Rainy Days And Sleepless Nights

Yesterday was a gray, wet day. It was even too wet for my children to amuse themselves with the battle of the slug for long. By afternoon, the rain had chased my young'uns inside. We briefly considered just staying in, reading, playing inside games, crafting or any other indoor pursuit we could think of, but then we thought why not make the most of it, and take a bonus trip to town.

We all climbed into the car and headed off to our next great adventure. Once in town, we split ways. I had Pa drop Lindsay and me off at the thrift store. He was a bit concerned, as he and Nathan had a couple things to do, and he thought perhaps we'd get bored waiting for them at the thrift store. Silly Pa! When they finally rejoined us, perhaps 90 minutes later, we were just finishing up looking through the books, and considering making a second run through the clothing section. Me get bored at a thrift store? Not likely!

Lindsay and I started our Thrift store hunt in the children's section. We found a couple pair of jeans, and a couple skirts for her to try on, then we were off to the women's section. I found several pair of jeans, a couple pair of nicer pants, and a few tops. We headed for the fitting room, where we had a grand time trying on all our clothing choices. Lindsay ended up with the two skirts and one pair of jeans. I found a pair of jeans, one pair of nicer pants, and 3 tops that fit. Okay. The basket was filling up. Time to trade up for a cart, and we were off again. We browsed through the kitchen items. Found some nice, even tempting things, but nothing I really needed so we continued on through the store. Grabbed a couple bundles of hangers, then on to the crafty section. Found a large vinyl tablecloth, still in it's original packaging. Great! Just what I'd been searching for so we can create a couple sit-upons for the kids! On to the books. Found three, two crafting and yarn work ones, and one "The Cat Who.." book for Nathan's reading pleasure. That's where we were when Pa and Nathan showed up.

Nathan had managed to lose a bit of weight in his absence. He was sporting a new hair cut. I'm pretty sure he lost a good 2 lbs. with that one. He was also beaming, and anxious to show us what he had purchased. Pa paid for our loot with minimal grumbling, and we headed out the door. Upon opening the back of the car to place our great bargain finds, we saw Nathan's grand purchase. He had finally made up his mind, used his gift card, and was now the delighted owner of his very own greenhouse! He's so excited to get it set up, and determine the best location for his purchase. It is a small greenhouse, not one you walk into. Rather, it has shelves to place pots of small plants and/or seedlings. It'll be perfect for his needs, and to keep him happily tending vegetation throughout at least most of the winter.

Last night, Nathan was so excited about his day that, from the sounds of things, he didn't sleep at all. When I checked on him, prior to retiring myself at 10, he was wide awake, chatting about his grand gardening plans, and the rain. When Pa headed in at 11, he was still wound up. At 7:30 this morning, when I arose, he was sitting on the couch, reading a gardening book. After greeting me, he related the weather events of the night, starting around midnight, and continuing throughout the night. The stats from our weather machine backed up his story. That is one excited young man! He had a good breakfast, and is tending his garden now. I can't help but wonder if the excitement will carry him through the day, or if it'll all catch up with him at some point, resulting in an afternoon nap, or an early bedtime tonight..