The little girl was riding in the back of the car in her car seat. Mom and dad were going to Grandma's house. As they rounded a bend the moon came into view.
"Look," she said, "Luna!"
Her dad said, "What?"
"Look it's Luna, up in the sky."
"Oh, the moon," he said to her, confirming that he knew what she meant."
"Luna is going with us," she said. "Uh-oh, Luna is going behind the trees, I can't see Luna."
"Dammit... "
"Shit."
Mom and Dad were glad they were in the front seat. They never said a word. They didn't want their little girl to see them grinning from ear to ear, trying to stifle an outburst of laughter.
There is a full moon coming over the horizon this evening. Actually the full moon is Friday night, but it's close enough. Our cat likes to stay out when there is a full moon. I don't know if it affects animals like it supposedly affects humans. She earns her keep catching rodents. We haven't seen a mouse in the house for a couple of years. She catches mice, baby birds, moles, and baby rabbits but her specialty and her favorite is chipmunks. She has no front claws but is still a natural born killer.
I went to church last Sunday, after a three month absense. I stopped at the MAC machine to get some cash to put in the collection plate. We were running late and in my haste I accidentally hit $225.00 instead of $25.00. I ended up with a pile of twenties. Perhaps it was divine intervention.
When we got to church some one was in our seat. There are no assigned seats but after you sit in the same place week after week, year after year, its generally understood who sits where. But I was okay with that. There were a few vacant seats. We could take someone elses.
Hardly anyone gave to the second collection for Catholic Education or something like that. I was going to slip a fin into the basket but my wife stopped me. She said, "All that money goes to put steaks on the bishop's table. That money will all stay up in Erie."
So I gave the money to her.
I haven't been to confession since I was thirteen. I almost went a few years ago. There was a priest at our parish that I felt comfortable talking to. I never made it.
"Bless me father for I have sinned. It has been 33 years since my last confession. I'm not sure what the hell I did, but I sure am sorry."
It's a catholic thing.
After mass we went for a walk. All the Halloween decorations are out. We went by one of my wife's favorite houses. It's a big old Victorian house, of which there are a fair number in our quaint sleepy town. Her favorite part is the lovely herb garden that the lady of the house has created. All of the local seasonal events are done now. The Autumn Leaf Festival in Clarion, PA, the homecoming parade in Edinboro, PA, and Applefest in Franklin, PA are all history. The leaves have barely begun to show any color.
I have to go and cut my mother's grass before it gets dark. We haven't had rain for three or four days. Imagine that.