My feet are sore.

While I was out of town at my meeting in Thermop, our youth group had their vote on whether we would deliver phone books to all the residences in town as a fund raiser again this year. Remembering that it ended up being largely just us, with assistance by three or four other families, I had told my wife that my vote was "no."

And, of course, you guessed it. They voted to do it again. One parent speaking strongly that it was a reliable fund raiser that we didn't want to do without.

So the books arrived yesterday. All six pallets of them. They're thicker this year, and therefore heavier and bulkier.

Today was our first evening of distribution. Guess who showed up?

Just us, of course. Me, wife, and two sons (forcibly drafted).

So we delivered to all the richer neighborhoods of town. That is actually a kindness to whoever else may finally volunteer for this. The wealthier homes have bigger lots, which means more walking for fewer books, and they are naturally up in the hills. So some of the hardest stuff has been done.

The father who spoke so strongly for doing this? At a baseball game.

I have no idea where the other 22 youth and their families were (well, actually I do. At least one would have been at the same baseball game, and wife's godson was on his way to Nevada). But the others?

We're all going camping this weekend. I'm sure most of the kids & families will show up for that. But the book advocate family? As soon as we're done with the camping trip, they're off for a two-week vacation out of state.

Under contract, the books have to be distributed by 26 June. You do the math.

This is the same father that arranged a fund raiser for us last year, namely picking up trash piled deep along a truck stop fence on the Interstate. And then he conveniently had to work that Saturday. He did show up after his shift, and worked a couple hours in the cool evening. But the rest of us (and his son) were out there in the heat for nine hours (garnered 65+ bags of trash... I counted. I'm compulsive that way). Finally got the check for that "fund-raiser" yesterday! And half what was promised.

If you think he's on my list, you should hear what my kind, understanding, serene wife had to say.