Henry's First Picnic

Columbus Day brought some great community events and we attended all of them, Henry and I. I didn't locate a TV or antenna but I also didn't look very hard. I may just do more research and buy the best antenna I can find on the Internet and be done with that. A flat screen TV that can double as a computer monitor is probably a good way to go for the television. For my line of work I will need to travel with a server as well as a laptop. In the spirit of ultra-lightweight backpacking, each item in the "kit" has to serve more than one purpose. Although, I do have dreams of laying in a hammock outside my van watching Bear Grylls take his clothes off on my portable TV. We all have dreams. Maybe I can rig up a movable monitor that can hang outside occasionally.

The picnic at the Lion's Club park was fun. I was able to enjoy myself outdoors then take a nap when I felt like it. Nobody was offended and my new extended family thought it was a great idea, having a camper van. They are at a socioeconomic level where being homeless isn't an issue since Section 8 housing is always an option. It's hard to explain to them that I like being independent of government help and I'm willing to work hard to make that happen. I took all four boys on a hike around the biking trails and we kept up a good pace for several hours. The oldest boys, 10 and 12 years of age, had the hardest time keeping up. Little Sean, at the age of three, was able to easily outrun me. I counted on his fear of the woods to keep him in my sights and that worked fine.

These boys are not used to being outside except to go to school or errands. The first time I made the older boys "play" outside brought on tears that broke my heart. I grabbed some spoons and cups, scissors, washcloths, and a few GI Joe toys, and I sat with them by a big oak tree and taught them how to play. We dug out forts and a big pond, then furnished the fort with washcloths cut to size for bedrolls and other primitive needs. I pulled my favorite Backpacking Barbie's out and showed them how we could enjoy pretending that the dolls were camping out. You know my Barbie's are well outfitted with the best equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, picnic tables, and cooking items. The kids were amazed at all these "toys" and I got to share, from a grandma's perspective, the joy of imagination. It was a great time for me, even though my Barbie collection is simply a hobby in my old age. Out of this time outside the boys are learning how to play again, cooperatively and happily.

They are at risk due to a father in prison and a mother with psychiatric problems. I keep forgetting that the simplest things in life are foreign to them. They have never had anything of their own that wasn't lost in an eviction. Every conversation they have is about lack of money and lack of necessities. I guess I was brought to them to teach them about the joys of simplicity and the responsibility we all have to conserve our own resources. I was a single mother with two sons and a foster son and we may have been homeless once but the kids had no idea. Our belongings were in storage and we were packed for a camping trip. In my world, we don't discuss any lack of money with kids, that's called "poor mouthing", but we do reinforce the idea of a budget and conserving resources wisely by shopping carefully and properly preparing foods and using leftovers. I think the positive approach is better than the negative approach characterized by "poor mouthing". That is the practice of constantly stating one is poor or in poverty. I've been broke but I've never been poor.