Walter commented that he thought, by the title of my last post, I was going to describe a car trip. HAHA! I don't know why I picked that title. Thinking up titles for the posts can sometimes consume more time than writing it, other times it just comes to me. Like that one, and today's. So original, today's title.
A car trip with Carrie. Yesterday I had to take my mother, who is disabled because of losing almost all of her peripheral vision (I think that's laymanese, but not SSI correct) due to a tumor, to the train station in Kelso. It is cheaper because of gas prices for her to take the train to my sister's in Seattle than for me to drive her and she enjoys it. On this trip I am bringing my 2.5 year old grandson because his mom is at work and I am primary babysitter and with us is my father who has Parkinson's. Due to the fact that we are working frantically on this house and I have a torqued back that Builder's Supply's insurance has said they are going to fight me to pay for anything!
Now, this is a car trip. We have pills for Parkinsons, for hay fever, and for general pain in the front seat! All four people whining about the stage of life they are in. In the back seat: oragel and Shrek on the portable DVD. After the fun of the train we headed to Home Depot to compare frigs. My father goes in one direction and my grandson goes in the other. My father is trucking fast because he's got his new pneumatic walker and my grandson is going fast because I forgot his harness, like I always do, and he's two and a half. Of course, I am the only one with a cell because my father always leaves his in the car.
I chase down my grandson and he lets out an earsplitting scream as I scoop him up and run down rows looking for my father. He had wanted this to be a "quick" trip because we are checking this price and then going to Lowells to which one is cheaper. Costco's and Freddy's have already been checked.
He isn't down any row! Yikes, where could he have gone, out to the car? If I go out I'm not going to come back in because the grandson's angry he had to interrupt his movie to come in here. Sigh. I don't remember there ever being just one baby and having to entertain with a movie, ever. There were always buckets of KIDS.
I have them announce over the intercom that my father's "party" will be waiting for him out in his vehicle. I have them pronounce the name twice, to make sure they have it correct. Then just as we are headed out the door I see him and we all go out together and load back into the vehicle. He has a price and we are off to Lowells. At Lowells the price is over $70 more so we head back to Home Depot. I had tried to do this by phone, before, but one time over the phone Home Depot even told them they didn't sell spa supplies when I have bought them at that store for four years! So, we go in person to all of the stores. Grandpa, I and grandson. And as hard as it is, and sometimes as aggravating as it is, on all of us I am sure, I am grateful for these moments and times. I know it is not often in this time, age and country where four generations attempt to live together, to bend our wills to one another's needs, to listen when we want to talk and be the ones to give when we want to take. It will be our turn soon enough, so now is a time to treasure.
3 comments:
Ahhhh ... that'll be a family road-trip memory, all right.
I think vehicle DVD-players have taken away another "joy" of family road trips ... games.
I remember our family playing the alphabet game. Each player could only get one letter from each sign or license plate, and no two players could use the same letter off the same sign. And the letter didn't count if nobody else saw it, so no cheating on license plates.
The people in the front (mom and dad) usually had the advantage on signs. But since we were in a VW Van ... and it seemed everybody was passing us ... my brother and I usually saw the license plates first. THEN, I figured out I could use binoculars to look at the upcoming signs even before mom/dad!
The hardest letters to get were always Q, U, and Z. Whomever got those first, was almost guaranteed a win.
We still play the alphabet game. The more people in the car the less likely the DVD player is to come out, but I got to admit it has been a life saver on trips to Eugene when he is the only one in the back seat and screaming!
We do songs, to. Rhyming kids songs, our Faith's children's songs, and the songs I learned in childhood. Funny, my husband doesn't remember doing car songs! We sang whether it was a long trip or short one and we ALL have tin ears. Great, now I have another car trip story! You've got to start your own blog Walter, and stay away from politics, leave that for TH's site and keep to family, your hysterical and sweet and fun to read!
Keep up the good work.
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