The Baboon Congress

Clean Up, Clean Up!

58 Comments

Today’s guest post comes from Steve.

In the interest of candor, I must admit that Liam’s four-day trip to visit his grandfather has not been all pleasant. Liam, just two years old, was terrified by the airplane that flew him from Portland to Minnesota. For complicated reasons, my daughter Molly stayed at a nearby motel rather than camping out in my home. Liam hated the motel. He sobbed at night, unable to sleep in strange surroundings, partly because he had an ear infection that flowed openly. All of Molly’s love and patience could not console him. We learned a difficult lesson. Liam, at this age anyway, is not a confident traveler.

Molly would show up at my home each morning with hollow eyes. Liam’s eyes were red and puffy from another bad night. “Hello Grampa,” he’d say softly, running to give me a big hug.

That’s when the Baboon angels—those Trail Baboon women who loaned us toys—would appear on hushed wings to work their magic.

I’d say, “Liam, you know this is a funny house, a real funny house. The Toy Fairy flies here to leave surprises for you. I happen to know that the Toy Fairy came again last night. If you walk around, you might find some new toys!”

Liam would disappear, walking gingerly as if he were concerned about spooking the toys and causing them to flee. He would reappear toting or pushing some new toy, perhaps a rolling musical popper, a dump truck or a kid-sized plastic shopping cart.

All the toys loaned to us were chosen with the wisdom of an experienced mother. All got played with and enjoyed. I can’t name them all and wouldn’t try, but every single toy was a hit. Liam is enthusiastic about transportation at the moment, so cars, planes and trains all triggered a strong response.

If things ever got a little slow and Liam became restless, I would call him to me. “Liam, I can’t be sure, but I think I just saw that goofy Toy Fairy again! Do you suppose she left you more toys?”

The toys saved the trip. Molly had expected that we would need to drive from museum to zoo to library to aquarium in order to entertain Liam. Instead, he spent all his hours gleefully pushing little cars on my coffee table, putting the baby doll down “nighty-night” and herding plastic animals in and out of a red plastic barn. We didn’t waste precious time driving around, and this arrangement maximized the contact between Liam and his doting grampa (who got to develop a great many distinctive sound effects for internal combustion engines, to say nothing of all the different animal sounds).

The highlight of the four-day trip was a birthday party at my nephew’s home in Saint Louis Park. The party included 16 people. Liam is a party animal. He adores people, the more the better. He went about interacting with everyone, offering toys to them and occasionally running back to Molly or me to give us monster hugs, his head laid affectionately on our laps.

When my nephew brought out a bag of foam blocks, Liam delighted in making stacks of them so he could knock them down. Soon the bag was empty and 100 foam blocks were strewn all over the living room floor.

At Liam’s daycare in Portland, they teach kids to take care of their own messes. They sing a little song (“Clean up! Clean up!”) while teachers and kids put each toy back where it belongs. One of the teachers occasionally shouts “Hel-LOOOOO?” at the kids to get their attention so they will get stay on-task. Liam has embraced the clean-up ethic. He cheerfully put toys away at my home.

At the party, adults were laughing at the chaos Liam had made of the blocks when we were startled to hear someone singing in a pure, sweet, high voice. Liam was picking up foam blocks to chuck them into the big plastic bag they came in. He carried on singing and chucking until all 100 blocks were back home.

Clean up! Clean up!
Everybody! Everywhere!
Clean up! Clean up!
Everybody do your share!

And occasionally, in a voice that was clearly not his own, Liam would bark out: Hel-LOOOO?” To him, it was part of the song!

Life isn’t perfect, and there were difficult moments in this trip that Molly and I had dreamed about for over a year. But life gives us flashes of unanticipated joy to balance out the challenges. On this visit, any time little negatives cropped up we would hear the gentle flutter of angel wings and another collection of toys would magically appear.

Have you been involved in an enterprise that was unexpectedly saved by an angel?

58 thoughts on “Clean Up, Clean Up!”

  1. hey steve nice recap. sorry to hear it wasnt perfect but glad to hear it had moments that worked so well. i have seldom had the good fortune of angel involvement as far as i know.it is quite possible that i have been fully involved and my life would be quite different if they were not here to watch over me. you are never given more than you can handle but i do wonder sometimes who is measuring. i get a kick out of the comfort level of staying at someone elses house while visiting. sometimes i try it and wonder what i was thinking sometimes i stay at a motel and wonder why i didnt put my feet up onthe couch. it is a difficult call. in laws are the toughest and trying to slide into someone elses morning regiment and comply to bathroom ettiquite can be enough to bring out the angels as mediators. two year olds are great. they are pretty open to new things and are pure as the driven snow. every age is special but two is one of the best. glad you had a chance to spend the time with liam and molly. hope it comes around again soon.

    Like

    Reply

  2. Good morning to all. Wonerful story about your grand son’s visit, Steve. Very nice picture of him. It is great to hear about the generous efforts of Babooners to supply toys and how you made good use of them. Also, I really like your account of the clean up and the clean up song.

    I have had good luck with some one saving the day in work on promoting sustainable agriculture Here is an example.. I asked a farmer to speak at one of the first meetings I organized. I didn’t know if he would be a good choice to speak and he turned out to be outstanding. He spoke just before a break in the meeting. During the break at the end of his talk most the people at the meeting followed him as he left the front of the room because they all had more questions for him and wanted hear more of what he had to say. He made the meeting into a big success.

    Like

    Reply

  3. Rise and Shine Baboons!

    When I was a teenager, we had a neighbor who was our angel. Harry, a retired Methodist Minister, moved in down the block, just 1 house away. He was a wood worker who repaired things in the house and built a room in the basement for me. He took up residence at our house in the late afternoons just as we arrived home from school. My dad who suffered from MS was housebound by then, so Harry would visit him daily. Harry taught all of us to play cribbage, a game we still love. They had sound effects that accompanied the game:
    Whooee–Double run of three or four
    Woo-woo-woo Double-double run of four
    Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo perfect hand with a double-double run of 4 running 6-7-8-9

    His presence provided a steadying hand to mother who could be moody and erratic at times. What would we have done without Harry? I cannot imagine my childhood without him.

    Steve, visits with children are always unpredictable. It sounds like you did just fine. I hope you can go visit your daughter, too. I know you have missed her terribly.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Jacque, good people, like Harry, can really make a big difference in the lives of people who know them. The guy that spoke at the ag meeting, that I mentioned about, is Terry Holesapple. Even bigger angels from my days of doing sustainable ag meetings were Dick and Sharon Thompson who were not as captivating as Terry and had other ways of turning their talks into excellent presentations. They put a lot of thought and effort into the talks they gave and even came up with ideas to help other farmers improve their presentations. They were also very outstanding farmers and had a lot of very good material to present about all of their efforts to improve their farm.

      Like

      Reply

    3. It is wonderful to have a non-parent adult like Harry in your childhood. I think it is important for every kid to have one or two non-parent adults around as a presence in their world – sounds like Harry was an extra special guy.

      Like

      Reply

  4. Wonderful that you, Molly and Liam had this time together, Steve! A grandparent never takes any of these moments for granted, yes? Clearly Liam is much loved and the difficulties of this trip will pale next to the memories of time spent with his grandpa Steve. It’s so true that seemingly small or ordinary gestures might unknowingly make a deep impact, like Jacque’s neighbor’s friendship. Liam will surely have a huge bank of love and memories to draw on during his lifetime thanks to you and his mother. More pictures, please!

    Like

    Reply

  5. Steve, so glad you had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Molly and Liam, even if it wasn’t perfect. He sounds like a delightful little fellow; love his clean-up song.

    I have been blessed with numerous angels in my life. One stands out, mainly because his unexpected gift allowed me to go to college. When Bob, who I had met only six or seven times when I was 18 years old, but with whom I had remained in contact via letters, heard that wasband and I had moved to Carbondale, he sent me a check for $2,500.00. His accompanying letter said: “Please accept this loan, to be paid back, at no interest, whenever you can. Apply to the university, you will not be able to find a decent job unless you do. I’ll send you another $2,500.00 in six months. Love, Bob.” I followed Bob’s advice, got a scholarship and a student job, and made it through four years at SIU without any incurring any debt.

    When I graduated and we were about to leave Carbondale, I wrote Bob to tell him that I would soon be able to begin repaying the loan. A couple of weeks later I received a letter from Bob’s attorney informing me that Bob had passed away. There was also a note from Bob’s wife stating that Bob had made no mention of, nor any record of this loan; she was sure he intended it to be a gift, and to please pay it forward.

    Bob’s gift has enabled me to help two different friends avoid foreclosures, and other small gifts to people who have been in a tight spot. It is a gift that keeps giving forty years after Bob’s death.

    Like

    Reply

    2. What a wonderful legacy PJ. Who knows how far reaching Bob’s gift will ultimately be if everyone pays it forward as faithfully as you have.
      OT – wasband should definitely be listed in the G.O.A.T.

      Like

      Reply

  6. by the way steve homeopathic remedies for earinfections are wonderful. my kids had one ear ache after another for 4 years until i switched to homeopathy. took care of it and its never come up again.

    Like

    Reply

  7. Aw, PJ, that brings tears to my eyes. What a cool thing for Bob to do!

    My wife had an Aunt and Uncle that I’ve mentioned here before. They were truly our angels. They’ve both passed away now, but when Kelly first moved to Rochester and started college she lived with them. They provided some financial support at times but more importantly they proved an example of what a good marriage and good relationship could be. Even after they both passed, the gifts they left are still providing for us and giving us opportunities to pass onto our children. I can’t over-estimate their awesomeness!
    I hope we can pay it forward to the extent they did.

    Like

    Reply

  8. So glad the difficult parts didn’t impinge on the good times, Steve. It’s especially cool that you were able to have lots of quality time with them at your home.

    The angels that first come to mind are those who brought food offerings around Michael’s Thurgery last year. I’ll never forget coming home from the hospital, exhausted, to find a casserole on the front porch. Also when Joel died in 2007, food would just show up for days.

    And in fall of 2006, my dad was “on his way out”. I was visiting them in Marshalltown, and had determined to stay with them for the last few months of his life, but I needed to go back home to tie up loose ends for my absence. My mom, who had been doing the caretaking, was suddenly diagnosed with a hairline fracture in her tailbone, which explained why she was in so much pain when sitting. For 6 weeks, she could either stand or lie down, no sitting, and she couldn’t get herself up and down from a reclining position. I was able to call on a network of people from her church and her apartment building who came in 3 times a day to help them get meals, etc. Angels all.

    Like

    Reply

  9. I had the wonderful privilege of meeting Liam for the first time during our “quad birthday” party. My youngest of 10 grand kids just turned 1 the previous day; Liam turned 2 a week ago, my daughter in law 42, and a granddaughter 14. Little Liam was on high-beam the whole time – no one would’ve guessed that he’d suffered any trauma from the trip. He was the picture of joy and clearly one of the brightest two-year olds in America! I agree with a previous comment that the difficult parts of this experience will fade quickly, leaving the nourishing & delightful memories of time with
    grandpa. Job well done, brother!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thanks! Poor Liam was afraid he would never see his beloved daddy again. Or that is what we concluded. Any time we mentioned his father to Liam, cheerfully promising they would soon be reunited, Liam went silent. The topic of “Daddy” was too spooky for him to talk about. When he got home, Liam followed his dad around every where John went, not wanting him out of sight.

      And when Liam stepped in the door of his own home and spotted his favorite toys sitting in a corner, just as he had left them, he said (quietly but with feeling), “Hi, toys!”

      Like

      Reply

      2. When my son was 18 months old, he and I lived in Winnipeg for a few months while I finished some course work and his father remained in ND to work. Our son kept searching all the closets of the apartment thinking his father was playing hide and seek with him. It was so sad!

        Like

        Reply

  10. So glad, Steve, that the days with Liam were good – even with the ear infections and lack of sleep. And glad he made use of the various toys so that you could spend time at home with him and not worrying about entertainment.

    There have been many angels in my life – none like Bob, but maybe more like Harry. One in particular was on a smaller scale. I found out I was pregnant about a week after I had the first tech meeting for a show I had agreed to design and build. Not a small set either: this was for “The Mousetrap”…so a big English manor house with many doors and doorways (oy I hate putting doors and doorways into sets). The director and I wanted a flagstone look for the floor – seemed do-able when we planned for it. I like to give my stage sets a good floor treatment. But by the time it got to actually painting the floor, I was starting to notice how much harder it was to navigate paint with a mask on, and starting to feel the effects of the pregnancy. I was not sure I was going to get it done. I was convinced I was not going to get it done. I fell apart – something I don’t usually do with sets, usually I just make some design adjustments and go…but I wasn’t capable of that this time. Fortunately for me, the director was one I had worked with a lot – and he was more worried about me than his floor. After he got over the shock of seeing me cry (something he had never seen in the 15 or so years we had known each other), and realized it was the hormones and not me or him, he calmly said, “let’s call Jay.” Jay is another theater buddy and a good guy. All he had to know was “Anna’s pregnant and needs help pronto.” He showed up and worked late into the night 4 or 5 nights running, strong arming as much of the cast as he could into helping, and got that floor painted for me. No questions, no need for payment (though I did buy him beer and gave him a big smooch on the nose). Just a friend helping a friend. He made sure that he was following my design concept, paid attention to what technique I was using…and painted until it was done. Thanks Jay.

    Like

    Reply

      1. Every now and again, but not regularly. When Daughter was tiny, it was hard to make the time for it, and then Husband started grad school, which all added up to not having time and energy for a 6 week set construction schedule (on top of my regular full time job) on a regular basis. I miss it some, but it’s nice to be able to just dabble a bit here and there and not have the late nights or added stress.

        Like

        Reply

    2. So glad you were able to tell that story, Anna.

      As you surely have figured out, you can drop by any time to reclaim your toys! Solveig’s colorful truck was a hit, and I hope you thank her again from Liam and me.

      Like

      Reply

  11. A band of angels quickly formed and surrounded me during the difficult trip through cancer. Surprisingly, these individuals were not the ones I’d have predicted to be present for such an ordeal. Friends I’d have thought would be “there” were not; casual acquaintances – mostly from dancing – were. One neighbor from across the county road showed up while I was still on a feeding tube and aggressively tore through my pantry, throwing out canned goods with 1995 expiration dates! She then replaced all the foods that my new stomach couldn’t tolerate with consecutive days worth of new foods. She even stuck Post-Its on these prearranged meals, “Nancy – EAT THIS on Tuesday!” I still have the Post-Its which warm my heart each time I open the pantry.

    Like

    Reply

  12. I’ll briefly mention that I experienced a dark time a few months ago when I was trying to make a go of it with a paltry Social Security payment . . . and not coming close to making it. I’ve led a fortunate life. But all good fortune seemed to run out of me at the same time, and I got to experience that agony known to so many folks who fear taking phone calls because they owe so much to so many businesses.

    I’m not going to be specific here, for they wouldn’t want me to be, but some Baboon angels I barely knew stepped forward to help me in that dark hour. I’ll forever cherish the memory of their generosity, and I sure didn’t want this blog topic to fly by without my mentioning them.

    Like

    Reply

  13. So many touching stories. Baboons, Harry, Bob, Ag meeting speakers, Aunt and Uncle, Jay, dancing acquaintences and Baboons again.

    My beloved favorite aunt, Lib, was, and still is, the source of a warmth and support that wasn’t easily forthcoming from my parents. I know they loved me but just didn’t quite show it the way Lib did.
    My mother had MS from the time I was 7 and the first summer after her diagnosis, my brother and I were sent for a week with Lib and Uncle Bill and dear cousins. That was the first of many summer exchanges. I was so warmed by the squeals of delight from the whole famly when I would arrive. It was a huge support for a little girl who barely comprehended what was happening to her mother.

    My other story is about my sister, Didi. She has a friend who loves stuff; she borders on being a hoarder (a borderhoarder). My sister has helped her move a few times and it’s always a nightmare because Patti hasn’t started packing by the time Didi arrives and there’s just so much to manage.
    One time they were working on the final night before the move and hadn’t made much progress when Patti fell down the stairs and broke both her arms. They stopped everything to get her to the emergency room and then DIdi had to finish all the packing and taking care of Patti by herself.
    Actually, I think (and hope) I would have done the same but I’m still impressed by my angel sister.

    Like

    Reply

  14. Greetings! How wonderful for you, Steve! I’m so glad you had a lovely time with your daughter and the “best grandson in America.” There have been many angels in my life, helping out in small or large ways. When times are hardest, they seem to pop up more often — and I am eternally grateful to each and every one. Sometimes family, sometimes friends, but also acquaintances and strangers.

    This morning; and every Wednesday morning lately, I go to a food distribution at a church in Elk River. I prefer this one to other food shelves as they concentrate on fresh fruits, vegetables and fresh baked goods. I confess that my beliefs are not aligned with most mainstream churches, but I am so very grateful to them for being true Christians in this regard. They ask no questions. There are no forms. I don’t need to listen to their preaching. Helpers are available to pray with you, take prayer requests or just to talk and help you find resources. They don’t ask if you deserve to be helped. The first few times I went, I was weeping most of the time, I was so grateful — but just kept to myself. I’m finally taking the time to chat with others, accepting the overtures of the helpers to pray for me, etc. I keep thinking forward to a time when I do have money, that I will donate a fair amount to this particular outreach project at this church, as it has been very meaningful to me.

    As far as I’m concerned, each of you are an angel to me as you participate in this blog. You each provide friendship, humor, warmth. support and a sense of belonging I just don’t find elsewhere. Blessings to all of you!

    Like

    Reply

    1. thanks joanne, wish we could do more. i am so glad to see you remain positive. a lot of people piss and moan, you keep going and always speak of the positive times to come. thanks for being inspirational.

      Like

      Reply

      2. Thanks, guys. I do my best — I have my times of pissing and moaning, but I try to keep it to myself and not very often.

        Like

        Reply

  15. I’m reminded of a time when I needed some one to sit with my mother who could not take care of herself due to having had a stroke. There was no one in the family or any close friend available to stay with her and I had to take my Dad to a medical appointment out of town for the entire day. Pat, who was well know to me because he had done some work for me, was available and stepped forward without any hesitation. He would not accept any pay from my Dad for helping us. He said he would not feel right about turning any one down who needed the kind help we needed.

    Like

    Reply

  16. Wonderful story, Steve. So glad you were able to get together with Molly and Liam and have such a memorable time. Baboons are just super-wonderful people, aren’t they?

    I’ll keep trying to think of times when angels have stepped in to bail me out. The first one I can think of is my friend Linda P. Linda has roasted all of the meat for Rock Bend for years. She picks up all of the buns and orders the meat she needs and all of the supplies well in advance. She’s the one who makes order out of chaos backstage and serves volunteers and musicians, with very little guidance from me. I can’t do the backstage food work without her and she has pulled through every single year. On top of helping me, she also helps other committee members who’ve “claimed” her assistance first. She is the best, hardest working volunteer out there and Rock Bend wouldn’t be the same without her. I’m very grateful for her friendship and her positive, can-do attitude.

    Like

    Reply

    2. In a small town, like Clarks Grove, there are always some people who are very helpful, such as the volunteer firemen. One of the most generous is my nieghbor, Eric, who cut down some damaged branches in the top of one of my trees using an hydraulic “cherry picker” and did this for free without being asked to do it. He also told me I had a flat tire and fixed it on the spot again at no cost to me.

      Like

      Reply

  17. angels on the trail is the topic today
    what other group would discuss such things and think nothing of it?
    dale…i am thankful to him as the angel who kept this blog going out of the goodness of his heart for a bunch of tired old hippy baboons who would certainly be alive without the blog but not in the same way and not with the same nice stuff popping up to remind us all what a good place and what good people there are and how good music good friends good food and a hope to make it a better place.
    i am inspired to make the 3/3 board game day be a soup exchange board game day. i will repost in the am. dale you are welcome at this one too. you need not be the man behind the curtain unless you like it that way. angels can choose i guess.

    Like

    Reply

    1. This is a good idea, tim, about game/soup day. Lisa was mentioning yesterday that one of her friends brings 3 quarts and then takes 3, rather than 6. 3 or 4 might be my number…

      Like

      Reply

    2. I like that idea, too. I’m trying to imagine what 6 quarts looks like and how long it would take to make 4-6 batches of soup. I like 3-4 quarts as a more realistic number. Besides, my kids just don’t enjoy soups that much; except for the typical chicken noodle. When I make soup, I usually eat most of it myself. My heartiest kudos to those who spend 40 (really, 40?) minutes caramelizing onions for French Onion soup. Way beyond anything I would consider doing — especially for ungrateful kids who don’t like soup!

      Like

      Reply

  18. I made mention last week of the death of a friend, and described her as a sweet and caring person. Maybe this is an opportunity to provide some detail, since during her lifetime she was an angel to many. She volunteered her time generously. She provided accounting services free of charge for an organization called RECLAIM, which provides mental health services to GLBT youth. She volunteered for Allina’s hospice care program, delivered meals for Little Brothers, and was active in the St, Paul district 10 council, looking for ways to improve and connect with her neighborhood.

    It’s unfortunate that we don’t have more platforms for recognizing contributions to community -that really shouldn’t wait till it is time to deliver a eulogy.

    Like

    Reply

    1. A relatively young man in my church was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He resisted getting any treatment at all until his mother and the doctor convinced him that getting treatment and being part of a study could help people farther down the line. That appeal to his altruism was all it took. He kept up quite an active life in spite of losing more and more capability. About a year before he died, his mother organized a celebration of his life so he COULD be part of what would otherwise be in a eulogy. Then, only a couple of weeks before he died, they had another. He hoped to be able to attend that one but just wasn’t up to it. Reading his Caringbridge was so inspiring. People from all over the world who had known him in some way sang his praises and many of them came to see him from great distances. I believe it was a high school coach of his who came up from Illinois to be his full time caretaker for the last several months of his life.
      His mother kept commenting on the fact that she learned more and more everyday about how he had touched people.
      Clearly, he was an angel to many (especially kids) and his coach, his mother and others were angels who took care of him as he made his final journey.
      Very inspiring.

      Like

      Reply

    2. Thanks for telling us more about your friend, Linda.

      Yes, celebraties get “roasted” or have tributes while they’re still alive, but very few ordinary folks do. A small thing we did when my dad was dying: my folks had their 60th anniv. a couple of months before his death. We knew there couldn’t be a big party, but my sister and I sent out a request to everyone in their address book (had to sneak that away) for their written memories or stories about this pair. It was wonderful, the flood of cards and letters and stories that came in. The best gift they could have received.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a reply to Occasional Caroline Cancel reply