Where We See A Store, They See a Cosmos

Tonight, there was a much-dreaded side-effect to my coming back from home late. I was supposed to come home so that Amy could head out to her hair appointment, but with the change in plans, I had to meet Amy at the hair salon and we switched cars and "human cargo," so she wouldn't be late. Because of the shift in schedules, I had to undertake a side-trip to the supermarket with all three children to pick up two cans of pinto beans - the missing ingredient in tonight's supper.

But once we got to the grocery store, things weren't nearly as bad as I had expected. Part of it may be that my associations are somewhat outdated - maybe the boys are a bit older and more mature. But more likely, things were better because we didn't get a shopping cart - after all, we just needed a couple of cans of pinto beans. The cart is like Pandora's Box at the grocery store. If you get one of those awful plastic-Oldsmobile-attached-to-a-shopping-cart gizmos, where the kids can ride in the front seat, somehow that's the worst. If you get the "traditional" shopping cart, it's mostly a matter of trying not to hit the "pedestrian" child, and not letting the other(s) stand up in it. Whatever the reason, the supermarket visit was surprisingly near-painless. Admittedly, I splurged on candy. I ended up getting a blue combination of bottle-shaped-lollipop and lickable powder for Daniel; both boys insisted that Ian is the only one who can't have artificial dye, and it's only the red dye that makes him crazy. In fact, the boys have picked up on our preoccupation with colors and numbers when it come to dye, and they'll say things like "Is yellow 2 alright?" Of course, when I got Daniel the quasi-lollipop, I had no idea he would share it with Golden the Dog, but that' another story. Ian got Necco Wafers - good-old New England candy from my youth, crafter in Cambridge, surprisingly unique in flavor and "feel," and made with natural colors and flavors. The boys both insisted, too, that for whatever reason, Mommy lets Daniel eat gumballs, so he got one. Ian and Madeleine got 50-cent knick-knacks out of the gumball machine - a Jimminy Cricket medallion for Madeleine...

But aside from the candy shake-down, there was almost no excitement. One thing I had forgotten was about the lobsters - that there are actually live animals at the grocery store, and hence an unexpected and welcome diversion. But Ian remembered, and ran over to see them, and I eagerly encouraged Daniel and Madeleine to join the excursion.

As Ian arrived at the lobster-tank, at the Seafood counter, he shared a fond recollection from his treasury of Visits to Grocery Store Lobster Tanks:

"Daddy, once I even got to name one, and I named it 'Look'!"

(September 16, 2011)