KID STUFF

Great-neph Luke was sort of “lost” at our Thanksgiving dinner because he was cousin-less for the day and had no playmates. He likes hanging with his older cousin Misty because she’s sophisticated--at age 12. The younger ones, Maddie, Boomer, and Baby Will, are fun, too, provided Maddie doesn’t try to force “little girlie stuff” on him. “I draw the line at playing house with her,” Luke says. “No way!!” Typical 10-year-old boy.

So, being desperate for something to do after we ate, Luke said, “Hey, Aunt Nancy, do you want to go on a hike?”

It was cold and windy out, but the sun was shining, so I was game for a little outing to a new bike/walking path that has recently replaced railroad tracks that used to run through Pittsburg. I bundled on the layers and off we went, but it soon became clear that I wasn’t all that compatible as a companion--even though I wasn’t advocating playing house.

You see, at every street entrance and exit, there were yellow poles placed to keep out motorized vehicles, and Luke was fascinated by them. He was determined he was going to sit on top of them, although they were higher than his bottom could reach. I, on the other hand, wanted to keep walking--my only way of staying halfway warm. “I can’t stand here and watch you try to pole sit, Luke. I’m gonna freeze.” Any time it’s under 70 degrees, I turn into a whiner.

Well, we finally developed a system that sort of worked for both of us. He would run to a yellow pole and, while I walked there, he would think of every way possible to try to get on top of it or push against it or run around it. I would finally reach where he was, then he would run off to the next pole. This went on for almost a mile before he got tired of the routine and we turned back
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Next stop was Lakeside Park. There we talked to the ducks and geese and they quacked and honked back. “I think they like us,” Luke decided, even though we had no Thanksgiving leftovers to offer them. We dawdled there until dark, carrying on conversations with the birds and dodging mass quantities of their droppings deposited on the sidewalk around the lake. “Watch your step!!” More than once I wished I’d brought my camera along to capture some of the scenery away from the sidewalk. The geese took off and landed on the water like aircraft, and the sunset was a gem. Luke, too, appreciated its beauty. “Boy, the sky sure is red.”

I don’t know how much longer my great nephew will want to “play” with me, but I hope he won’t “draw the line” with me any time soon.