Change-Up

Time for a different kind of game.

In a day destined for temperatures in the upper 80s (I can live with that), my boys chugged off to the Silverspoon’s for friends, skates, scooters, and movies while I joined Mom, Dad, and Linnea-Irish at the Big House for the commute across state lines. Linnea had another volleyball match that afternoon, and it was about time we sisters went to see her play again.

After a brief stop at Krispy Kreme – where we met Carrie-Bri and Rose returning from down-towning with Lucia and friends at Soulard and The Vine for lunch – we hit the highway into Illinois. With two boxes of one dozen glazed, of course.

The little ramshackle neighborhood we trundled through about half an hour later near an industrial park, housed a small Baptist church where Irish played a few matches with her fellow Lights.

While we waited for the games to begin, Dad showed us the unexplained scratch on his nose. He woke up with it this morning. I blame Pumpkin. Carrie took his picture later.

“I’ll title it: ‘I had to fight my whole life!’ Mom, you should show Dad how to apply a little make-up to that thing. Hide it.”

“No, I don’t want to hide it,” Dad grinned. “I want people to see that I’ve been in a knife fight.”

With a mouse.

Anyway, while Linnea started the game on the bench, we flashed gang signs until she noticed us and wrinkled her nose. We were going for a little “west side,” but I somehow don’t think it translated.

Linnea got a few good hits in there – a big pink #7 on the back of her black jersey – even with the losses. For a team that only gets one practice a week, competing against teams who have 5-7 a week … what do you expect.

On the late-afternoon-sun ride back, Carrie enlightened us on the number of donuts she had consumed, forever a slave to the addiction of Krispy Kreme. Rose expressed shock.

“Hey,” Carrie protested. “I warned you not to buy two boxes, Dad. I will eat them all.”

We all have our weaknesses to overcome.

Just like the Cardinals have managed to overcome their own weaknesses this season. Like how I tied that in there?