Happy New Year

I have had a busy little day at home. First mom and I cleaned up the house (but it already looks dirty again, thanks to the dogs), then we watched the Tournament of Roses parade. We did crosswords, made jewelry, and had a hot dog roast in the back yard. I also kept my New Year's resolution -- move more -- by going for a jog.

About those crosswords... my stepfather was helping me solve the NY Times puzzle, but we were both stuck on Reggie Jackson's nickname. Mom was cooking a pork roast in the kitchen (it turned out scrumptious, by the way), listening to us gripe about how stuck we were on this clue.

"Let me see," she said. "My dad was a baseball fan. I should be able to figure it out."

Well, she couldn't think of it, so she went on cooking while we muddled through the crossword. After a few minutes she disappeared, and I thought she was in the bathroom. Then she came back into the kitchen and kept cooking.

My stepfather and I moved on to a different clue for awhile, but then we came back to Reggie Jackson. After a few more minutes of pulling our hair out, Mom exclaimed, "I've got it!"

"His nickname's Mr. October!" she said, making swinging motions with her arms as though she had a baseball bat.

My stepfather and I were moderately impressed, considering that she hadn't been any help with any of the previous clues. "How did you know that?" he demanded.

"I told you, my dad always used to watch baseball. He always played well during the World Series, which is always in October."

So we went back to solving the crossword puzzle.

Awhile later, Mom said, "I have a confession to make."

"Yes?" I asked.

"Do you know how I knew about Mr. October? (pause for dramatic effect) I went and looked it up on the Internet while y'all weren't watching, and then I waited until the right moment to tell you about it!"

Well, I'll be. My mother managed to pull one over on me. Good job, Mom.