An Unconventional Egg Hunt–Slice of Life Challenge Day 10

Yesterday was a blustery March day. You might be thinking of Pooh and his Blustery Day.

It was just tipping toward light as I zipped my jacket over pajamas and slipped bare feet into sneakers. I ducked out the kitchen door and made my way through the bushes alongside the driveway. I stepped gingerly onto the grass, wondering how soggy it would be from a soaking rain a few days past. When no dampness seeped into my feet I shifted my focus to the dormant winter-weary lawn ahead.

There was one

And another.

They  were spread across half the neighbor’s front yard.

I did my best ninja-mom impression as I crept from one to the next, collecting them as quickly as I could.

When my hands were full I made my way back around the bushes to the barrels at the end of my own driveway. The lids had flopped open and flapped in the gusts. Pressing my collection back into the recycling bin, I replaced the lids and leaned into them, willing them to stay.

The coast was still clear. I scurried back into the warmth of the house.

…

“Have a good day, Q! See you tonight. Remember, Daniel has band after school.” My hand rested on the edge of the door as I started to close it.

Then something caught my eye. I scanned the area. Oh no.

This time in my work clothes and slippers I slipped through the door behind my son. “Q, help! Quick, help me get this before your bus comes.” We could already hear an engine down the hill and around the next corner.

Together we fanned across the neighbor’s front yard and down the street collecting bits and bobs. An egg carton. A sale flyer.

I imagined the annual egg hunts that probably happen in this new-to-us neighborhood where the neighbors go carolling together for the first snowfall and trick-or-treat by the hundreds. Lost in this revery, I almost didn’t see the around the corner neighbor walking towards us with her dog, and a puzzled look.

We’d been spotted!

And here came the bus.

Q hurriedly made the handoff of his haul and scrambled for his school things. I just as hastily thought up a clever response for the curious onlooker.

“This isn’t your usual egg hunt, is it?” I smiled, and made a shy wave once my hands were empty.

Please let these lids stay closed once I leave for school!