in which we go for a walk and mama gets an attitude adjustment

Do you ever have those days where you shouldn't be grouchy, but you are? You can't quite pinpoint what it is that made you that way, maybe it's many little things finally adding up and you find yourself irritated and grumpy and nothing sounds good and everything annoys you. That's what my friday was like last week. It started out well, and then something happened and I was in such a melancholy mood that even the trees I was driving past were irritating me.

I thought that getting outside would be just the thing I needed to snap me out of it (and Riggs and Tutka would both greatly benefit from some fresh air and exercise), but it was an overcast, slushy day and I just didn't want to deal with dog, boy and mud and the mess that would inevitably result from a walk in the current conditions.

Just at the last minute, when I either needed to turn home or head to the trails, I made my decision. I would try going on a walk. I passed the old glenn turnoff and took the next exit, thinking that the loop around Reflection Lake would be just perfect. I pulled up to the trailhead, and the front spot was open. Maybe my day was changing for the better!

I let Tutka out of the truck, and then went back to get Riggs in his overalls, jacket and boots. Once all his warm clothes were on I dug around on the floor for his boots. Just as I was realizing they weren't there, I remembered. They were in the Jetta, which we had driven to hike the Butte on Sunday. I always leave them in the truck, so I had just assumed they'd be there today. Oops.

I sighed heavily as Riggs kept repeating, "boots? booooooots?" over and over again. Tutka was already happily bounding around in the mud outside and I knew there was no way I could force him back in the truck without at least a little bit of walking. Strapping Riggs on in the ergo was out of question for two reasons. 1...it dug in uncomfortably to my stomach if I wore him on my back (as he prefers) and 2...it wasn't even in the truck like it usually was. It too had been left in the Jetta after our family hike Sunday. I picked my brain for ideas and just then saw two target bags Steve had stashed under the seat to collect trash in.

I pulled them out, dug in the center console for some electrical tape, and told Riggs he was getting a special kind of boots today. Then I proceeded to  t a p e  t r a s h  b a g s  on my toddlers feet. When I was finished I couldn't hold the laughter back. He looked at his feet skeptically for a moment or two.

When I let him down he cautiously tested them out in the snow. I knew we wouldn't be able to be out long without his feet getting wet and cold, so we set off. I was praying that we wouldn't see another person so I would have to deal with the mortification of someone seeing my child with bags taped on his feet in the place of proper footwear.

After he got used to them they didn't slow him down a bit, except on the icy patches. And I laughed nearly the entire time thinking about how ridiculous it all was. Luckily no one reported me to child protective services and we all three were greatly refreshed by the little jaunt around the lake.

'you must live in the present.

launch yourself on every wave.

find your eternity in each moment.'

HENRY DAVID THOREAU