We missed youse guys.

OK--back on the daily entry wagon� And that it was very kind of so many of you to act worried, but there is nothing massively wrong. YerSauce made the decision to become unemployed for the nonce, but that is not introspection or parenting and will cure itself sooner than later. Thanks.

Tonight�s wanderings took a young man (12 days to Five and Three Quarters! He�s getting old before my very eyes. Sniffle)� Anyway, they took a kid and his pop to Trader Joes. We�ve talked about Trader Joes before� It was the entry where a guy who isn�t all that into teats (Vermontism�pronounced tits) noticed a young lady who had them moving in really phucking cool opposing orbits�. Yeah, that one.

So DaKiddo and his oaf of a father do an every few weeks at T.J.�s to get some stuff that you can�t get at other markets. We skip the meats (unless frozen) as they just suck dirt, we often skip the veggies as they are overpriced and only fair� and on, but there are a few regular things that need buying.

Dat kid loves the place for a number of reasons. Lots of humans in a small space and he gets to peep them� They hide a stuffed monkey named Mindy in various places and if he spots it, he gets to report the funky lil� monkey�s ass to the office and they give him a sticker, some candy, or a fruit leather depending upon parental whim. He loves that. Searching for Mindy is a blast.

He also loves to ask about stuff� Natch. No matter where we are. If it is a grocers it is often food or other humans, if it is a lighting store we talk about why lava lamps flow the way they do and how convection allows cooling and collapse and then reemergence upward for the wax. It varies by the locale. And as we pass everything there is a running patter between father and son that goes something like this:

�Why do they put those up there dad?�

�What�s up where, pal? Watch out! Remember, part of being a gentleman is watching for other folks and not dashing across without making sure that others are not gonna be run into in the process. Did you say excuse me to that lady? Awwww. Good man. OK. What�s up where?�

So there is a combination of him asking about certain foods and how they are made, and pointing out items, and ongoing parenting and politeness training and so forth. It is always fun for both of us. Because we are goofs like that.

Tonight we were headed into the store, my son said, �Ladies first!� And swept out of the way almost fast enough to knock down a knockout-looking brunette member of the fairer-sex squad.

She giggled and said thank you.

In we marched with cart in front� and our evening was as planned. We did our shopping. But, in the unusual department, this very same gal, kept popping up in various places at the same time as us�and since we are boys and random and don�t ever do the isles in the same order (because half the fun of doing anything is doing it with a varying method�otherwise you get BORED! Sorry.) But she kept showing up and making appreciative comments about his questions, my answers, talked to us about various, asked about some foods as well. Wondered why we were buying Sunshine Squash to roast� And on we marched doing our shopping. And she kept showing up. Now. Your busy dad/diarist WAS appreciative of her smell and exceptional looking arrivals, but was targeted on keeping his schedule and getting an easily distracted little guy through the store� So while noting that she was swell and might be causing some minor swelling in the nether regions for a sec or two�we were targeted boyz and we did our shopping.

We get to the busy lines up front. She pulls up behind us with very little in her cart for a gal who had been all over the store. 1/3rd full? And ours is brimming. I suggested that she should go first, as we had so much more. She refused. I asked a second time�gently. Making sure that she wasn�t just offering a polite refusal as it seemed silly for her to wait for us� Nope. She was staying pat.

The boy and I kept chatting. We talked about the scanners, introduced ourselves to Crew Member Michael (and joked with him about his asking for baggers twice and having them run to others who had busty gals in the position of baggee.) And on.

While we were waiting yer diarist offered to self-bag-and-box, and Crew Member M. wasn�t going to have any of that� So we piled up a bit, and he had to stop scanning and start his own bagging and DatSauceGuy apologized to the gal behind us.

She noted that it was no problem. And introduced herself. Heather. I introduced myself (Sauce-Name-Here.) We talked about the boy�and she wanted to know if a kid of his height was really not-yet-six, and how lucky she thought I was that he was sooo good, and so forth. Thanks noises were made. She said that she was 24 and soon to be 25. And hoped eventually to have a person just like him. YerSauce grinned and told her that she would be certain to be able to find a male to participate in such a venture� And we were back to Michael the crew member, and paying and going to the office and explaining where Mindy the Monkey Was Hiding (In a boat over the cheese section, thanks.) And out the door.

Yer diarist piles his kiddo into the car, hands him a water, turns on some Persuasions (We Came To Play) and starts to put away the bags and boxes with intent to depart.

Heather arrives with her cart.

She asks if it would be too forward of her to invite DaBoy and YerGoofBall out tomorrow night for dinner? The IDIOT at the keyboard finally realizes what has been going on all of this time, and notes, that that would be kind. But that even though the boy eats anything, it would be a short evening thus, because he�s kept on a firm bath, reading, and bedtime sched. She looks sorrowful, but notes that even a short dinner would be swell. And your Complete KNUCKLEHEAD/DipshitDiarist realizes that he has hurt her feelings a bit throughout this experience, and that she still had been kind enough to try, and then she gets told that she gets short shrift.

So the lovely Heather is coming to our house for dinner tomorrow night. The boy and I know nothing about her� And we hope that she doesn�t have a thing for getting invited to folk�s houses and offing them. But other than that it should be interesting.

So gals? Are all boys as dumb as rocks or is it just DaSauce? Spill?

Thank you. Missed you.

--DatNextTimeHitMeWithABrickBoy