Summer brings so many “fun” things. There really are great things. No schedule, homework, stress, meetings…

It also brings lots of close quarter creativity. The Texas Summer has come on with a vengeance. Not only is it hot, we’ve crossed 100 more than once (yikes!). A nice southern wind has been blowing. Enveloping you like a convection oven the minute you leave the comfort of an air-conditioned home, car, store, office building. Mmmmm…. You can see people walking the streets talking to themselves, “Remember the winters. Remember the winters. Remember the winters.” That’s why we live here – winter. Well, that and all the nice folks, and no state income tax, and family values, and… don’t get a Texan started. So we’ve been searching creativity, trying to involve water as often as possible. Lots of swimming.

Other “fun” includes Summer Reading. Personalities and age shine in this activity. It cracks me up. I have one that is hop to. Not only reading but going through and answering questions from the guide school provided to help the kids organize their thoughts. Two of them are putting off until tomorrow what they could start today. “Why? I’ve got the whole summer!!”… “I’ll forget if I read it now.” – Eying the thick, small print paperbacks, I offer my 2 cents, then back off, knowing that I’ll be reaching deep to turn off my own agony as they suffer (we’re talking suffer) the last two weeks of summer. Our last kid just can’t sit and read when there are free-flying outside adventures at hand. He has no idea it’s hot. Sitting to read a book is the LAST thing on his list … unless it involves a kid named Calvin and his tiger friend Hobbs in his bed at night.

Okay … so I’ve covered the Read… and the Hot… the blue is me today.

Having driven off, away from our quick stop at CVS to get Speed Police a few things for her new earrings, I turn to the back seat, “Honey I need my phone … Give Mommy her phone…”

Future Hoarder of America is hanging on to the cool ball he found while we were waiting in line. “mmmbbbblll”

“What?! … Honey I need the phone. Hand it up.”

“peep,peep,peep,peep….”

“Is he talking,” I ask Speed Police who is riding shotgun. “Jack – Please give me the phone!” Then it dawns on me. He doesn’t have the phone. In slow motion, my mind travels back to us leaving the store. The kid only had a ball in his hand – no phone.  He had asked me to play with the phone when we were walking in. Like I always do, I gave it to him and enjoyed listening to his humming as he played Jelly Car 3. But he had no phone walking out.

My stomach sank as I whipped around the car. We had barely left the parking lot, but I knew I was in trouble. It just didn’t seem the clientele quick to turn in a new iPhone 4 (eeep… just saying it makes my stomach hurt). We only forked over for the big purchase because it has a flash, HD still and video camera. I use the camera all the time.

“Did you leave the phone in the store Buddy?”

“Yes.” …ohhhhhh

“Where?”

“At the paying place.” …ohhhhh nooooo

I turn to Speed Police, “I don’t this is going to be good.” And it wasn’t. The phone was not “at the paying place”. The nice staff looked at the security tapes, we scoured the store … no phone.

Knowing that the kid is Future Hoarder of America and that a store like CVS has loads of enticing goodies strategically place at his eye level … there is the smallest smidgen of hope that the phone might be found – absent-mindedly left on a shelf to look at something else. One can only hope.

So… There’s the Blue-hoo-hoo… hoo-hoo-hoo.

I drowned my sorrows in food. Some yummy fries from a grand-opened In & Out Burger but a few blocks from our house. I needed the long line and thinking of someone else to get through my phone funk.

All I can say is … that was one expensive ball!

Thanks for walking the road with me.

-Kay