Christmas Shopping at Tractor Supply Co.

Well, if there is a definite "sign" that we no longer live in Massachusetts and now live in Texas, this would be the one. Last weekend, when we went to Tractor Supply Co., to buy the monstrous bags of pellets for our goats, both London and Haven almost gave birth to foals the moment they walked into the store upon discovering there was a toy aisle. A toy aisle in Tractor Supply Co., you ask? Yes. A toy aisle amongst an endless sea of John Deere green, cowboy boots, feed and water troughs, dickie coveralls and anything else Cletus the slack jawed yokel could ever hope to imagine.

There were horse, cow, goat, donkey, dog, cat, and chicken calenders, all types of plastic horses in every size, paint by number kits complete with chalky, white ceramic horses, stuffed animals of all the previously above mentioned animals (again in all sizes,),..... and as Haven discovered the "mega-size" purple and white horse on the very, very top shelf, she exploded with high-pitched cries as she leaped and jumped about like a salmon swimming upstream. It's not enough that my children's rooms (and my entire house for that matter) is in a constant state of stuffed animal chaos and confusion,... it's just that London and Haven have so many stuffed animals that I seriously need a backhoe just to clear off their beds each night. But according to them, there is always room for "just one more!"

There were giant, wooden barns in boxes bigger than a 52" TV box lining the floor under Ponyopoly, Farmopoly, Fishin'opoly, dogopoly and London's all-time favorite - Horseopoly. Out of the corner of my eye I watched Geoff cowardly sneak away to "load up the shopping cart" with the bags of pellets we came for, while I was left to monitor my girls as they had continual spasms discovering new and "cooler" things further down the aisle. I take it back,... there was not "a toy aisle," as in singular - there were about six toy aisles total. As my girls shouted out an unorganized and jumbled list of what they wanted Santa to bring them for Christmas, my brain began to hurt. Finally, I borrowed a blank piece of paper and a pen from the cashier with the piece of straw protruding from under her obvious overbite and followed my daughters around like their own personal butler. Anything I could comprehend, I wrote down. All in all, my bill (should I actually buy everything they told me to write down) would have come very close to the amount of the recent Banking Industry Bailout.

There were a few things Geoff was pointing out to me that he would like. Some insulated gloves, a welder and of course the fancy little crop he kept smacking my butt with. (Men!) But when it comes to me, I'll stick with a massage, some new perfume, a gift card to a different, more fabulous type of store or possibly simply a new CD or two. I can tell you one thing,.... there had better not be anything from Tractor Supply Co., under the tree for me! And honey, if you happen to be reading this,.... especially not the fancy, little butt crop!

4th Of July

July 4th - Being done delivering a Bounce House and Slide is a very good feeling.  Until you have set up a 350 lb. Bounce House and a 550 lb. Slide, you have no idea!!  We delivered one for a neighborhood party in Fort Worth for the 4th of July, and as we got close to our location, we were in awe as we entered into such a quaint, little housing area.  Tall, well pruned, older trees cast a cool shade over the already 87 degree morning.  It was only 7:50 am, but it was gonna be a hot one!  An old fashioned, pushcart ice cream wagon rested against the curb, coolers sat nearby overflowing with ice and bottles of water, and a table nearby that was stacked high with about 20 boxes of donuts had my girls scampering about with giddiness.

After setting up the Bounce House and Slide, we locked our car and walked to the corner. Families were already sitting and waiting for their annual neighborhood Fourth of July Parade to begin and we decided to join and watch the parade too.  Laughing, we watched the crowds walk past with their family pets dressed up in red, white and blue on creative, colorful leashes.  We pointed out our favorite pooches to each other and waited with the others for the parade.

Sitting there with my husband and two girls, I felt a strange deja vue.  The park surrounding this neighborhood reminded me of a park in Milford, CT., where my younger sister lives.  I half expected to turn my head to the right and see the all familiar cascading waterfall complete with turning waterwheel.

Later that night, sitting on the steps of our back porch, my husband and I watched the girls write their names in the darkness with gold, sizzling sparklers.  Overhead, fireworks exploded in the distance.  All around us was the sounds of the 4th of July.  Some may say it was nothing too spectacular, yet for us it was true paradise.  Sometimes it's just the little things in life that mean so very much and leave the biggest memories.