Mother Goose is acquainted with Mr. Augustus Angst. He comes around once a year, but we are not friends. He arrives without warning and stays well past his welcome. He wears a sneer and twirls his Simon Legree mustache as he taunts me. He is like a broken record every time he shows up, and he says, “Summer is almost over and you hardly did anything worthwhile.” He is a liar, but enough of me believes him to make me feel a little down in the dumps and singin’ the blues.
Angst compares our summers to the summers of other families. He questions my motives: “The kids will be back in their classrooms in just a few short days! Did you take them anywhere fun for a vacation? Sure, you took them up north to see YOUR family, but did you take them to Gulf Shores for some traditional beach time? Did you take them to Disney World? Did you even take them to the pool?”
Augustus Angst holds a dim mirror in front of my face and asks, “You don’t look very happy, Mother Goose! Another summer gone by and I see you’ve got a few more wrinkles on your face and look at how your hair is much grayer than it was last time I was here. Maybe you need to get to the salon, Mother Goose. And by the way, Mother Goose, what about your commitment to exercise this summer? And I wonder if you got those cleaning projects done? And speaking of projects, how’s that backyard beautification project coming along, Mother Goose?”
Angst whispers and accuses. He cannot be satisfied with just a little tease; he relentlessly points his finger at my heart. “What about that list you made in June of all the fun places you were going to visit with the kids? Where’s that list, Mother Goose?”
I have a new list of verifiable excuses ready and I lay it at his feet in hopes of fending him off. “It was an excessively hot summer.” “The kids like to sleep til noon in the summer.” “We ran short of vacation funds.” “The kids really prefer to play computer games and video games…”
“Lame,” replies Angst.
Begone, Augustus Angst!
“Enough of you!” I honk in his face. “Begone, August Angst, you jealous old snake in the grass. We still have four more days until school starts, and we WILL make the most of those days! We will go to the Air and Water Show in the city today, and we’ll go to the beach and the forest. We’ll take a picnic to the park and we’ll spend a better day at the zoo. We’ll play games together and sit around the campfire in the evenings and tell stories. I tell you, Angst, you’re a liar and bad one. Get lost or I’ll goose you!”
I can only hope he doesn’t show up on your doorstep…
My backyard is a blessing — I’m thankful for the strength to pull the weeds and trim the dead branches out of the trees. You should have seen it before I started…
During the Dog Days of summer, I’m thankful for pets who like each other…kind of…most of the time…sometimes.
I will lock Angst in the back shed where he can’t bother me anymore…
Mother Goose Smiles 