in tow

I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

Saturday mornings
this time of year
in this part of the country
begin at
Trade Day

So this morning
sister banker, her love, and their 3
swung by to pick up
me and my 2 rascals
minus Cowboy Dan

He headed to the hay field
to begin cuttin’ hay, hay and MORE hay
~please note: he told me this evenin’ “that may be the thickest hay I’ve ever cut”
~interpretation: “get you workin’ britches on momma!”

now back to Trade Day

loaded in the king cab
headcount =8
we headed out

barely out of the drive
 one from the herd hollers
“momma it seems like we’ve been in this truck a L-O-N-G time”

my response
“it only seems that way when kids are in tow”

20 minutes give or take
we arrive
safe and sound
sun shining
breeze blowing
 a quick headcount
we head down the first row

we MIGHT have made it 50 yards
within the first 15 minutes
when there they were
Tuck spotted them
with birthday money in his front pocket

water turtles

within minutes
we walked away
minus 12 dollars
with
one water turtle & container
a jar of food
and one giddy Tuck

we stroll on
greeting locals and friends
then
barely a half hour into the trip..
friendly and bleating
“pick me, pick me“
sister, her love and their 3
walk away
minus 65 dollars
the proud owners
of a young, black pygmy goat

whew!! who needs a break and a biscuit??!
we did.

under a nice, shady pavilion
we grabbed a couple of biscuits
visited with a few more friends
and then all too soon
snack time is over

and just as we begin to wrangle the herd
sister’s oldest and my youngest
linger off and out of sight momentarily
when
I heard it
that all too familiar UGLY cry
 MOMMMMMMMAAAAA!!!!

sister’s oldest comes flying over
with eyes as saucers
“He’s been BIT!
He’s been BIT by a
HAMSTER!!!”

and he had
Mighty Mouse had been bitten by a hamster and was bleeding like a stuck hog!

I picked him up
wrapped his finger in a paper towel
gathered the herd and we strolled on

When we ran right into
sister nurse and her gang..
we began to recap our morning
all three of us
laughing hysterically
Mighty Mouse still whimpering on my hip

we spot an elderly lady
in a booth
head back
mouth open
and eerily still

sister banker calls out
“Mam?”
no response..

sister nurse
“Mam?”
no response

me..I step out of the way as I feel the panic laugh coming on STRONG
when sister nurse
in a much louder voice “MAM?”
and with that
the elderly lady wakes startled from her slumber
and attempts to sell sister nurse some scented oils

with that
sister banker and I decided we should call it a day

in tow:
 a 3 dollar step ladder
some day lilies