"No double cheeseburgers tonight?"

Has your life become too routine when the gal at the night-time drive-up at the fast food place is asking why you've changed your regular Tuesday order?

I had two different families call up after five o'clock, both wanting to know if our youth group was still meeting tonight.

Well, yes.

Yes, I know we're in a blizzard, the highways and Interstate are closed, and the parking lots are filling up with semis. But they had school today, as normal. So even if the out-of-towners couldn't get in, the streets in town can't be that bad.

Twenty-five minutes before the meeting was to begin, wife has eldest son call me using the cell phone. They were running errands for wife's godson, including delivering my digital camera for the dress rehearsal of Les Miserables (the camera's not back yet... only mildly concerned so far), and wanted to report the streets were turning to ice, and I should call everyone and cancel the meeting.

Now? Half the people would have left their homes already by now. So no, we're not canceling. Besides, we have to make a decision about this weekend's campout, and let the other group know.

So who shows at the meeting?

Us, the two families who called, and two others.

And we're all agreed. Nobody wants to go camping down by the river this weekend. If this blizzard keeps up, we'd have to fight snowdrifts all the way in, and maybe not get out.

If the weather warms, we'd have to fight mud all the way in, and maybe not get out.

Neither an appealing option.

Leader of the other group seemed quite relieved when I called to report our non-participation. Pretty sure they wanted to cancel, too, but weren't going to say so unless we did.

So anyway, the business done, we adjourned early. And hit McD's on the way home.

Had plenty of leftovers at home for us, but the heelers would know it was a Tuesday night. They know the uniforms. And would be expecting cheeseburgers and chocolate shake.

Cheeseburgers we had, leftover from St Pat's Day. So all we ordered was the chocolate shake.

And hence the interrogation by the Customer Service Representative at the second window. Always wanting to be polite, and not wanting to offend, the wife explained that we already had cheeseburgers at home.

Me, I would have told the gal we only use them as dogfood.