A quiet summer weekend

A quiet summer weekend

Cut: This daughter of mine, for no reason whatsoever, decided to spray me with her water “gun” at Smokey Bear’s birthday party. And if you believe that, don’t bother to read the rest of this story!

By Allan Olson
Another week of summer has flown by, and with it another weekend. Before we know it, that “s” word will be back in the forecast (sorry!). Our weather lately has been really nice, and it was a good weekend to get outdoors, but we didn’t, really.
Our past weekend was pretty laid back, overall. We didn’t do much of anything on Friday evening. I mowed the lawn and we enjoyed supper outside at the table. After that I did some reading outside, and then I played a game of Sequence with Alivia. Marcus and I started another game, but then the comfy breeze died down and the state birds started attacking us. Game over – they win.
  On Saturday the kids and I attended Smokey the Bear’s 70th birthday party at Norway Beach. I think everyone had fun with the games and enjoyed the cake. I also participated in a couple of games – one was a competition with Abigail. Our job was to put on the fire-fighting gear (a helmet and jacket) and then grab the hose/wand and spray at the target. Since I had to twist Abigail’s arm to play, I decided I was going to have a little fun. I pretended I couldn’t get my gear on right and then, once I grabbed hold of the water line, I purposely started shooting her targets; then my aim might have “accidentally” slipped and somehow her legs managed to get sprayed a little bit before I regained control and went back to spraying my target. The next thing I know, a blast of cold water hit the side of my neck and heard my little girl laughing like crazy – she got her revenge! I guess I deserved that, since I started it, but I admit I was a little shocked that she nailed me right in the chest and head. But it was funny!
After the birthday party I decided it was time to take care of the bee’s nest the kids informed me about. Those nasty bugs decided to make a home in my garage, right above the rabbit cages. Armed with a couple cans of Raid and nearly all my exposed skin covered up, I set to work. Standing on a ladder and aiming a can of Raid at the crazy flying pests, I let it fly. After that took effect, I dragged the garden hose into the garage and soaked the nest down, then knocked it down with a rack. And I managed to do all of this without getting stung!
Sunday was another laid back affair. We set up our tents when it looked like it was going to rain – hoping to get them washed off from our last camping trip. That was about the extent of any physical exertion for me. The rest of day was spent reading and doing some work.
With another busy work week scheduled, I’m already looking forward to the weekend, when we will definitely be heading out to do some geocaching.
On a side note – this week marks my eighth year working for the Cass Lake Times. It’s been a lot of fun, and I hope for many more years of bringing all my Cass Lake friends the news in this great community!
Please be safe while enjoying your favorite outdoor recreational activity and on the lakes, and remember to take pictures to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! For more of my columns visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com.

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