Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Child Abandonment And Medieval Pestilence

News round-up time! First, these people are my people. As someone who has left a toddler in both a bakery and in an elevator, I feel nothing but empathy for them. My favorite sentence in the article is "They reportedly asked their other children, a boy and girl, if everything was okay, and no one noticed the toddler was missing."

90 miles - they drove 90 miles before they figured out that someone was missing. Well, actually, they never did figure it out on their own. The police called them.

Summer travel tip for families: if it is too quiet in the back of the car, it is TOO QUIET.

The time we left the toddler (Brian at the time) in an elevator? The other kids and I only realized my mistake when we heard cries of "Mommy! Mommy!" coming from behind the closed doors. We managed to get them open, only to ROFL (all 5 of us) at the sight of the poor kid's face, which was looking as traumatized (and cute) as only a 3-year-old's can look when his family deserts him. If only phones had cameras back then...

Very festive

And...looks as though I am not visiting Colorado any time soon. That's right, folks, the plague is back! For those of you who enjoy Renaissance festivals, where people stroll around in medieval garb and gnaw on huge turkey legs while watching jousting competitions, how about getting a little more realistic and dressing up in those cute doctor costumes from the Black Death days? I think that would definitely add to the authenticity, don't you?

And, hey, another victim (from California) contracted plague at a campground! So much for a healthy family vacation, huh? Note to self - sell camper and stay home this summer. Things aren't looking too good at the national parks. Let's see...grizzly bears killing hikers in Yellowstone, more plague in Yosemite, and tourists dying from heatstroke in New Mexico...

Sterile, air-conditioned suburbia is looking better and better, if you ask me.

My health? Thanks for asking - the shingles pain seems to be subsiding (without the rash ever appearing), but I picked up a stomach bug which didn't let me sleep last night. Looks as though the talismanic properties of our 7Up bottle are wearing thin! Maybe I should just toss caution to the winds and dump it down the sink?

No. Maybe not. There's too much going on this week.

Tomorrow - how Brian got the wrong job. Stay tuned!





[Plague doctor image: Portland Center Stage]




4 comments:

  1. You are living the life, I tell 'ya!

    But you might want to get a new talisman bottle of 7'up before autumn is fully underway.
    Now about that mistaken job identity...

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  2. I've left the same kid at home twice. The first time, I only figured it out once we got to practice 30 minutes later and I didn't see him get out of the car. I asked his brother, who sits in the same row with him, if the lost boy was ever in the van. "No. I don't think he was." He never thought it was important enough to tell me.
    Glad you are starting to feel better.
    Sounds like the 7up's magic is dissipating. :(

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  3. It was interesting to see the postings around Yellowstone when we were there--of wild encounters that left behind wounded people. That grizzly attack chills me.
    I've left a kid behind before--it's easy to become so distracted, isn't it?

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  4. The photo accompanying the "forgotten" child in France was dated August 1st, the traditional start of vacation day for the French. Everybody gets on the road, it's crowded, complicated and rushed -- no wonder they forgot the kid.

    I can't wait to find out about the job mix up.

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