Ticket to Ride

So, last year, about this time, I got a ticket for "failure to stop at a stop sign" in Elkland. In my defense, it really SHOULD have been a YIELD sign. I DID slow down, A LOT and look for traffic (both of which the very nice Highway Patrolman acknowledged without my prompting). Of course, I still got the ticket.

I paid it. I told my boss. (It was in the company car, doh!) No harm no foul.

Well.... let me tell you. I am NOT the only one in the family who rolls through stop signs my friend.

Last Friday night Bryon, Grace, Grandpa and I were all in the pickup and had just finished eating $10 Pizza Hut pizzas and Bryon blew through a stop sign right in the middle of town. Now let me tell you, I've done my share of nagging about stopping at stop signs, especially since I got a ticket for it. I STOP now. EVERY TIME.

So Bryon rolls through it like usual and the the next thing we know he's pulling over and the nice swirly lights are in behind us. He says, "I wonder why he's pulling us over." Helpful as always, I suggested it was most likely because he totally did NOT stop at that stop sign. "No way," he says, incredulous.

Uh, yeah.

So the very nice Marshfield Policeman strolls up to the window and starts through his spiel. "Mr. Medley, do you know why I pulled you over tonight?"

Mr. Medley says, "No."

The Policeman says, "Well sir, you totally did not stop at that stop sign. At all."

Mr. Medley says, "That's what my wife just told me."

So he gets a ticket and Grace is just beside herself with questions and helpful suggestions from the back seat.

"Why did you get a ticket Daddy? Can I see it? Are you going to jail? Do I have to go? Because they'll only give you BREAD AND WATER in jail." She was RELENTLESS.

I didn't have to say a word. I just chuckled self-righteously while riding shotgun.

Grandpa offered up that at least it was dark and no one would probably recognize him.

It was all pretty funny but Grace just could NOT stop talking about it and asking him questions AND pointing out EVERY SINGLE STOP SIGN in the 15 minute ride home.

She didn't let up the next day either and was the first person to mention it to EVERYONE we saw including most of Freda's Restaurant and then again Sunday at church.

It's good to have minion even if I didn't tell her to tease him. I finally told her that she should probably stop talking about it because I thought Daddy was probably getting tired of hearing about it and she said, "But it's the first time I saw someone get a ticket and I can't put it out of my mind."

Well, there's that. First times ARE sticky for sure.

So now after a week it's sort of calmed down and I guess it's mostly out of her mind and she's on to other things.

She sure is a little mirror of our personalities though.

The other night I told Bryon I wanted the little cedar tree at the edge of the garden cut down so we could extend the beds and fence. I'm usually the advocate for the trees on the farm and don't want ANY of them cut down, EVER but that tree had to GO because it was standing in the way of gardening progress. I even tried Googling "how to start a chainsaw" but couldn't get anywhere with the stupid saw until Bryon got home and finally showed me how. I'm usually harping on Bryon NOT to cut ANYTHING DOWN.

As we were preparing to go out and dispatch of the tree Grace started getting upset and said, "I don't want you to cut down that tree. You KNOW, cutting that tree hurts it!"

"Yes," I told her, "I know but this tree NEEDS to come down, don't worry about it." As soon as she was inside the house and out of earshot, Bryon started laughing. "See" he said, "Now you're getting some of what you give me! Ha!"

I just told him, "Shut up Ticket Boy."