Several Degrees of Insanity. . .

I take it back--I take it all back! Everything I said here I must recant. Not that I want to go back there, but what happened to a little thing called "Somewhere in the middle"?Today was our day to work in the yard and make some progress on the girls' tree house. We worked until the heat wore us down and we retreated to our nice air conditioned house. June started unseasonably cold in the fifties and today' forecast. . .97 degrees.


So we decided to go shopping. At Walmart. I have sworn time and again to never return to that particular shopping venue only to be lured back by low prices and large selection (At least in some departments).


Hannah had her own shopping list. It went something like this:


Pool

Swim suit

Popsicles

water

lawn chairs

water slide

water

waterproof band aids

and. . .

WATER


It was HOT! In fact, as we drove to Walmart the thermometer on our car reached 107 degrees. Yes, One hundred and seven degrees! It was crazy hot. Everyone at Home Depot and Walmart was buying air conditioners, fans, and several items on Hannah's list. And while Hannah did managed to get a new swim suit, she did not get the other items on her list. . .but, the girls DID get these:




After Hannah spent the week at golf camp she had sun burned, blistered ears (I always forget the ears! I am sure it is because she inherited the Erickson ears, just like her dad and his mom and her mom. . .They catch more sun than the average ear!) So Rob insisted the girls get hats that protect their ears and necks and noses. I have a feeling I will find them more often on the floor than their heads, but we spent a hilarious twenty minutes trying on every hat Walmart had to offer. And that bit of fun almost made up for the twenty minutes of torture we spent in line waiting for the slower-than-molasses-near-octogenarian checker.


Twenty minutes trapped behind a woman buying confusing things, like basil and cilantro and gift cards.


Twenty minutes blocked from escaping from behind by a hefty woman with a full cart and small children.


Twenty minutes of exposure to a host of things NO ONE needs to buy, but which are placed conveniently at eye level to a four/eight year old.


Twenty minutes of patience testing begging and ever more forceful denials.


And FINALLY. . .we escaped with our purchases, shreds of our sanity and only a couple spare ring pops.


Tomorrow maybe we will see about that tree house. . .or maybe we will just sit in the shade wearing silly hats and drinking lemonade (Or more likely, diet Dew).