Saturday, August 15, 2009

Alone Again, Naturally

For the second straight weekend, I am alone in the house. I am beginning to wonder if this is a hint.

Having just returned from Girl Scout Camp on Sunday, Tabitha turned right around and went back there on Thursday. Well, she had help - Lauren and I accompanied her on the long drive out there, with me in the driver's seat (those pesky licensing laws and all that). This time it was Horseback Riding Camp, and Tabitha was very excited about the whole thing. We arrived on time and even as I was getting the paperwork all set up - mostly a matter of turning in the blizzard of Releases From Liability that ensure that everything up to and including cannibal camp counselors is all my fault and shall not be litigated under any circumstances - Tabby zipped off to join the other girls.

She has reached that age. "Bye, Dad!" and off she goes. I did manage to track her down before I left for a hug, but this is just the foretaste of what's coming up.

The camp turned out to be rather short of camp counselors - those pesky cannibals, not managing their resources properly - so Kim volunteered to go up after work on Friday. I'm hoping she makes it back without acquiring any new tastes in food. You would think that a Girl Scout camp would be well-supplied with other things - cookies, say - but you never know.

Lauren, faced with the prospect of an evening home alone with Dad, quickly demanded a sleepover at her friend Gracie's house. So this was arranged - and such a buzzed little girl you have never seen - and we went over there last night. Gracie acquired a pool this summer, and she and Lauren spent a happy evening splashing about together, along with Gracie's neighbor Isabelle, while the grown-ups ate chips and salsa, drank adult beverages and talked.

Everyone should be back in their usual slots sometime this afternoon, just in time to begin racing around again for the next round of activities. It's summer, and you have to wring every ounce of fun out of it before life begins in earnest with the school year.

Some fun is best left unexplained.

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