“What do you want to do this afternoon?”

“We could head to the pumpkin patch we usually go to this time of year.” Yes, but that’s almost a forty-minute drive one way.

“Maybe we could go to the park.”

“Which one?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Conestee?”

We were there last week, though. And the other park we frequent is across town.

Our options don’t sound very relaxing, and for a family with a sick boy, an almost-sick girl, and two always-exhausted parents (K more so than I, I’m sure), relaxation is at a premium.

So maybe some sandbox time followed by a game of Roll the Pool Balls at Each Other. E’s a natural. He’s going pro — I can sense it already! He’s got such original techniques, feeling, sniffing, even tasting the ball.

Of course he always puts safety first: he never even considers approaching a Roll the Pool Balls at Each Other table without a helmet.