If I’m stuck in the middle of a frustrating day that suddenly turns bright and sunny at four o’clock in the afternoon, I don’t really know what to make of it. It’s like a baseball game where you strike out the first three times but get a double in the ninth. I guess it depends on whether or not you win the game. I don’t feel that I won the day, because I didn’t get to do all the things I’d planned.

I was stuck here all morning and most of the afternoon because my yard guy showed up, a day late, and worked in the rain all day. A couple of times I thought he’d left, so that I could go on the all-important errands (that were to include a major grocery run), but he kept coming back. The first time he came back with rain gear on. The other time I assume he’d just gone for lunch.

Even though he didn’t finish, I’m glad he left early because (a) he wouldn’t take any money until he was done, and (2) I could finally get to the post office, if not the supermarket. It was pouring so hard when he left that he and I both assumed there was no chance he could get any more done today. Then the sun came out and I hopped in the car for the quick trip. I was still frustrated, but a lot happier with the sun shining than with the rain coming down.

So tomorrow will be a busy day. If I do nothing else, I have to get to the grocery store. I didn’t want to do it at 4:00 in the afternoon, because of the traffic and the chance of getting caught in another downpour. But tomorrow I have no choice, come hell, high water or even my birthday.

I promised another Aiden story from Sunday. When I got to the house, he asked (looking in my direction), “Who wants to play with me?” Naturally, I volunteered, even though I knew he wanted to play Military, his current obsession. He made a show of asking me what I wanted to play, before he dragged out the tanks and rocket launchers. “Do you like guns?” he wanted to know. No, not so much, but I like toy guns better than real guns. “Can you stand to play with toy guns?” he asked. Sure. “For thirty minutes?” Yes, thirty minutes is pretty much my attention span, and I know it’s the outer limits of his.

I didn’t have to shoot anybody, because he was the commander. He got to be the commander because the one who was in charge told him, “Aiden, you take over.” I know this because he imitated the dying voice of his old commander, choking and gasping dramatically on every word. Then he said brightly, “Now he’s undead.”

He asked if the undead were real, and I told him I didn’t think they were real in the real world, but they could be real in the pretend world. He was satisfied with that.