'Tis the Season...

...for me to be bahumbuggy and overly sentimental.  'Tis the season for my seasonal affective disorder to kick in and send me on a quest for sunlight and warm weather.  'Tis the season for me to get over one
illness and start right in on another.  'Tis the SEASON for me to start wondering where Santa Claus is going to find the time and the money to make Christmas happen..  And 'tis the season for the public to start acting in a very un-Christmasy manner.  Case in point, the lady who pepper-sprayed her fellow shoppers on Black Friday, the crowds that stampeded for $50 Blu-Ray players, and the shoplifting grandpa who cried foul when he was taken down by police.  Add to that list the family of ne'er-do-wells that ruined my annual Christmas parade experience.  A family that makes the Herdmans in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever look like angels. 

I'm trying, trying, trying to take the high road on this one.  It was obvious that the family came from limited means, both financially and...intellectually.  But it's hard for me to excuse bad behavior that so blatantly infringes on my enjoyment and well-being.  And when the "matriarch" of the family insists on blowing smoke around my head while she cusses about the "damn antique cars that don't belong in the damn parade," I sort of lose my tolerance for any shortcomings they might have to start with.  Clearly their kids would have been better off being raised by wolves, because at least a mama wolf will grab her cub by the scruff of the neck and jerk his little tail back into line. 

The smallest member of the family, a little boy of about four years old, was trying desperately to see the parade.  I can sympathize with that.  But, people, we were here two hours ahead of time to set up chairs on the curb so that MY son could have a good view as well.  There were plenty of other spots to stand with your brood, and that doesn't include allowing the little guy to squeeze between the armrests of of our bag chairs, when they were overlapping each other.  And it doesn't mean your little hooligan can punch the bottom of our coffee cup out of the drinkholder, spilling lukewarm coffee all over the hubby's pants leg. 

It also doesn't mean that you allow your ragamuffins to scramble over my head for candy canes and other little goodies being handed out by those in the parade.  You would have thought a small bag of local potato chips were made of gold, the way this lady shrieked at her kids to "Put your hand out, grab some!" into my ear. 

It certainly doesn't mean that I put my chair there for you to LEAN on during the entire parade.  Again, we were there early to avoid that very thing.  Plan ahead, come earlier, and get out of MY SPACE! 

It definitely doesn't meant that you irritate me to the point where I'm ready to say STRONG words to you, but don't because of worrying about making a scene with the Hoos from Whitetrashville.  And "lady," it CERTAINLY doesn't mean that you can push me to the brink of a brawl and make me leave before Santa Claus comes at the end of the parade! 

Yes, we took the high road and packed up our chairs, and they had the NERVE to glare at us for getting in their way as we vacated the curb.  I might have stood my ground a little bit longer, but it was raining pretty steadily at that point, and it just wasn't worth it to be miserable and risk losing my cool and making the front page of the paper. 

So, we might try again Friday night when our "other" local city has their parade, complete with the Marching Royal Dukes of JMU.  It can only get better, or so I would hope.  And if I make the paper this time, at least I'll be able to say, "I tried." 

A Very Busy Independence Day!

We went into the Fourth with no concrete plans. We finished the day having done almost every activity one would want on this truly American holiday.

We began the day by grabbing some drive-thru breakfast and dashing into Staunton for the parade. We attended with Grammy, Poppy, and Gramma B (Blanche, Poppy's mother). While a great deal of the parade was as interesting as....well....watching grass grow, the National Guard brought everyone out of their folding chairs. There were plenty of fire trucks, kids doing karate, vintage cars, and even both candidates for our Congressional seat. To sum up, it was an okay parade, but I'd like to see them work on the long gaps that gave folks the impression it was over.

One of Staunton's jewels is the Gypsy Express, a mini-train that runs in the park from April until October. Andrew is a huge fan and was talking about riding the train long before the end of the parade. The bonus was the rides were free on the holiday. Here are Tam and Andrew as we begin to roll out of Bartley Station. If you haven't done this (with or without kids), it is old-fashioned fun and we highly recommend it.

After the train ride, we walked over to the amusements. Loading him up into the rides only confirms what we realize more and more everyday - our baby really is growing up.


We grabbed some lunch from some of the vendors (including a killer funnel cake from the K of C) and sat with Grammy, Poppy, and Gramma B listening to people trying to sing in the talent showcase. We decided to head home just as a light rain began to fall. FIGURES! We swung into a roadside fireworks stand with a goal of spending less than $10. Mission accomplished and back to Fort Vegas.

Tam and Andrew had naps while I Googled nonsense and pulled the pics off the camera. After dinner, we repaired to the "Redneck Riviera" for some fun in the sandbox. Can I once again thank all who contributed to this project? Can I get an Amen?

So we are in the sandbox throwing the beach ball around and discussing where the night is going to head next......what should we do? The night seemed to be calling out for something, but what?


ICE CREAM! We loaded up and headed into Verona to DQ. Andrew is all about ice cream cones ever since seeing an Upside Down Show where the boys spend the episode looking for an ice cream truck. He worked on this cone like a champ, but ended up needing a little relief from Mommy before the whole thing turned into a chocolate puddle on the table.


The next thing on the agenda was heading home and launching our $7.50 worth of fireworks. Having just been in Myrtle Beach (where you can buy anything short of a surface to air missile), you would have thought I would have picked up some decent fireworks, but I have to show Andrew I am a law-abiding citizen. Seven minutes later, our little show was over and we were just about to head into the house when Tam asked the magic question: "Feel like seeing the big fireworks show?" Andrew seemed up for it, so..............................

We load up the Kia and head back into Staunton for the big show. As we drove past the park and saw the crowd, we were happy there was such a great turnout (reported as better than last year by local tv). Since we grew up during the heyday of the Statler Brothers massive event (when 100,000 people would pack into the park), it is nice to see that this smaller version is well attended. I know the local charities struggled after losing their cash cow, but it seems everyone is now having a great Fourth in the post-Statler era. The kids in the park tonight will never have German tourists asking them where the bathrooms are and won't see Moxie Stadium as a sea of folding chairs.

With a very tired Andrew in the backseat, we headed home having had a very full Fourth. Hope yours was as good as ours! ---J