Romping

Romping. *

That seems like such an old-fashioned word for some reason, but it's the word that came to mind Saturday evening when our neighbors' four grandchildren came begging to play with Darby and Bonnie.

Three boys and three girls!  Although two of the girls were canines.

There was a lot of ball throwing going on, and rightly so. The kids' great-grandfather and grandfather are retired major league umpires and the father of two of the boys is a major league umpire now.

The canine girls got a real workout, between running after balls and running--no, make that "romping"--with the kids. And before too long, the dogs' tongues were hanging out!

And then, the unthinkable happened--the canines gave up before the humans did! 

 Unheard of!!

 

* From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Main Entry: ²romp

Function: intransitive verb

Etymology: alteration of ¹ramp

Date: 1662

1 : to run or play in a lively, carefree, or boisterous manner
2 : to move or proceed in a brisk, easy, or playful manner
3 : to win a contest easily