Ameren Jack

After getting lost trying to find Kindermusik this morning, Nathan and I decided to hit Captain D's for lunch. Well, I decided. Nathan would pick McDonald's every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Captain D's has a yummy sweet chili sauce that I like on their tilapia, and kids eat free on Thursdays. But, there is no toy in the kid's meal.

Anyway, maybe it was because we just came from Kindermusik, or because Nathan was wearing his big heavy coat for being so cold outside, but he was putting on a show for everyone singing "Jingle Bells". I'm not sure exactly when he learned that song, because it has been awhile since last Christmas, but he seems to go to it when he wants to sing.

"Inga bez, inga bez, inga ah dah waaaaaayyyy" It is pretty darn cute.

So I get the food passed out and start to take a bite when this older gentleman comes up with a plastic Lowe's bag. He says he makes these toys and gives them out and would like to give Nathan one for singing so cute. So I think it will be some small thing and there will be a bunch in the bag and we can pick one. I tell him it's not necessary, but I can see he is a grandfather type and likes kids and really wants to do this. So I grab in the bag, and it is not some little wooden racecar thing.

This gentleman has brought over a huge wooden tractor complete with a huge trailer that you can hitch together. It nearly goes across the booth table seat-to-seat, that's how long it is.

OMG! This thing would probably be $20 at a craft fair. At least.

Now I feel sort of guilty for accepting it. I say thank you as best I can, but he goes back to his seat and I wonder if I should pay him something.

The wife goes over to refill her soda and asks how old Nathan is, and says they have a grandson about that age. I tell her N loves loves loves anything with wheels, and she goes back and tells her husband.

Nathan is beside himself with joy over this huge new toy. He keeps saying "ook a dah twacktor!"

The couple gets ready to leave and come over one more time to watch Nathan playing with the toy and I see the man is wearing an Ameren jacket with the name "Jack". I ask him if he retired from Ameren and he says yes, 38 years working in East St. Louis. Wow. I tell him my dad worked out at the Callaway plant and the wife chuckles about a small world.

After they left, I kind of looked around. We were the youngest people in there. Everyone else looked retired. And they all were smiling at Nathan.

Makes me want to visit nursing homes and give away toys to other kids. Everyone could use some cheer these days.

Then we had Nathan's one week postop check. Everything looks good. Thank God.