Possumblog

Poor little thing.

Good morning! I’ve been here a while, but have been covered up with a blizzard of paperwork, which is what always happens after these meetings. And, as usual, I have to start the minute-typing process all over again.

BUT, at least I got to have fun last night.

Yesterday morning, Catherine asked me if she won the Clothes-Putting-On race if I would take her to the Dollar Tree. Being a sucker, I agreed to the deal and LO AND BEHOLD, she WON! So she was very proud. I was just glad she was completely dressed for once.

Anyway, on toward home yesterday with a stop to pick everyone up. When I got to Grandma’s house, I also remembered that over the weekend I had also promised Boy that I would take him to get his hair cut. Interesting thing about that little stinker--he’s never seemed to want his hair to get all long and shaggy like so many of the ‘70s wannabe kids whose parents let them grow their hair down into their eyes. He’s very particular about it, and we’ve never said anything to him about it. I just hope he keeps that attitude. Which means he probably won’t. ANYway, I promised I would take him to the hair-cutting place, too, so I figured I would combine the Dollar Tree with the HeadStart trip and satisfy everyone.

Got them home, started supper, greeted Reba when she got home, passed the spatula to her and hit the door with the littler two kids.

First stop, hair. The place was full, but thankfully it was mostly just lots of people who came with the object of the hair cutting. Boy got called back quickly and just as quickly reappeared with a nice slick Conservative Young Gentleman cut.

ON TO THE DOLLAR STORE!

We got there and Cat was immediately drawn to a box full of big foam gliders on the sidewalk. She looked them over very carefully, and I think she wanted one. But she also wanted to see all the junk inside as well, so we went in and they went to work looking at every single thing that the industrious peoples of Asia can make that can profitably sold for a dollar. Boy quickly found a “Fairly Odd Parents” Cosmo (the one on the left in this picture) reversible plush toy he liked, so he snagged that and was satisfied. Catherine, on the other hand, seemed to be having difficulty. She didn’t really seem to be interested in anything. She wandered and shopped and looked and still couldn’t figure out what she wanted. Mainly because she really wanted the toy airplane. I think she was concerned that it was a “boy” toy.

I didn’t say it out loud, but I really didn’t think she had much to worry about seeing as how her brother had just picked up a doll of a bewinged cartoon male fairy that transforms into a pretty crescent moon.

“Can I get that airplane?”

“Sure, sugar! It’ll be fun!”

She lit up like Times Square and ran across the store and out onto the sidewalk to retrieve her airplane. We walked over to the cashier and I gave them each their dollar so they could pay for their respective items, which they promptly turned around and gave the kid at the register, and I gave him a fiver for the four packs of spaghetti I bought--2 packs for a buck!--and then we were on the way home again. Late, too--nearly 7:30 when we got there.

BUT, not so late that a test flight couldn’t be made!

The moment she got out of the car, Cat already had the plastic wrapper off the plane and had slammed the wings onto the fuselage and was ready to fly it. First flight, and it nosed right into the ground.

“Here, let me see, Captain--” Oh, good--a way to trim it out a bit. I bent the elevators up slightly then turned around and flew it, inexplicably, straight toward the street. Because I am a moron. But boy-howdy did it fly! Landed right in the street after a long straight glide. Thankfully, no cars were coming, especially since Catherine bolted after it when she saw where it was going and it was all I could do to whoa her up before she plundered on out beyond the curbline. “STOP! Look both ways!” Good.

She brought it back and flew it a couple more times, then Reba came out to see what we were doing. I grabbed it and flung it up high, it turned gracefully and sailed back the way it had come, striking the poor Miss Reba right upon her right hip. “YOU HIT ME WITH AN AIRPLANE!”

“You saw it coming--you should have moved.” So THERE! Catherine just laughed and laughed.

We went in and had supper--the rest of them had already eaten--and as I sat there studying the aircraft that was now hangared beside Catherine’s plate, I thought it needed some work. It came with cool stickers for decoration, but it also had circular indentations on the fuselage to indicate porthole windows. It actually looks a bit like a Gulfstream II (except with a conventional empennage instead of a tee-tail), and I thought a little bit of verisimilitude might make it the most coolest thing EVER. “Hey, Catherine--after we get through eating, would you like me to color in the windows on the side so it looks more like a real airplane?”

She was somewhat leery of the idea but agreed anyway. Got out the Sharpie and went to work after putting away the dishes--eight neat round dots, and then a quick set of trapezoids on the front windows. WAY cool. I helped her put the stickers on and it looked pretty darned nice, if I do say so myself.

Of course, she was about to bust a seam to fly it some more. In the house. I told her to wait until today so she could fly it outside.

Alas, it was not to be.

I just got a call from Miss Reba, who has left work early today to got get the three youngest kids to take them and their stuff up to school and meet the teachers, and it seems that when she dropped them off this morning, there was massive damage done to the wing of the craft. Poor Cat had taken it apart when she got to Grandmom’s house, laid a wing on the couch, forgot about it, and inadvertently turned around and broke it when she put her hand on the cushion to get up. CRACK!

Reports from sources at the scene indicate there was a large gush of tears and no small amount of wailing. “BWAAAAHHHH--::sniff:: I knew I should have gotten somethin’ else!” All that effort, all that anticipation about getting to fly it today, and it all went away in one moment’s inattention. Poor little pilot.

I told Reba to be sure and let her know that it would be okay, because Daddy would stop by the store on the way home tonight and get her a replacement. That made her very much happier.

And now? Well, it’s lunchtime! Be back after while.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at August 10, 2005 12:12 PM