November 21 – “The Annoying Game”

Good news on the Fritz front.  He has no intestinal parasites.  No worms of any kind.  All negative.  The creepy crawly things Chris saw were just some simple little maggots that got “deposited” before she found the pile.  Thank you, Mother Fly, for that unnecessary scare.  It would have been nice had the vet’s office just called us with the results.  But oh, no.  They needed to see him with their own eyes.  Had to get in that extra $50 for the vet to listen to him breathe.  Add to that the heartguard medicine we were out of, and it became quite an expensive little pile of poop.  But in the end, Fritz is doing well … for a 77 year old.

Cailyn came over and spent the day with us.  She joined us on a jaunt to Walmart to get some last minute supplies for Thursday.  I pushed the basket and she rode in it.  I have to say, it made for an exciting combination.  Between us we “helped” Chris “remember” several items that looked really good to us.  Of course every now and then Cailyn would get overly ambitious.  She started grabbing whatever she was close to in the aisle and trying to put in in the basket.  It was like shopping with a two year old (Not that I was encouraging her or guiding the basket closer to “certain items”).  Good ol’ Nani stayed very calm through the whole thing, and patiently made Cailyn return the unwanted groceries.  At one point she threatened to make Cailyn eat whatever she put in the basket.  That was after some strange-looking noodles showed up. 

At one point when Chris was away from the basket getting something we really needed, Cailyn leaned forward and whispered to me, “Let’s be very annoying to Nani.”  Well, I wasn’t sure how much more annoying she could take, but, hey, I was in.  In fact, I started.  She came back to the cart and I asked, “Do we need some sugar?”  Chris replied “No.”  I countered, “Well, I do,” and puckered up for a kiss.  She glanced up at me and rather icily replied, “No.”  Ouch.  The Annoying Game didn’t look like it would go very well for me.  So Cailyn took over, and I have to hand it to her, she was, well, masterfully annoying.  One would think she had done this before.  “Hey, Nani, are we done yet?  Hey, Nani, hurry up.  Hurry up.  Hurry up.  Hey, Nani, can we get that?  Hey, Nani, hurry up.”  And on and on.  She even got other shoppers chuckling at her antics.  One lady even stopped and told her she shouldn’t tell an older woman to hurry up like that.  Of course the admonition lost its strength when the lady grinned and winked.  And Nani?  Totally impervious to it all.  That’s one amazing woman.

Last night we had to take another quick field trip.  We have been putting together gifts for the children in Tushka, Oklahoma, who sent us relief supplies after Hurricane Harvey.  The last thing we needed was some salt water taffy from LaKing’s on the Strand, a place here that pulls its own taffy right where people can watch.  Yesterday we got word that the folks who are taking the gifts are leaving today for Oklahoma.  That meant a fast run downtown to try to get there before closing time.  Chris didn’t know if we could make it, but Cailyn encouraged her to give it a try.  Cailyn’s words?  “You just have to believe in yourself, Nani.”  How can we not try after a Hallmark urging like that?  We raced to the car and drove carefully down the fastest route to LaKings.  And the road was blocked.  Construction.  A block further away.  Two blocks.  Finally, an opening.  The lights are still on.  That much is encouraging.  But where will we stop?  No problem for Chris.  She pulled up in front of the store and stopped in the middle of the street.  Cailyn and I leapt from our seats and raced to the door.  And … we made it.  Two minutes to spare.  Chris found a parking space and made her way in (I’m not sure, but I think she either had to bribe the doorman or sneak in when some other customers left).  Cailyn and I counted out our 125 pieces of candy (well, it was actually closer to 127 pieces, but they sold it by the pound, so what’s two extra pieces in a granddaughter’s belly?).  And we were done.  Mission successful.  The gifts are ready to go.

Psalms 4:4 says, “In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”

Father, thank you for field trips with eight-year-olds.  Keeps me feeling young.  Amen.