Then I noticed it, a two handled grocery cart
With a toddler sitting in it, saddled to the child seat.
A young mother, one hand on the cart’s handle
While her heart carves out the 2nd handle, the handle on
“How to prevent ensuing toddler boredom.”
And she creatively replaced potential toddler frustration
With warm, bubbly giggles.

Surrounded by vegetable greens, fruit and more shoppers,
She peeled a tube-like plastic bag off the roll,
Snapped it open, folded it’s neck into a pinched air passage tunnel,
And began blowing. In flew a smile, carried by a lot of air.
She pinched it again and sealed it with a twisted twisty’s love knot.
The child was ecstatic, an instant balloon bag!
The “Here Mommy, hit it back to me.” echo still bouncing off the shelves!

Thursday started out like any ordinary day, windy, but that’s not too unusual for Kansas.
I did odd clean up, catch up and planting jobs outdoors most of the day, then in the evening it happened.
I suppose it could be considered a blind corner, but obviously I should have been more alert. As a matter of fact, it might have been proper for that nice young lady to have been a little more alert also. Who’s fault was it? I don’t know who hit who, I believe that we both got to exactly the same place at exactly the same time. Naturally, our first concern was to make sure neither one of us was seriously injured because it felt like a pretty solid impact. Somehow, we almost ended up in each other’s arms to confirm that we were both ok. And so it was, neither the nice young lady, the other party involved, nor myself, the other, other party involved, showed any signs of serious bodily damage.
So, what makes me feel so foolish about the accident?
We were both walking!

From age - 0 - into 13, I was being raised along-side and intermingled with chickens, pigs, cows, horses, dogs and cats. I must have been too young to care about the “why” in these animal’s behavior. “Why” did the chicken scratch and peck, scratch and peck, then go lay an egg? “Why” did the pig roll around and root his snoot in the mud, roll again and then squeal a high “C” past the wires in the farm’s fences? I don’t remember ever seeing a pig go lay an egg afterwards though! “Why” did the cows play follow the leader, each walking down the same crooked path until the grass was worn off and the ground was naked under their feet? Why did they go get a drink from the stock tank first, then go into the barn and stand perfectly still while Dad stole their milk?
Woa, let’s stop right there, right in front of the horses. I want to turn and look back down memory lane. I want to keep looking till the cows come home. Suddenly I’m old enough to care about the “Why” in the cow’s erratic walking path thru the pasture grasses. “Why” wouldn’t a cow want to walk a straight line, at least from South of the creek, to the watering tank? I’ve also wondered how the cow’s stomachs divide work assignments.
Now, back to the crooked walking path. Are all cows of the same mind? What was the young lad thinking as he followed closely behind the last tail in a row? He kept eyes pasted to the earth as one hand was guiding a dead stick along that dusty path. Were they all just playing “follow the leader,” and was the leader just being silly to see if the rest of the herd actually followed her down the crooked path she was trampling into their luscious pasture? Still looking back now, the whole row, including the young lad, appeared to be in a non-brainer walking stupor, staying so many paces behind the tail in front. Suddenly, I want to know the “Why” in this one. Don’t you?

(Please add to my list.)
New directions are mandatory to guide you through your next turn.
To clear the top of a hill, standing water really needs to get pumped up.
A young couple is ready for ‘The Barn Dance” but it can’t.
A howling winter wind will bite.
When the right shoe fits right and the left shoe also fits right, what‘s left?
A railroad tie is required to track a train.

What is coincidental? Well don’t move, stay right where you are and I’ll tell you!
If you’ve read the comments on Friday’s and Monday’s blogs you will have noticed that problems with a duck was mentioned more than once. Well, we were driving parallel to the walking path beside the river in Athletic park today when we noticed this distraught young mother running in a tight circle around the baby stroller. Charging right behind her was a disturbed duck, pecking at her heels. My wife said, “That lady needs help!“ I quickly stopped the van and hurried over to help her. All she could say was “What shall I do?” as she kept circling the stroller carrying a child who was mouthing the words, “What shall WE do?” Somewhere between lap eight and eighteen, I stuck my leg between the lady’s hind leg and the charging duck. Being careful not to injure either one, I gave the duck my best leg-lift down the bank, back towards the river. As soon as she was air born, she cupped her wings and applied her air brakes. My total distance in the duck toss netted only about two feet. The duck worked her way back up the river bank, but she respected my presence. When she realized that I was blocking her attack path, she seemed determined to wear me out. As soon as she came close enough, I would gently put my foot against her and explode another leg lift with exactly the same results. I can’t understand Quack, Quack, but I think she was asking, “Was I supposed to have acquired a ticket for these rides?” After about her third ride, a human runner, powered by a Golden Lab on a leash, got close enough so the Lab could explain to the duck that the joyrides were over and that this was her last chance to catch a free exit for the river. The duck seemed to understand that Lab’s Deep Throat Chatter instantly. She took wing and glided into a splash, the lab turned, jumped up on his hind feet and licked my face. It was over!