Another Saturday

Today I got up at 7:30.  I had quiet time, then computer time (and coffee).  The boys got up and we ate breakfast.  I did a little housework, and got the boys and myself cleaned up and dressed.  We had family worship, late, then an early lunch.  Then the boys and I headed out.  It was raining.  I stopped by Old Navy looking for a skirt I had seen online, but they didn’t have it.  Drove downtown and turned the boys over to Mike (the ex) and his girlfriend.

Next I drove to a Barnes and Noble where I tried to decide what to buy with a gift card I had.  It was between a set of wall maps (U.S. and world) or a globe. Couldn’t decide so I sat down (on the floor, no seats available) and read a book that I picked up about walking.  It looked promising but turned out to be pretty stupid, except where he said that walking helped with his depression, which I thought was interesting.

Then I picked up and read the The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan.  I have been trying to read this book for ages but it’s the sort of book that is always checked out at the library.  While I was reading it, a college-aged guy walked by and said loudly to his female companion, and I quote, “Now this is the stupid stuff.  A whole section on the Civil War.  I mean, it was a hundred fifty years ago.  Nobody cares.”  I stifled a smile.

Someone vacated a comfy arm chair so I claimed it.  Across from me was a man in his fifties in a baseball cap, studying a math workbook.  He was tracing the words with a thick finger and sounding out the words under his breath.  Every now and then he would heave a tired sigh and stare off into space for a while. 

I kept reading.  The book was pretty interesting.  Did you know that for many years, it cost more to produce a bushel of corn than the selling price of that bushel of corn?  Why would anyone grow corn, you ask?  The answer, in a nutshell, is government subsidies.  Also, did you know that it takes a quarter to a third of a gallon of oil to produce a bushel of corn?  Even the fertilizers that are loaded onto the corn (corn takes a lot of fertilizer) are derived from petroleum.

At five o’ clock I realized what time it was and hurried out to my car.  The rain had stopped and been replaced with a strong, cold wind.  I drove to Hermann Park, changed skirts, and slipped into my New Balance 790's.  Best running shoe I’ve ever had; too bad they aren’t making them any more.  I locked up the car, then cut across the park to the trail around Rice University.  Back to the car fifty minutes later; I was tired, cold, hungry, muddy, and happy. :)

Went to the Children’s Museum and picked up the boys from Mike and his girlfriend.  Both boys were kind of wound up and tired at the same time.  On our way home we stopped at the grocery store and picked up sausage, potatoes, and lots of frozen vegetables.  The people in front of us at the checkout lane were buying sushi, pound cake, strawberries, ice cream, and whipped cream.  I wish they had invited us over for dinner.  Next we stopped for gas.  It was getting dark.  When we got home, I put together some burritos and we ate.  Elijah played with Lego for a while and Noah curled up on the couch with a blanket and his “right one” little pillow.  You know, the right one, as opposed to the wrong one.  Finally, I put the boys to bed, and wrote this post.  The end.