Seven Quick Takes

Joining Jen and the givey givers ...

1. I wasn't going to do a quick takes post but ... what the hell? There are a bunch of things I've been wanting to post about but will probably just fester and die in the recesses of my brain so let's air them out here.

2. A couple of weeks ago I was on a little bit of a trash picking bender. It started innocently enough with a doll stroller

but then I was on a run and spotted one of those push cars ...

yes, that.

I ran home and told Simon about it so we popped in the car and drove by and Simon was "98% sure" that the people had just left it out in their yard and that it was not for greedy Graces to "steal".

Fine.

So the next day I was running and oh, look. Same toy with a "free!" sign taped on the hood. Simon said I looked like a proud cat coming in from a hunt as I wheeled it up our walkway and while I don't appreciate being compared to a feline .... he was probably right. I tried sort of hard not to gloat but ... not that hard. It's rare that I'm the right one in the relationship so I had to lap it up lap it in ... you know.

3. And then the next day I was out on a run with the kids in tow when the same house had set out this sparkling diamond ....

a traveling circus of kleptos.

It had another "free!" sign on it and I kind of wonder if the family set out cameras to watch my face light up as I snatched up yet another one of their reject toys. I finished my run with our loot sort of intact and I could blame exactly no rubber neckers for doing their thang as they drove by me and my accomplaces.

I run by every day half expecting a live pony complete with premade Pinterest approved birthday party for one of the kids waiting for us ... I'll never quit dreaming.

Anyway, the next day I ran by another house that had a John Deere tractor outside dying a sad trash pile death and while I knew Sebastian would love it -- our basement is starting to resemble a helter skelter of a shelter for trash pile and craigslist rescue victims so ... I exercised some restraint and made Simon proud.

4. I saw a truck with this bumper sticker the other day and I love it.

5. This video. I watched it twice in a row last night and laughed out loud both times. I sent it to Simon and his response was, "where did you find this?" sooooo know that sometimes my humor bar is set very low.

6. TEN different kind and generous individuals sent me this Whole Foods post and if it wasn't on your Facebook feed ... come out from under the boring rock from which you dwell because ... people were loving it. It's pretty accurate which makes it hysterical.

7. You see us floatin' and hatin'. Okay, dumb. But last night of the awful float! Ah. It's such a terrible month and I'm so happy it's over and that we can have Simon back under our roof during normalish hours once again. Julia refers to the hospital cafeteria as his living room and it really sealed the deal when she saw his call room with the bed ... as she now assumes that he "whiffs dare". But we're done with 5 out of 8 of these months. Progress. Definite progress for the Patton peoples.

Have a nice cold one or ten on our behalf.


Bye now.