This is the first line of a really creepy children’s poem, the rest being – If I die before I wake/I pray the lord my soul to take. How awful is this? Poor five-year-olds, like me, thinking about dying before waking the lord taking their soul, whatever that is. This is up there with: Rock a bye baby on the treetop/if the wind blows the cradle will rock/down will come baby, cradle and all. Shit, why is the baby’s cradle in the treetop in the first place?

The latter reminds me of a really stupid dove that nested in our backyard in Milwaukee, WI. It did such a poor job of nest building that during a wind storm the nest blew out of the tree. The nest hit the ground and the eggs all broke. The dove sat in the tree and made a mournful sound, like someone blowing into the top of a coke bottle.

The above are words reflective of a feeling of despondency. I am again going to bed feeling like tomorrow I will not be able to do that which is impossible. Most likely I will wake up tomorrow and everything will go just fine. But this is not how I feel tonight.

I felt this way last night and I got through today. The hurdle in front of me was high in the air, then after I jumped through it, small near the ground. It was yet another day of Summer in the Park(s). Today, in Bugge Park, we did Reading is out of this World. It was a lackluster effort on the part of the staff. There were not many children on hand, actually there were children – they were hanging out in Bugge Park, eating their Kid’s Kupboard lunches and playing on the playground equipment. Some showed up for story time, then during the story got up and left. Ouch.

The staff wanted to call it quits, but I said no and rounded up three more children. So they worked with them while I talked to parents and kid’s cupboard staff. This was my job – no one else seemed to want to take it on. I didn’t mind it. I do have my limits, and my limits would be going political and canvassing – knocking on doors.

I don’t do this, and I don’t do phone banking.

So, anyways, we finally did finish up and headed back to the former banquet room of the historic Eagle Hotel. There we went over the curriculum document. I am planning to further revise it when it gets back to me.

Being in a group of three has never, ever worked out for me. Groups of two have also sucked. I just had this feeling that I was the odd one out, and for this reason just wanted to get the day over with.

Now tomorrow we’ll be bringing Hrimmi to A-Moosement Park.

I will be dancing a jig when Tomorrow, at 2:00 p.m. Summer in the Park(s) is over.

Next: 211. 8/6/26: At a Loss for Words