Friday, October 05, 2007

Digging It



I am not an outdoors girl. Giving birth has about the same appeal to me as peeing in a hole. As it turns out, I've done both only twice in my life. Giving birth was less messy.

I don't want to be that way. I want to be that mother that leads Girl Scouts down the Grand Canyon. Who celebrates the fourth of July every year off some random beach cove with home made fireworks and smores.

I want tone legs that carry me over mountains in Birkenstocks, the rattle of home made oatmeal in my Eddie Bauer baggy shorts.

Unfortunately, I run about as much risk of becoming Earth Mother as getting Rex to have a reversal.

But while I can't navigate uncharted territories, or look toward having that third baby at 40, I am an excellent scout at relationships. I have friends from first grade cooking class. And high school home ec. And Arco gas station cashiers that took me through my first two post par tum periods by gracing me with more Diet Coke than the Mid East has oil.

Such relationships also include my husband's ex-girlfriend. Quite the opposite of me, she wears Tevas, plans outdoor excursions to Monterrey every year, knows the properties of flax seed and does more mommy and me activities than Jenny McCarthy does talk shows.

Lucky for me, she's willing to take my kids along for the ride. Which meant, this past week, taking Pip to dig for treasures at some remote dusty site outside the city while Stink and I ate pizza admist blessed air conditioning and bad 80's music.

Call me nuts, but I'm thinking Pipsqueak takes after her mama in the out door's department. She quite possibly could be concentrating on the feel of nature's wonder under her skin, but if you look super close, you can see what she's really thinking....

"Bite me."

8 comments:

Unknown said...

This was a great post. I get the feeling that Pip is A LOT like you. Seems to be in demeanor and looks (as well as humor)

BTW, if we weren't in Tejas, yer ex would totally be willing to hang with the kids (I think Stink and Baldo would get along famously--from what I've read).

(Isn't it great that we've reached that point? Perhaps this is an exchange that we should have outside of this forum?)

Oh, and the reversal ain't worth the risk. We had the big V after Baldo and that was the best $1.99 bag of frozen peas I've ever bought in my life. I feel Rex's pain...

Aloha,
J

Pam said...

Yup, I'd say that was a kind of "bite me" look, but maybe it was just an off moment. Either way, she sure is adorable and, as I've said before, I see Mama P. in that face.

Liv said...

hee hee. your girl looks like she might yawn.

freefalling said...

When I was a kid I was in Girl Guides. I really loved the camping stuff. The only bit I HATED was the communal, hole-in-the-ground toilets.
I had a particularly unfortunate incident where I missed the hole and filled my right sneaker! I had to walk around all day doing camping stuff with a squelchy wee-smelling shoe!
Very gross!

sari said...

My idea of camping includes a cabin with a full bathroom. I don't mind *being* outside, but I'll never be that type of girl either.

Though, well, I am having a baby after 40. I have that going for me, ha ha. :-)

Roberta said...

Well, we can't all be Granolas.

I am starting a new blog, BookWise and Loving It. Hope you'll check it out and that you are doing well.

Tammy Brierly said...

Very funny post Mama P!

Pam is everything you can imagine and more. What a FANTASTIC visit!

Thanks for stopping by :) I should be getting my pictures soon.

Susie Q said...

AS always, you have me chuckling and grinning. (Is that a country song or anything?)
I love camping...if, by camping, you mean staying at The Westin, sleeping in layers of down, watching in room movies until dawn, room service and chocolates on my pillow. Now THAT is camping. Sadly, my Girl Scout troop did not believe in that, probably why I never made it very far in scouting.

Your Pip is just so bloody cute. THAT is a face!

Hugs,
Sue