A Natural Playground

One week ago, I blogged about our continued unemployed status and that we had started Federal extension payments – but without the mandatory reporting at the Career Center in Chillicothe. Today I get a letter in the mail from Unemployment – I have a mandatory appointment at the Career Center on August 19. Wow, lucky me. What a time to be picked to be “special”! I'm hoping this is a one-time thing, but I have a bunch of paperwork I have to fill out and take with me. And they said to be prepared to be there as long as 90 minutes. Oh, joy.

It was a nice day (up to the point I got the mail). We enjoyed lunch at the local Mexican Restaurant, and I watched the final two videos of my first online class session. I have some bonus reading to do, and I want to type up my notes from today's videos. The basic thought of the first session – first impressions do count!

Hubby and I walked in the park this morning. The walking trail has three bridges over a couple of small creeks. We started talking about our childhoods, creeks and bridges. It turns out we both enjoyed playing around creeks and under bridges. Maybe rural north central Missouri and Palo Alto, California, aren't completely different!

We had two creeks that ran through the farm. One of those creeks was a favorite playground of mine. It wasn't a deep creek – maybe a little over ankle deep at a few points. So it was completely safe for me to play up and down that creek. It wasn't unusual for me to follow the creek all the way to the end of the farm, letting my imagination run away with me.

Mostly, though, I stayed in a smaller section of the creek. My imagination could always come up with different games of make believe. Sometimes I could make believe I was at summer camp. Other times I was a spy. Often it would depend on what I'd seen on TV or read about in a book. I really enjoyed the “Trixie Belden” books as a kid, and Trixie was always solving some mystery. That inspired a lot of my make believe.

My cousin who lived down the road often came over to play – she liked my quiet house where I was an only child, and I liked her house where she was one of seven kids! It was a nice change of pace for both of us when we visited back and forth.

I remember one time when we “discovered” a section of the creek bank we hadn't noticed before. It was fairly steep, it was clear of grass and weeds, and it had loose dirt. It didn't take us long to realize it would work as a slide. We spent a long time that afternoon sliding down that creek bank over and over. I can't imagine what the backsides of our shorts looked like. I know Mom wasn't too happy with me when we came back to the house. I never heard what her mom said. It was a fun afternoon.

Younger daughter and her hubby are enjoying their trip to Seattle, working some fun around their convention sessions. Daughter took the ferry to Orcas Island yesterday. Today, they enjoyed the original Starbucks and Pike Place Fish Market. On Saturday they traveled to Mount Rainier and posted some beautiful photos.

Both grandsons had Freshman Orientation last night. I just cannot wrap my head around my boys being old enough for high school! But, they not only are about to start high school, but both will be old enough for their learner's permits in the next few weeks!

I guess all I have to say to that is.......time marches on!! Talk to you tomorrow.