Little Red Wagon

July 13, 2018

The Best Hat Ever
I can turn half of the brim back up
and still enjoy the protection of
almost a full umbrella on my head

Miranda came back to the lake from shopping with a little red wagon.

I wondered how this was going to work. Who would ride in it? Betty is determined to everything herself. And that means everything.

I doubt she will climb in a wagon and ride when she can walk.

She will ask for help if she finds out she can’t do some task, but don’t offer to help, or even twin with her.

I found out what the red wagon is for.

... the little red wagon ...

Miranda packs everything she needs for the beach and takes the wagon down. Everything would mean towels, goggles, sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, fishing poles, a Red Cross First Aid Kit, vegetable snacks for three children in separate containers, individual potato chip bags and some group snack bars.

This is a heavy red wagon.

Betty was determined to pull it along, once the idea of doing that came to her.

Alone.

I am curious watching children these days.

Wondering what makes them tick.

Betty could only move the wagon a few feet at a time and to get the wagon going she had to make an initial mighty tug.

When she was tired, she let Miranda take over again.

... Michael with new sun glasses ...

I find that he trouble with making one to one contact with any of the children is that they have no time constraints.

They can play as long as you can stay with them.

Even longer.

Last night there were eighteen of us at the each, early evening just as the sun was going down. Desiree and her family were kayaking and paddle boarding.

... the sun as it goes down ...
... too hard to watch the children looking this way ...

Aiden and Celeste were in the kayaks.

Des and Brandon were on paddle boards, Tanner sitting on one and Parker on the other. Des is carrying a child who will be born in 6 weeks.

On seeing the family paddling back from Johnson’s Point, I was wishing for a camera with a telescopic lens, which is something my phone camera doesn’t have yet.

I can imagine that perk as coming to a phone at some point without loosing definition.

The evening hours there were long and delicious.

... the Vaughns paddle home ...

Lurene had a box of Fruit Loops under an umbrella, and one by one a different child would come and ask for a handful or two.

Teresa at the fruit loops one by one, naming the flavours as she went: lime, grape strawberry, orange, and cherry.

When I get home at night I go to Wiki to find out more about these snacks.

I am to find out that while they are different colours, they are all the same flavour. “Froot”, which is a blend of flavours.

... Betty's curls spring up after being wet ...

The new fishing rods are to be cast, not dangled.

Michael and Alice have practiced all afternoon on my lawn, getting just the fight flick of the wrist.

Michael can now cast from my house, up the lawn to the birch trees.

... Alice figuring out how to 
cast as far as Michael can ...

They have brought both fishing rods down to the beach and I see the children taking turns with the rods. The end of the line is weighted but not dangerous. The fact that they won’t be catching a fish doesn’t matter to them. The joy seems to be in the cast. Everyone who wants a turn, takes one.

... the first pink of the sunset starts to fill the sky ...

Except Betty and I see her touching the rods when they are out of service and propped beside a large driftwood log.

She sees me watching her. She knows full well she is not to be touching them. I am not going to say anything to her unless she begins to pull on and tangle the line.

... 

I think about the toilet paper that I found unrolled in the upstairs bathroom that morning.

I pretty well know she was the culprit. After I gather the paper off the ground and put it in the garbage, I also add a housekeeping touch to the roll by folding the end of the toilet paper into a point.

Just to let her know next time that she is dealing with the best.

Arta