Sim, Max and Mellie are a team. Teamwork, teamwork, Sim, Max and Mellie are a team. We work together, we sweep together, we do not fuss and scream. Teamwork, teamwork, Sim, Max and Mellie are a team." After multiple inquiries from one boy as to how much Nunny was paying, I assured him it would be based on how well the job was done. There came a time when one of the boys was growing weary and "needed a break," while the other one was enthusiastically making as large a pile of leaves as possible. The tired one was discussing the merits of equal pay if he did not work as much as the other, stating that it was the other one's choice to keep working. When it was time to leave, Nunny, in all her brilliance, asked the boys what they thought was fair pay. $3.00 was decided upon. A fair deal all the way around, because the boss and the workers were all happy.
Our next stop was Woodmont Park to play on the playground. The boys go there often with Fizzy on Sundays and the day was too beautiful to do anything but be outside. For the most part they played well, and we only had one meltdown and a few cross words. One boy loves all the height and speed he can get on swings or whatever, and the other one not so much. Sometimes, that helps on the playground and sometimes it causes arguments, but all in all, our time at the park was pretty peaceful. Perhaps, we were getting into the Election Day groove.
Home for a lunch of eggs, sausage and inedible hash browns. Then to Cheekwood! Both boys took their cameras, as did Mellie. We took lots of pictures, got fussed at in the mansion for using a flash, which I had turned off...I know I did. We also got corrected for touching the art, which was a bunch of hanging soda bottle tops. I'm sure touching them would have been a disaster, so said my sarcastic, snarky brain, but my mouth apologized and instructed proper art gallery behavior. I was most grateful to get out of there. We shopped at the gift shop by the stables where I made a typical Switzer financial decision, giving each boy $5.00 for the $3.00 he had earned at Nunny's. There is absolutely nothing to be purchased for $3.00 at a Cheekwood gift shop except for a bug repellant bracelet, which each boy was going to buy because, well, how can one possibly not spend the money in one's pocket? They ended up with 2 small books, one of Christmas mazes, and one of vellum pictures to be colored, cut out and hung in a window to make "stained glass." Then to a snack of about 6 sections of mandarin oranges each and a Diet Coke to the tune of $7.00.
By the time we got home, Fizzy was home, and all bets are off when Fizzy is around, so our art project had to be postponed for another day. We will paint those turkeys! I am determined. We built a fire, roasted hot dogs, had s'mores, and the boys and Violet ran around the yard in the dark howling like dogs until it was time for the Hendersons to go home. Max took a bath, put on his PJs and about that time his mom arrived to take him home. I collapsed on the sofa.
It was a day looked forward to with great anticipation. For the most part, it was wonderfully enjoyable on the perfect fall weather day. The day is over, but the memories and pictures will be lovely reminders of Election Day 2018. I say it often, but maybe it cannot be overstated; I am so grateful for the people who have been placed in my life and I marvel at how fortunate I am to have them to love.
