Miniota 2008

Or...#2's first big hunting trip...

Okay, I’m supposed to be at the mall right now, getting the Christmas shopping done. Actually, it was my intention to go last night, but after yesterday, well, no, that didn’t happen. I just came home and continued to feel sorry for myself in all my sadness.

Anyway…

As I previously alluded to, the boys have gone hunting. It’s the big 3 day trip out west whereby they say “we gonna go and shoot us some deer!!” It happens every year at this time. It definitely happens if they’ve been skunked right here in our own backyard!

The preparation for this trip is quite large. There are lists. Lots and lots of lists! So many lists that it boggles the mind. Why one can’t have just one list is beyond me. I’m guessing it’s because as things pop into their heads, they write them down. On many, many pieces of paper. That are scattered ALL OVER THE HOUSE!!! In the kitchen. Beside the bed. In the bathroom.

So, on Thursday, while waiting for the supper dishes to be done so I could prep the food that would be my contribution to a successful hunting trip, I sat and read. I was not going into the kitchen until it was tidied and cleaned up. Bad enough I had to deal with the kitchen table and counter being loaded with various deer calls and antlers and scent covering vials of awful smelling stuff, I was not dealing with the cluttered corner where I stand to prep food! Tossing out things like “I can’t slice the cheese if the kitchen isn’t clean” or “How am I suppose to get the food ready if you don’t do the dishes” and “You want muffins for this trip? Someone better get the dishes done”, it was quickly approaching the time where I start to think about heading to bed.

Finally, #2 steps up and does the dishes. “There! Now would you please just make us some muffins!” he asks. “Well, I’m tired. I have a big day tomorrow so I’m heading to bed. Give me a kiss…” I say.

I know, I know… how nasty of me!

The plan was to leave at about three in the morning. Great. Like I need to be woken at THREE AM!! But when I woke, as usual, before the alarm went off, everyone was still sleeping. “Geez, this is really going according to plan now isn’t it?” I thought to myself, and laughed. After waking SG to tell him they missed their departure time and being informed that the departure time had changed after I had gone to bed, I got up and made muffins and cut cheese and sliced pickles and made sandwiches. You didn’t really think I would send them out into the wilds without this stuff did you? It was okay. I didn’t mind. It was a good distraction from the day that I had to face. The kitchen and living room were a complete and total disaster. Stuff everywhere. Backpacks and bags loaded with clothes. Wool socks and mittens and hats all over the place. The cooler and various cooler bags …. Well, it was a mess.

By the time they finally left, I was at work and had been for 3 ½ hours! Noon-ish I think it was that I received the call “We’re on our way”. That’s like 9 hours behind the originally scheduled departure time…

And, as I discovered this morning, all the lists in the world won’t help you if you don’t stroke things off as you go. I mean, if you need to depend on a list, (or LISTS!! in this case) you better be following them. If you don’t, you’re bound to forget something

Like, oh… let’s just say, warm clothes and clean socks and underwear!

Whilst putting freshly washed, dried and folded laundry in #2’s room this morning, there it was.

His bag. Packed and ready to go hunting. On his bed.

I did what any mother would do. Just shook my head and laughed.

And thought “Great!!! less laundry to do when they get back.”

Then, finding the more nurturing side of myself, thought that, for next year, I’ll hand out pre-formatted lists. You know, stating the basics and the obvious. Such as, in big, bold letters, right there at the bottom:

BRING CLOTHES!!!!