Careful, Charlie Brown...you've left your headlights on
Simple pleasures ARE the best. Surprises are one of the greatest simple pleasures. No matter how big or small, a surprise lifts your spirits any day.
When I was little, my dad would bring home a surprise for us. Sometimes it was Chuckles...LOVE Chuckles. Or a little paper sack filled with peanuts...he had a peanut dispenser at work, of all things. Handful of peanuts for a nickel. He would fill a small paper sack and bring them home to us as a treat. Sometimes he would bring me various tools he had at work(he managed an auto parts store). No idea what he would bring my sisters...maybe he brought them spray paint or some such. Who cares? I liked playing with the tools, particularly one that was a crowbar on one side and a rubber mallet on the other side. I could do the most destruction with that tool...
Surprises :)
I had a surprise this past weekend. I had company.
Company is sort of rare. Female company, more so. Female company that stays the weekend...well!
On July 11th, We(the brass band, "we" herein shall refer to band...ad infinitum, perhaps) played a concert at the Linn County Fair near Cedar Rapids. It was a fun gig, albeit a somewhat small-ish crowd. I suppose that's the risk of a fair...always something else to see/do. Anyway...a good, fun gig, and we got free fair food out of it. Hard to argue with fair food!
On my way home, I got a text, "Hey, you're speeding.:P" Technically, that was true. But in this great nation, "speed limit 65" does not mean "speed limit 65." In fact, if you ask any policeman officer(thank you Simon Pegg) no one really knows what the speed limit really is. It's more a suggestion. Another person's opinion...I was a few notches north of the suggested limit, so according to the signs posted in that particular part of the state on that highway in an eastern county I might have been speeding in someone else's opinion.
My God, the grammar.
That text was a surprise, and a spark...
More texts were exchanged. She's in band, and plays trombone, rather well. Sure, she's a grad student at the U of Iowa, but we all make our own errors in judgement...
That text, that spark, led to more texts...and more...until it was decided we would "have food together." You know...the code...(only makes sense if you've seen Elf, I suppose).
That "first date" ended with us actually sleeping together. Sleep, real sleep. Drunk induced sleep, at least on someone's part, certainly not mine, since I stopped drinking so I could drive us all over creation in the dead of night searching for the house where she lived. A house, which at the time, I became to believe didn't actually exist. When the border guards near Fort Frances(look it up) stopped us, I figured I was too far north and turned around.
Ok, I exaggerate...a LITTLE. When we couldn't find her house, I suggested that we go out to my buddy Steve's. In her defense, she had just moved to this house, and it really IS out in the middle of sort-of-nowhere. We got out to Steve's and I took her up to the bedroom where I normally crash. I was going to sleep downstairs on one of the couches. But...she was tired, a little drunk, and perhaps a little weirded out being in a strange house, a strange bed. She asked if I would stay.
So we slept together. And that's exactly what it was, aside from some very delicious kisses and cuddles.
And so she said she wanted to come see me. Last Friday, we drove back to Des Moines together. Still feeling things out, sending out reconnaissance, being careful. Friday night, we went to the fair. Rode the sky ride, and the tram out around the RV Maniacs. She had a hot dog, I had cajun chicken on a stick. She had Dipping Dots. It's the ice cream of the future, you know...
We came back here to watch movies and enjoy a lovely beverage. As I've said before, there isn't a man, woman or child alive who doesn't enjoy a lovely beverage. We talked, drank, enjoyed the movies and some tender moments as well. And at bed time, she went to one room, I went to mine. She took her dog, I took mine. :P Her dog, Coda, LOVED Boone...and Smokey and Baby, too, although I think Boone was Coda's favorite. Boone responded by hiding under the rocking chair...
Saturday, I sort of took my time waking up. The plan was to go to Gray's Lake and at least take Coda. After I was up and had proper amounts of caffeine(read: all of it) we got out of the house, with Coda and Boone in tow. This did NOT sit well with the others, especially Baby, who made sure to let me know her displeasure.
I took a sort of round about way, and we stopped at Tasty Tacos for some tasty tacos...and one enchilada. We took it to the lake, and sat in the shade eating while Boone barked at a hitchhiker somewhere in Kentucky. Coda is a well behaved pup, and Boone could learn a thing or two. Alas, Boone is a bad influence, and Coda has by now taken up smoking and loose women. After finishing lunch, we set about enjoying the lake it's surroundings. It may have been a late day in summer, but someone forgot to tell Saturday. The sky was crystal blue, and dotted with soft clouds. Every color was in full abundance...the beach wasn't heavily populated, but there were still plenty in attendance. We started at the north west end, where the sign clearly says "no wading, no dogs", and let Coda and Boone splash about while we waded near the shore. It has to be an old sign, because there are always people there with their dogs...or alligators, for all I know. We walked, talked...didn't talk, watched, listened...enjoyed. The lake, and the company.
Boone and Coda were fairly pooped after that, meaning they dozed for a total of 9 minutes on the way home. I took a nap, because I'm old. I needed to check in on a friend's horse...er,dog. We went there, then a stop at Walmart for a few groceries. On our way home from there, we stopped here:
I've seen it many times from the freeway, but the time had come to actually stop and witness it. I'm glad we did, particularly at that time of evening. It was obviously still light out. It is right next to the river, and the water was calm, quiet...settling in for it's own night's slumber. We walked a little, but were getting rather hungry, and headed home.
I grilled a couple steaks, and mangled a couple potatoes on the grill. They weren't BAD...but I need more practice doing that. There were also some veggies and some cheesecake. As well as beverages and movies.
Something happened, something changed. Defenses fell, the reconnaissance planes landed...the caution disappeared. Still...at bedtime, she went to her room, I went to mine. I think we were still being cautious about rushing things...
Shortly after I climbed in bed, she texted me. That's right, she texted me from the room next to me. She was glad she came, had had a great weekend...I replied that I had, too. Said something about Baby finally forgiving me for not taking her to the lake. She replied, "Well, if Baby is still mad, you can come cuddle over here."
I got up and went. It's my house, after all. The worst that would happen is I'd go back to my own bed.
We snuggled, cuddled, talked, kissed...but nothing beyond that. And that was a good thing, I think.
Sunday...I didn't have a lot of ideas for Sunday. We ended up going to Jordan Creek Mall, walking around outside, then lunch. Then walked around the mall. When we went back to the car, I was sort of resigned to the fact that I needed to take her home. I didn't want to, and she didn't want me to. We came home. She got her stuff together. I let the dogs out. Stood in the living room...I took her hand and led her to the bedroom. Where still "nothing" happened. But we did cuddle...kiss...had "pillow talk", as she called it. It was one of those times where time sort of disappeared...I wasn't ready for her to leave, she wasn't ready to leave. I wasn't going to let her leave...not yet. And so we just...we were, if that makes sense.
And there in was the surprise, a true simple pleasure. Pleasure in little things. Surprise in each other, pleasure in each other. Going in to the weekend, I think we both figured it would be fun.
But it was so much more.
And it was a surprise. =)
When I was little, my dad would bring home a surprise for us. Sometimes it was Chuckles...LOVE Chuckles. Or a little paper sack filled with peanuts...he had a peanut dispenser at work, of all things. Handful of peanuts for a nickel. He would fill a small paper sack and bring them home to us as a treat. Sometimes he would bring me various tools he had at work(he managed an auto parts store). No idea what he would bring my sisters...maybe he brought them spray paint or some such. Who cares? I liked playing with the tools, particularly one that was a crowbar on one side and a rubber mallet on the other side. I could do the most destruction with that tool...
Surprises :)
I had a surprise this past weekend. I had company.
Company is sort of rare. Female company, more so. Female company that stays the weekend...well!
On July 11th, We(the brass band, "we" herein shall refer to band...ad infinitum, perhaps) played a concert at the Linn County Fair near Cedar Rapids. It was a fun gig, albeit a somewhat small-ish crowd. I suppose that's the risk of a fair...always something else to see/do. Anyway...a good, fun gig, and we got free fair food out of it. Hard to argue with fair food!
On my way home, I got a text, "Hey, you're speeding.:P" Technically, that was true. But in this great nation, "speed limit 65" does not mean "speed limit 65." In fact, if you ask any policeman officer(thank you Simon Pegg) no one really knows what the speed limit really is. It's more a suggestion. Another person's opinion...I was a few notches north of the suggested limit, so according to the signs posted in that particular part of the state on that highway in an eastern county I might have been speeding in someone else's opinion.
My God, the grammar.
That text was a surprise, and a spark...
More texts were exchanged. She's in band, and plays trombone, rather well. Sure, she's a grad student at the U of Iowa, but we all make our own errors in judgement...
That text, that spark, led to more texts...and more...until it was decided we would "have food together." You know...the code...(only makes sense if you've seen Elf, I suppose).
That "first date" ended with us actually sleeping together. Sleep, real sleep. Drunk induced sleep, at least on someone's part, certainly not mine, since I stopped drinking so I could drive us all over creation in the dead of night searching for the house where she lived. A house, which at the time, I became to believe didn't actually exist. When the border guards near Fort Frances(look it up) stopped us, I figured I was too far north and turned around.
Ok, I exaggerate...a LITTLE. When we couldn't find her house, I suggested that we go out to my buddy Steve's. In her defense, she had just moved to this house, and it really IS out in the middle of sort-of-nowhere. We got out to Steve's and I took her up to the bedroom where I normally crash. I was going to sleep downstairs on one of the couches. But...she was tired, a little drunk, and perhaps a little weirded out being in a strange house, a strange bed. She asked if I would stay.
So we slept together. And that's exactly what it was, aside from some very delicious kisses and cuddles.
And so she said she wanted to come see me. Last Friday, we drove back to Des Moines together. Still feeling things out, sending out reconnaissance, being careful. Friday night, we went to the fair. Rode the sky ride, and the tram out around the RV Maniacs. She had a hot dog, I had cajun chicken on a stick. She had Dipping Dots. It's the ice cream of the future, you know...
We came back here to watch movies and enjoy a lovely beverage. As I've said before, there isn't a man, woman or child alive who doesn't enjoy a lovely beverage. We talked, drank, enjoyed the movies and some tender moments as well. And at bed time, she went to one room, I went to mine. She took her dog, I took mine. :P Her dog, Coda, LOVED Boone...and Smokey and Baby, too, although I think Boone was Coda's favorite. Boone responded by hiding under the rocking chair...
Saturday, I sort of took my time waking up. The plan was to go to Gray's Lake and at least take Coda. After I was up and had proper amounts of caffeine(read: all of it) we got out of the house, with Coda and Boone in tow. This did NOT sit well with the others, especially Baby, who made sure to let me know her displeasure.
I took a sort of round about way, and we stopped at Tasty Tacos for some tasty tacos...and one enchilada. We took it to the lake, and sat in the shade eating while Boone barked at a hitchhiker somewhere in Kentucky. Coda is a well behaved pup, and Boone could learn a thing or two. Alas, Boone is a bad influence, and Coda has by now taken up smoking and loose women. After finishing lunch, we set about enjoying the lake it's surroundings. It may have been a late day in summer, but someone forgot to tell Saturday. The sky was crystal blue, and dotted with soft clouds. Every color was in full abundance...the beach wasn't heavily populated, but there were still plenty in attendance. We started at the north west end, where the sign clearly says "no wading, no dogs", and let Coda and Boone splash about while we waded near the shore. It has to be an old sign, because there are always people there with their dogs...or alligators, for all I know. We walked, talked...didn't talk, watched, listened...enjoyed. The lake, and the company.
Boone and Coda were fairly pooped after that, meaning they dozed for a total of 9 minutes on the way home. I took a nap, because I'm old. I needed to check in on a friend's horse...er,dog. We went there, then a stop at Walmart for a few groceries. On our way home from there, we stopped here:
I've seen it many times from the freeway, but the time had come to actually stop and witness it. I'm glad we did, particularly at that time of evening. It was obviously still light out. It is right next to the river, and the water was calm, quiet...settling in for it's own night's slumber. We walked a little, but were getting rather hungry, and headed home.
I grilled a couple steaks, and mangled a couple potatoes on the grill. They weren't BAD...but I need more practice doing that. There were also some veggies and some cheesecake. As well as beverages and movies.
Something happened, something changed. Defenses fell, the reconnaissance planes landed...the caution disappeared. Still...at bedtime, she went to her room, I went to mine. I think we were still being cautious about rushing things...
Shortly after I climbed in bed, she texted me. That's right, she texted me from the room next to me. She was glad she came, had had a great weekend...I replied that I had, too. Said something about Baby finally forgiving me for not taking her to the lake. She replied, "Well, if Baby is still mad, you can come cuddle over here."
I got up and went. It's my house, after all. The worst that would happen is I'd go back to my own bed.
We snuggled, cuddled, talked, kissed...but nothing beyond that. And that was a good thing, I think.
Sunday...I didn't have a lot of ideas for Sunday. We ended up going to Jordan Creek Mall, walking around outside, then lunch. Then walked around the mall. When we went back to the car, I was sort of resigned to the fact that I needed to take her home. I didn't want to, and she didn't want me to. We came home. She got her stuff together. I let the dogs out. Stood in the living room...I took her hand and led her to the bedroom. Where still "nothing" happened. But we did cuddle...kiss...had "pillow talk", as she called it. It was one of those times where time sort of disappeared...I wasn't ready for her to leave, she wasn't ready to leave. I wasn't going to let her leave...not yet. And so we just...we were, if that makes sense.
And there in was the surprise, a true simple pleasure. Pleasure in little things. Surprise in each other, pleasure in each other. Going in to the weekend, I think we both figured it would be fun.
But it was so much more.
And it was a surprise. =)