Weird Dreams

Monday evening around 9 PM as we returned from a successful softball game, we noticed the Sheriff's Office traffic car parked near the intersection where we turn off the highway to come home. Will was making an approving comment about them working traffic here, when it lit up and followed me around the corner. I realized my lights weren't on and turned them on as I was pulling over. He directed me to go to the next intersection, so I ended up in front of the neighbor's house, three houses down from my own.

So the young deputy approached my car, asked for my driver's license, registration, and insurance. I asked Will to get the things from the glove box and I gave him my license. The deputy looked at it, then bent over and peered into the car, seeing that the passenger was indeed the Undersheriff, and he had just pulled over Mrs. Undersheriff. Do you suppose a deputy would view such an event as a stroke of good fortune or a horrible, no good, very bad day? "Good evening Sir. How are you Sir," he said. "Sir" was chuckling as he pulled everything out of the glove box and dumped it on my lap instead of actually just finding the needed documents.

I found the documents and handed them over. He mentioned noticing that I had turned on my lights and asked why I was driving without them. I explained that I always left them on Auto, but we had stopped at Home Depot. I waited in the car and turned the lights off so no one would come and point out they were on during the minute it takes them to go off, then I forgot to turn them back on. He gave me a short lecture about using my lights and let me know how concerned he was that I get safely home. Then he leaned over to see Will and said, "Have a good evening Sir." I believe the "Sir" word was used several more times but I can't remember what he said. No wonder Will has occasionally been heard to mutter under his breath that he doesn't get treated with enough respect at home.

So anyway, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling very upset. I dreamed that this deputy came back to the house a little later and told me that I needed to take a breathalyzer test. I said no problem, I don't drink at all. To my amazement, the results read .15. The deputy was very unhappy, not wanting to arrest me but knowing I couldn't get by with such a crime. He asked me what I had been drinking, which made me realize I could not remember what I had been doing the past few hours. I knew I had gone out for pizza but I didn't know where or with who, or what I had eaten or drank. So had I actually been drinking? Why would I do such a thing? I had no idea. I was so confused. Fortunately I woke up just then, and as consciousness returned, my confusion dissipated and I realized how ridiculous it was. Obviously they can't get you for driving drunk if they come to your house later on! And obviously I hadn't been drinking, I had been playing softball!

Then last night I woke again in the middle of the night, very glad indeed to be home in my own bed. I had dreamed that I was visiting someone and they had a pet lion in the house, an enormous creature who followed it's owner everywhere he went. I have no idea who these people were or why I was at their house, but I was very uncomfortable about sharing a house with a lion.

I must need a vacation or something! Metolius, here I come!

A Tour of Linn County

Good grief. Almost two weeks have passed since my last post. I've been having too much fun to spend time at the computer. The reunion was great and camping at the coast was fun. we returned home on Tuesday and are enjoyed hosting my aunt and uncle from Missouri, Ves and Jan Oswald. They are staying in our lovely new fifth wheel.

Will was a bit under the weather for a couple of days earlier in the week, but he recovered sufficiently to take us on a tour of Linn County in his pickup today. Along with Galen and Carol, we drove up to McDowell Creek Park and walked the trails to view the waterfalls.

Galen and Ves could probably solve most of the world's problems if they were just able to spend more time in earnest conversation while viewing Majestic Falls.

We relaxed with bottled water, cookies and fresh blueberry muffins before returning to the truck for a ride through the scenic backroads to the posse camp. Will entertained us with his commentary...."After harvesting a marijuana grow at that house, I had flu-like symptoms."...."I spent half a night here on survelliance and ended up following a car all the way to California."...and so on.

After touring the posse camp, we had dinner at the Homestyle Restaurant in Scio, which Galen hoped was a place run by the Holdermans, but it ended up having terrific Mexican food. As we drove home through the idyllic countryside with the sun turning the horizon pink, Ves was saying how blessed we were to have family close by to spend time with. Just then Will put the window down so that the irrigation sprinkler would come in the window and get Carol wet. After the howls of annoyance and laughter subsided, Ves was not so sure of that comment!

We dropped Galens off a little after 9:00 p.m. and while driving home Will got a call about someone lost in the mountains. So he gathered a few items and took off after we got home. It was a lovely day, but I'm very glad I get to go to bed now!

More Softball

Last night was the big game where our two church teams played each other. We lost by quite a bit but we had fun doing it! The other team has a lot of people who have actually played softball. Our team didn't have many players, and Craig recruited some of his friends. They haven't played ball for years but they are having a lot of fun doing it now!

Last week we had only 8 players. Fortunately, so did our opponents. Then one of our players got injured and Will had to give up the score book and play center field for an inning. Our former pastor got up to bat and told me he was going to make Will run. What he didn't know was that our right fielder, though he is a man about Will's age, can run like the wind. The ball was hit between right and center, and our right fielder easily ran over and caught it!

Last night we had plenty of people, but we just aren't as good as the other team. The ball only came to me (in right field) once. I picked it up and wisely handed it off to Nick, who had run to cover me. He made an amazing throw to third base and a runner was out!

As we were heading to the car after the game, a little girl whose parents play on the other team asked Nick, "So do you like falling on the ground?" She had apparently noticed that his style of play includes some falling and diving when he is in pursuit of a ball. I think he may have even done a sort of somersault at one point!

Way back in the good old daycare days (when I sometimes had 8 or 10 kids!) we played a lot of whiffle ball in the back yard and sometimes went to a park or school to play real baseball. Now I'm playing softball with some of those kids, and I like to think I taught them everything they know! I was much better at whiffle ball than softball!

Craig's friend Jon loaned him a hat to wear to the games. He likes it. Will looks like maybe he's jealous? I think Will would make an awesome softball coach. He's an excellent scorekeeper too.

This weekend is our family reunion! I can't wait to see all the folks from the midwest! Pray for sunshine! Maybe we can even play a little softball!

Happy 17th Birthday Nick!

For the first time in several years, we are not camping or on a family reunion trip on Nick's birthday. He was looking forward to having a party with his friends but discovered to his chagrin that important friends were not around, so we postponed a friend party.

We went to Albany and met Will for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I always like to get a picture of the boys with their father on their birthday, and I have no pictures of Will in the new green uniform they started wearing a couple months ago so I planned ahead and brought my camera. Believe me, it was not easy to get this picture. Will declared he would not cavort around a parking lot and pose for a picture in uniform. So I had to make it really really quick! I have no clue what to buy this boy so we went shopping "together" for his birthday present. I followed him into Radio Shack at the mall and was immediately bored. I asked, "Do you think we would both have more fun if we shopped separately and you call me when you find something you like?" His affirmative response came almost too quickly. So we both enjoyed some shopping time and he called me from the electronics department of Target awhile later. I found him there with a pleased grin on his face and a great sale on the desired object. I was a little surprised that he would want this but he assured me he did. So I bought him a new wireless internet router that he says is 20 times faster than our other one. He started to tell me more things about it but we both realized it was pointless because I just don't speak the language!

I can't believe my baby is going to be 18 in one more year!!! Will he be as tall as his father? He's getting close.....