Roland is a great father. Perhaps he was not always there for his boys –
I know that his “work” excuses got old after a while. And there were disappointments. But I know he spent quality time with them –
I even have pictures to prove it. And I
know that there have been many other countless activities that I don’t have pictures
for. Like Klondike camping. And Roland hates the cold. But all the boys were with him.
Recently he told Jenna that they would
go “camping” though Jenna’s never really been camping before. Both times it was putting up a tent in the
back yard and roasting marshmallows before going inside.
Initially they were going to set the
tent up on Saturday. Roland would start
off his father’s day waking up in the tent - but when he came home from work (which
is unusual for where he works) with information about a community fair that
featured bouncy houses and free pony rides.
We could do only one or the other, but not
both. It would be Jenna’s choice. If she chose the fair, we could always do the
camping thing at a later time. But if
she chose the camping . . . well, who knows how soon we would have another
opportunity for free bouncy houses? He
wasn’t trying to persuade her – he really was letting her choose.
She chose the fair. Roland said that maybe they could go camping
on a Tuesday night (as he doesn’t have to be to work until later time on Wednesdays)
and so this past Tuesday she had been looking forward to their camp all day –
constantly asking, “is dad home yet?”
I had the car and had taken Jenna to my
mom’s house. I left a message to ask
Bill if he would mind bringing Roland to meet me at my mom’s house. They just
happen to work at the same place – but don’t frequently car pool because of the
distance our houses are from one another.
As mom and I pathetically tossed the Frisbee
around with Jenna, Bill and Roland pulled up in the driveway and Jenna tossed
the Frisbee around with them while mom and I rested.
We didn’t return home until just before
6:00. Roland said he had a class and
asked Jenna if they could postpone the camping until Friday. I told her that we could still make some smores. And we roasted marshmallows over the stove.
While Roland listened to the lecture
online, Jenna played outside with a friend.
After his parents took him away, Jenna came inside and cried herself to
sleep. She didn’t believe that Roland
would take her camping on Friday either.
I told him about it the next morning.
He wasn’t aware that she had been looking
forward to it all day and that she had cried herself to sleep. I did not intend for him to feel bad, but he
took Jenna aside and told her that they could set up the tent the minute we got
home from his work last night. And we
did. And all before the sun set.
We finished roasting marshmallows and
making smores before the sun appeared to leave the sky. And the sleeping bags were laid out with LOTs
of extra blankets. I slept in the house
but relieved Roland at 3:00 this morning knowing he had work at 7:00 or 8:00. Needless to say that I am sore and
tired. And I hope that three hours in a
real bed was enough time for Roland.
At six I coaxed Jenna back into the
house. She went to the TV to watch Phineas
and Ferb – and I want back
to bed. I think I slept for another hour
and decided to see if I could take down the tent and roll up the bedding. What a chore.
Taking the tent down was not a
problem. Got the stakes in their bag,
and the poles in their bag – now the challenging part – folding the tent into a
tiny pillow to put in its bag. I am
really horrible about returning anything to its original container – everything
seems to expand once I remove it from the box – or else the box shrinks.
I sat on the tent and tarp and each sleeping
bag and tried ever so carefully to squish out the air and fold it ever so
carefully. I would think that I weigh
enough that I could squish it to incredible flatness with just one sit – but alas
– no matter how flat and careful I think I’m being, the flatness is never small
enough.
I remember attempting to fold a child’s
sleeping bag that had been given to me by a neighbor. One of my uncles happened to be visiting and
watched with amusement. I looked up at
him and asked if he and his wife were experienced campers, and could he assist
me in folding up the sleeping bag. I don’t
recall his exact words, but it was something along the line that he thought it
would be easier just to do it himself.
And he did. But Jenna had it
undone within a matter of minutes. My
uncle had already gone when I came across the opportunity of rolling it back
up.
It can be done. I’ve seen people do it. Not my talent however. And the heat of the blazing sun did not help
matters. It was only 8:30 in the morning
and I felt like it was high noon. I
stopped. I think the folding part is a
two man job.
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