Getting My Vitamin D

Today the sunshine called my name and we answered. Lately we've been swimming with Grandpa Linn on Thursday but he couldn't come today. So I decided we'd take a walk instead. Braeden and Emma were immediately on board but Mark said, "Are you trying to kill me?" I told him he'd walked the exact same trail last summer and had survived. He said, "Barely." With that enthusiastic start, we began.

We walked one of our favorite trails from McCullom Park to Central Market for lunch. We could not have asked for more perfect weather. Heady from the fragrant wild roses, we saw a duck family and several million spent dandelions. Mark of course, thought it his duty to kick the heads off every puffy white dandelion.



Two different people stopped to ask me for directions. Me. Braeden was shocked but I told him that people ask me things. Mostly I field retail questions. In the produce section recently a guy wondered which kind of onion to buy. He was making lasagna to impress his girlfriend (had the recipe in hand). A woman asked me at Costco which kind of cereal her grandson would eat that was low in sugar. Another woman asked me for a workbook recommendation. There's something about me that must scream "Mom". Actually it's three somethings and they all have brown eyes.

I digress.

We made it to Central Market and ordered their delicious fish and chips. While lunch was cooking, we visited the bulk candy aisle and ended up with mint chocolate chip malt balls, brite gummi worms, peach and green apple rings, and root beer, green apple, tangerine and sour cherry jelly bellies. I think between the fried lunch, chocolate milk and candy we sufficiently negated any health benefits from our walk.



(Just so you know, in our scientific taste test, the mint chocolate chip malt balls were a clear winner followed by the peach rings and root beer jelly beans.)

We walked right by the University Book Store and who can resist its siren song? Not us. I told the kids, "We are not buying any books. NO NO NO."

Naturally they did not believe me. They each gathered up books they wanted, needed, perhaps could not live without. I reminded them of the walk we still had back to the van. I reminded them that I was not buying them any books. They reminded me that I owed them their allowance. They promised to carry their own books. I held my ground. I made it, by the narrowest of margins. (I promised they could spend their allowance at Amazon.com complete with employee discount and no carrying of the books several miles.)

We walked back to our van which always takes longer. Mark switched off whining about being tired and running ahead of me. Near the end, he wondered if he could play at the playground at McCullom Park before heading home. He said, "Then I can get exercise." I told him he'd had enough exercise and suddenly he was way too tired to continue. By then we'd emerged back into civilization and a diesel truck rumbled past. He said, "What if that guy stopped and asked if we wanted a ride to our car?"

I said, "We'd say no thank you because we don't take rides from strangers." (I know what you're thinking, way to put a plug in there for stranger danger!)

Mark said, "Why not?"

I said, "Because what if they wanted to kidnap us?"

Mark looked at me skeptically, "But you're a Mom...besides, I could put the K.O. on them."

(sidenote: Mark and his merry band "put the K.O." on each other. So far they've not actually succeeded at knocking each other out, but they've tried.)

I still was trying to teach the little lesson. "They might have a bigger K.O."

Mark said, "It wouldn't matter, I'd already have knocked them out."

I don't know how to teach Mark to be more confident.

Besides failing to instill in Mark a healthy fear of being abducted, we had a lovely time. I think walking among the tall trees made us taller and the moss that had collected (on our north sides) during the winter fell away.



Wonderful sunshine!