Snake Wrangler

I spent most of yesterday with a triple mission: to beat the heat, to entertain Timmy, and to keep my walking to a minimum. I accomplished all three handily with a trip to the indoor playground.  Timmy was thrilled to run and play the afternoon away with new buddies, becoming both sweaty and tired in the process. While he was busy running around I was able to sit quietly in the lounge, resting my leg and hoping healing thoughts.  

Timmy loves playing at the indoor playground. Without a doubt, it is one of his favorite places in the world. Every time we go he meets new friends and has a great time. As soon as we arrive he ditches his shoes and takes off in search of adventure. I usually only see him when he needs something, and yesterday was no exception.

Contrary to tradition, his brief exchanges with me did not involve food. Instead, he was grabbing tokens for the games. When we first arrived he had won a long sticky snake.  Apparently, the prize made an impression on his new buddies. Generous in nature, Hamlet was on a mission. He ended up spending all of our tokens winning sticky snakes for every other child in the play zone.  

Soon every child was running through the play zone, whipping sticky snakes above their heads like lassos. Timmy was in his element as head snake wrangler and playground hero. He had a fantastic day, and my leg is feeling better after the rest.  

The prizes were not limited to snakes, leading us to accrue a vast supply of sticky hands, feet, and assorted bugs in the process. When the playground closed we packed up to go home, piling the extra sticky prizes into a cup. Rest assured the prizes did not go to waste. 

While I was busy making dinner, Hamlet occupied himself by flinging the sticky toys onto our ceiling. My living room vaulted ceilings are decorated with a variety of sticky, ugly toys which are now thoroughly attached. They are still hanging there this morning, and will probably remain until we repaint in a few years.