Today was a special park day (they're usually on Fridays) to celebrate the fourth anniversary of our homeschool association. Since it was also St Patrick's Day, everyone was in green, except for a couple of kids who were conscientiously objecting to the tradition. Dog #6 turned out to be Lexie, the new puppy of one of the homeschool families, and at nine weeks, she is the youngest so far.
The park we were in has two playgrounds, one old, one new. We started at the old playground because it was the exact location where the first few families first met four years ago. We knew we'd eventually have to move because the new playground is really, well, cool. There's just no other way to describe it; it looks like George Lucas had a hand in it's design, or at least, people strongly influenced by him. The color scheme is black and red which might have something to do with it's futuristic look. The kids all love it.
TyTy is very familiar with the new playground and he was ready to go there before anyone else was. We grabbed some of our friends and trekked over on foot, meeting Dogs #7 and #8 en route. These were Bonnie and Layla, two beautiful black and white Springer Spaniels with big floppy ears and long fur. What luck! I thought to myself, as TyTy explained his project to the owner, a blustering man in his fifties who for some reason reminded me of Teddy Roosevelt. The man was quick to oblige us, even offering to take the picture himself when my phone camera momentarily froze up. We told him thank you and I added, "Bonnie and Layla are 7 and 8!" He smiled hugely. For some reason that seemed to please him.
After a while at the new playground I realized I should probably move my car. By this time the rest of the party had migrated and I noticed a middle-aged lady standing with her dog on the perimeter of the new playground staring at our kids with a puzzled look on her face. I'm no breed expert but I think her dog was a Scottie. Maybe Dog #9? I smiled as I passed and muttered a greeting. She stopped me.
Lady: Are all these kids from the same school?
Me: No ma'am, we're all homeschoolers.
Lady: Oh my, how wonderful!
She was genuinely happy and excited about a playground full of homeschooled kids; it was as if she were witnessing some rare sighting, like a flock of ivory billed woodpeckers. She asked me a few questions and I answered as best I could. I turned around to point out my son and realized that there was a sea of green shirts on the playground. No wonder she had thought we were all from one school! As I left she seated herself and her dog on a bench and watched, smiling. Just like Dog #2's owner and Teddy Roosevelt, she seemed charmed by the concept of homeschooling. I'm not sure why I'm so surprised at this attitude; I think it has something to do with my own ideas about homeschooling before I did it. I always saw homeschoolers as either religious people or crunchy-granola hippie types; not too weird, but definitely not mainstream. Maybe because of the ostracizing I experienced growing up in Baton Rouge, I expect it even now when I reveal myself as living an alternative lifestyle to a stranger and so I'm always pleasantly surprised to be accepted.
The lady with the Scottie was gone by the time I got back with the car, but TyTy found a seven month old puppy named Bella and she was Dog #9. Then, as he was playing with our neighbors this evening, he suddenly remembered that they have a dog, and so Dixie is Dog #10. Now that we have some pictures printed, we'll start the journal tomorrow. I had thought of printing some business cards for Tycho so that he can hand them out as part of his spiel, to help explain the project. But he seems to be getting his point across pretty well. Everyone he talks to knows what homeschooling is and so far no one sees it as so weird that they can't let a little boy pet their dog.
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