A Musing Mother 6

He said, "Your chickens keep rolling around behind the air conditioner. Look at the hole they have dug under the pipe." She said, "It's a dirt bath. It's what they do." He said, "It's making a mess of the backyard." She said, "Because of the dirt bath hidden behind the air conditioner?" She surveyed the backyard. She said, "Did you know your dog has worn paths in the grass?" He said, "They're not that bad." She said: Thoughts, anyone?

Last week was early voting for primary elections in a non-presidential year. My candidate later revealed that out of 105,000 residents, only 150 showed up in the early polls. I was one of those early voters because I resent being harnessed to one Tuesday, especially if it happens to be a beautiful day that I'd rather be outside. I parked at the city building and walked in, uncertain of where I would go from there. The sign pointed left but straight ahead I was greeted by four exuberant ladies who called me into the courtroom with smiles and promises of candy. As I stepped across the threshold, they were so pleased at my presence, one of them cheered. It made so happy I turned around and walked back in again. I was met with a standing ovation.  I had such a wonderful time voting this year that I want to do it every day. I felt appreciated, loved, and a little bit adored. One woman asked if I was an actress. It wasn't because of my stunning beauty but my reaction to such positive

My phone did everything I wanted it to do. It 1) made calls to whoever I deemed needing to call 2) received calls 3) texted with a handy sliding keyboard 4) withstood more abuse than a phone should have to withstand. It even took pictures and received them so I could see my new nephew while driving to Southern Utah, minutes after he was born. It was enough. I was happy. My best friend took one look at it and tossed it back on the table with a sound of disgust. She called it a dinosaur. I argued that my plan was so inexpensive that I it barely made a ripple. She owns an I Phone. She declared that she has no idea how much her plan costs but she gladly pays it because she uses it for finding places with a simple voice command. I'm saving myself from growing dependent on technology for the Apocalypse, I told her. She openly mocked me then. It has a QWERTY keyboard! It's cool! So cool that my 15 year old wanted it. She kept encouraging me to get a smart phone. For her, I tried. I b