Cowboy Day or Dia de los Caballeritos

Yesterday was family "Cowboy Day" at the preschool.  I've been dreading it for weeks.

They had a family "Pirate Day" in the fall, so I already knew what to expect.  That's why I was dreading it.

In the fall, whole families -- mom, dad, kids, and even grandparents dressed up in the most elaborate costumes you can imagine.  All matching, of course.  One guy had a live parrot on his shoulder.

I, myself, was thinking:  Pre-school, pirates, simple.  I wore a pair of frayed "cast-away" jeans, and I convinced Benjamin to wear a pirate's hat.  People took one look at me and handed me dishes to wash:  I simply was not Dressed Appropriately.

Have I mentioned 90-degree heat and 90% humidity?

And the Costa Ricans' need for personal space is much less than mine.  Their accepted person:space ratio is approximately 8 people per square foot.  I'm claustrophobic.  I need 8 square feet per person on a long-term basis.

In the fall, I gutted it out till the bitter end because I had no car, was watching two extra kids, and was waiting for a ride.  NOW, I have a car.  I was planning to make an appearance for the beginning-of-party-assembly and then skedaddle.

And I even dressed up this time.  I'm from Texas, you'd think a Cowboy Day party would be simple.  Ha.  We scrounged some respectable outfits together for the two of us, and, after much consideration and remembering the polite sneers and dirty dishes I had been handed in the fall, I wore my boots.

NOT cowboy boots; calf-high dress boots with what I'll swear are six inch heels.  It would generally be more pleasant to walk barefooted over broken glass than to walk in these boots.  I should have burned them years ago, but, dang, they look nice.  And they were expensive.

We hobbled painfully to the party.  Where, first off, we were supposed to gather in the kids' respective classrooms and learn a "Cowboy Dance" which we were then to perform in front of EVERYONE on the stage later on -- we were assigned the Cotton-Eyed-Joe, the one dance I can perform with some semblance of coordination.  No one else had any clue what they were doing.  I was even prepared to take charge and whip them into shape, but Benjamin was too shy with so many people around and burst into tears when I asked if he wanted to dance.  Apparently, he doesn't like crowds any better than I do.

Well, being the Wonderful Mother I am, I promptly took him out of such a terrifying environment, of course (code speak for:  we rebelled!!) and while everyone else sweltered in the classroom in undignified confusion, we went for a pony ride.  Three pony rides in a row, as a matter of fact.  And later, when we were supposed to perform as a class, well, we missed that too because we were Still Riding the Pony.

Benjamin made several hundred circuits on that pony; most of the kids were completely uninterested in the ponies, so there was no crowd there.  I sat in the shade with a friend.  There were about 20 other people in the backyard where the ponies were.  Whereas in the front, where the band and the performances were, there were 300 people crowded together in the heat and sun.  I could hear the distant sounds of revelry, and I rejoiced in my solitude.  And shade.

The boots turned out to be a good call, my limp today notwithstanding:  no one asked me to wash dishes!!

There will be another Pirate Party in the fall, but this time, I'm ready for it!!!