Mr. Sandman

Sometime around 6:30 we hear the whirrr, whirr, whir of Pop's crank flashlight an indication that he is beginning to think about winding up another day and prepare for bedtime. He may join us for a little TV, do a little roaming but soon I hear, "You gettin' tared?" When I respond with my "no, not yet. Are you?" he'll say, "Ya, I'm startin' to get tared," intentionally dropping the "g" in the word starting and slurring the word tired. His nightly routine has begun.

About 7:00 he starts checking his watch to see what time it is. Don't want to go to bed too early but we sure don't want to go to bed too late either, seems to be the philosophy. For the next hour or so he will check his watch regularly. By 8:00 he ups the ante and asks me again if I'm gettin' "tared."

Eventually he moseys off to his room and emerges, still in his blue jeans but with his night shirt on. I note that the first button is buttoned into the second button whole and so on down the shirt. The collar has a random fold like a dogs floppy ear giving him a very skewed appearance. Rather funny to observe but he seems to take the attitude that as long as the arms are in the sleeves and the torso covered, who cares? I guess he's right.

Eventually the sand man has made his final call and Pop will disappear into his bedroom and come out in full night garb; blue stripped night shirt, night pants and barefoot, the final pieces of the bed-time puzzle now in place indicating that he is seriously heading for slumber land. "You going to bed Pop?" I ask. "Yup, I think it's about that time. I'm tared," he says, again slurring the word tired.

On occasion he will pause before heading off to his room and ask, "What time are you folks getting up around here tomorrow?" Why that matters I have no idea but he'll ask as if he is a guest in our home needing to cooperate with our schedules. Other times he'll pause, a little hesitant but I know he is waiting for his bedtime hug. I respond, tell him to sleep well and feel his frail bear hug as he says "Oooooh, you sleep good, too." Hunch backed, in his blue jammies and barefoot he toddles across the family room to his bed. Another day of adventure behind him. Time to get some zzzz's.