C'est ci bon!

After discovering that we drank the last beer sometime over the weekend, it became increasingly apparent that someone was going to have to make a run.

"Oh, I know... let's all walk to Joiners"! (the little store down the street). It'll be fun!" Says I.

"YES! Good idea" Says he.

"Damn! Sounds like rain. Why don't you step out and see if we can beat the storm..." Says I.

"Well, let's just drive." Says he.

"If any one's driving, it's going to be you, and we will stay here... what's the fun in driving?" Says I."

"Right" Says he.

He pops out and back in. "Yea, we can make it if we don't dawdle."

"HEHEHEH!" I chortle, as he immediately begins dawdling on his computer, barefoot.

10 minutes after getting Harley dressed and shod, because he "likes to be nakey", We are off.

It's cooler now, and very gray. It is crystal clear we are not going to "make it", but we are starved for adventure, and armed with an umbrella. So, on we go, dodging fire ant piles, SUVs who's 5 O'clock drivers are probably texting, and eventually, raindrops.

"What road is this"? Asks Harley?

Well son, we are heading due north on (the narrow shoulder of) highway 59.

"Whoa!" comes the response.

We are playing 1-2-3333333333! With the fire ant piles, till I feel something unpleasantly familiar. Hmmmmm.... maybe it's just stray nettle, I think.

"Put him on shoulders, I can't do this anymore... my arm is sore and.... OH NO!!! I'm hit! I'm hit!"

"You guys go on! We're running out of time"!
The clouds are looking more and more ominous every second.

"I'll be ok. I'll catch up. GO-GO-GO-GO-GOOOO"!

Desperately I jam my fingers between my toes in a failed attempt to annihilate the little stinging, biting bastard that is feasting between my second and third digits. Damn him! He's too far under my strap! (Of course, nothing is easy... certainly not anticide) Sighing audibly, I resigned to the undoing of my Teva strap, and made ant glue out of that red and bitter firey-assed devil!

I caught up easily even though they were jogging.... Yes, those first few drops were delightful, but it was picking up... and fast. And I still had the umbrella.

By the time we got to the store, we were laughing and wet, but not soaked.

"Who's idea was this"? Asks he.

I pretended not to hear till I thought of something worth saying.... "Isn't this fun"?

The look. Then the smile.

"Check this out. Only 3$ more than Publix for a case of Corona".

"WooooooWEEEE! That's what I'm TALKIN' about"!

Outside in the breeze way we wait. Harley is stepping out from the shelter of the rooftop. "Look, I'm having a little rain shower"! His body is framed by the head lights of a monster pick up parked outside low beams blaring, wipers on, stereo wailing a country tune. The owner is inside and leaves it to make purchases. Not unusual in our neck of the woods. By the time we are leaving, there are 3 abandoned vehicles. Engines running, lights on, wipers flapping. Only in Lloyd, I think.

"Um, are you going to carry the beer"? He asks, joining us again.

"No. We need a plan".

We walk next door to the Subway sandwich shop. If this were a hotel, the Subway and the Joiners mart would be adjoining suites.

We decide that he should go home with the umbrella, and get the car while we wait and have a snack.

"I think I'll run home". Says he.

"Dear God, NO! That's a totally bad idea"!

"Why"?

"Let's see...I'm seeing feet sliding in mud, ankles twisting, Dr. bills... and all that goes with that".

I love him. He is clumsy. And a non regular exerciser. This has tragedy written all over it.

It was taking a long while I thought. I was just starting to worry.... (Not only about where he was, but that I might strangle one of the two elderly women that were ordering in front of us... or one of the two employees. ) Sweet Jesus, if ever there were people that were too slow, too picky and way too meticulous in their ordering, these ladies would be they. And let's not even get started on the 'too much conversation having about non ordering issues' going on... please let's do not.... AND.....If EVER there were two slower than molasses in January employees, these two, would be they. I mean we are talking an employee PER customer and it took them like 14 minutes! I have to admit it though, they were very sweet. The employees I mean.

Then, I see the car. Hallelujah!

He flashes lights. I motion for him to come in. He does.

I explain that the box of raisins we were going to get sort of turned into a bag of cut Granny smiths, since they don't have raisins anymore. (Too healthy for we of Jefferson County!) So, figuring apples are good, I open the fridge to grab a bag. Only one bag left, and two of the slices were brown. I don't know the price, but whatever it was, was too much. So.... we got the raspberry yogurt. Not something you want to bring in the car.

He confesses that he started off walking, but jogged from the corner of our street. "And it was the right thing to do"! He showed me, yessiree bob!

Me? I'm just thanking the Great Spirit for watching over the crazy.

We sat and watched the rain out of the huge plate glass window. The lightning was spectacular though a little close for my taste. And I really dig storms.

Harley found a lucky penny, and stuck his hand in an oscillating fan. And got scolded by one of the aforementioned "women" in line... who also shot me a "What the hell kind of mother are YOU" look. If she only knew.

We finally finished the yogurt. Harley rode home illegally belted in my lap, while oohing and squealing with delight. Our car splashing through the deep puddles of our ill designed village roads.

We've added a new nugget to the collection of memories which will sustain us in our old age.

This was our happy hump day family adventure.

And now, Harley sleeps.

And we drink
Aaaaaaaaaaaaah.