Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Peace Process

TCBIM and I really like to go to this local outdoor flea market. It's a fun thing to do on a Sunday morning. It's outdoors, which is nice because it means I don't have to get too up close and personal with people. I don't mind humanity but people can really suck. Plus, there's always a guy there selling paperback books for $1 a piece (and I wonder why I have so many books). The guy selling fresh cut French fries is a lure, too, especially because he has two kinds of vinegar in addition to the ubiquitous Heinz ketchup.

Last year, before The Bug was born, we were there, perusing the stalls. I was lusting over an old, 50s-era formica and chrome kitchen table. TCBIM was eyeing the power tools. Both of us knew we couldn't afford either of the things we wanted. A couple of booths over was a heap of brightly-coloured plastic toys. There was, of course, a talking Elmo, which I quickly moved out of Boo's sight line. And then I saw a cute little dump truck.


And I thought "Aha! A truck! It's cute. It's not pink. And it doesn't have batteries! (Ok, it did, but it wasn't obvious that it did.)" So I paid my $3 and brought it home.

Boo didn't really want anything to do with it until recently. Actually, she didn't want anything to do with it until The Bug discovered how much fun it was to shove it around the floor. Then Boo was all about the truck. Good lord, it was like negotiating peace in the Middle East, trying to keep those two from killing each other over this damned truck. Boo would grab the truck away from The Bug. The Bug would shriek her patented, blood-curdling shriek and toddle as fast as her chubby legs could carry her, running after Boo and then hauling off and smacking her upside the head. The Bug would get it back and Boo would sit there, all pathetic-looking, saying "Please, Bug, please can I have the truck?" Meanwhile, The Bug is whipping that truck around the room like she's Mario Andretti's daughter.

So today I was at Target, my other favourite place to be, especially when it's raining and I've had just. about. enough. of the Shriek Sisters. As I walked into the store, I had an epiphany. The sun actually broke thru the clouds for a second and it came to me. "Dood! Just buy another truck!"

So I did. And now peace reigns in the Happy Valley.



At least until they start fighting over Bitty Baby.

6 comments:

Jess said...

You clever thing.

And now I want vinegar fries in a paper cone.

meanderings said...

The Bug would shriek her patented, blood-curdling shriek Oh good grief, the memories - they do grow up and the shriek will be a memory, not a very fond one but enough so that when someone else talks about their shriekers, you're able to smile. I'm actually laughing!

LJ said...

*giggle* it's wonderful when we have epiphanies in the store and we think why didn't we think of this sooner? the sanity we would have saved!!
this totally reminds me of my two neices...they are now respectively 11 and 10... 13 months and 2 weeks apart. Still they sock it to eachother every now and then. I wish you lots of luck with the shriek sisters...they'll be socking eachother well into thier 20's...

Greens and Pinks said...

What is it with that truck? My daughter has the exact same one and she's OBSESSED with it.

Also, I too want vinegar fries.

art-sweet said...

The arseholes at Tonka are obviously missing a market in your girls. I guess Bug and Boo didn't get the memo that girls aren't interested in trucks. And thank god for that!

I have about 16 of your posts bookmarked to comment on, but this is the first time I've had a chance to actually do it.

Jenny, the Bloggess said...

Ha!

I remember those days with my sister.