Watching (all the) Children

For some reason, I had to take my friend (I'll call her Amy, since that's a couple of her initials) go Kroger's, so she came over to my house with four of her six kids. While I was getting ready, I walked back into my bedroom and caught one of the boys going through my dresser drawers. The boy was @10, chubby, dark hair, round face, laughing eyes. He looked like none of her actual children. He also had her husband's first name. 
Eventually, we got sorted out and off to the store we went, where we met her mother, who I used to work with. Mom had Amy's new van and we were meeting her there so Amy could get it back.
We loaded groceries into the van and children into car seats, and I followed them home.

I played with the baby and other children (not the husband namesake) while they unloaded the groceries.
Mom said something to me about having done Amy this favor, because taking that many children that young anywhere was no casual chore. But I had the space and the car seats, so it was no big deal to me. "Besides", I said, "I finally get to play with Little Miss here, who I haven't even got to meet before now, but love her anyway."  {TRUTH}

Anyway, visiting, talking, playing with babies and chasing down young'uns.

Then, something with kitchen matches. Three or four inch wooden matchsticks with the red sulfur tips, Don't remember what; don't remember why. One of the boys had kitchen matches. They -- HE -- was NOT playing with the matches, they weren't being lit, or anything. They were just there.


Somehow the matches seem the most significant to me. The rest of the dream was a story lading up to the revelation of the matches. My first thought was about redheads, but that doesn't seem to fit. Hothead might, some of those sisters (Amy's sisters) can be hot headed at times,because they are caring, passionate people,  but I don't know why I would dream about that/them.
Second thought was fire and/or fire starting. I even thought of mentioning something to her about boys and matches. But there really wasn't anything pyromanic or pyromatic about the matches or their existence. Not to mention how awkward the conversation would be.

Final thought, and the one ringing with truth, is that they were kitchen matches, meant for cooking and warming the home, and the heat of passion, and metaphors of that nature. Amy and her husband just recently married, and they've already been through the fire (see, there's another one)

I do believe the dream expresses my optimism for her and their life/lives. Not that it's particularly my business, but if I can feel happy for someone -- anyone -- why shouldn't I?

Besides, in my dream, I got to play with a very special Little Miss.

Jeanie, Blurred Vision, and New Hope.

Was driving Jeanie from Georgetown to Mt Orab, and my vision kept blurring, like when the floaters are bad. Usually this happens in bright sunny days, but in the dream it was a gray and rainy day. I finally pulled over and got out of the car to clear my vision. Tammy was in passenger front seat, Jeanie in back.

We were all yakking away.

We began driving past the little roads that lead into New Hope, and I said something to Jeanie about really wishing we could just walk around and explore what's left of the town. It's where Mamma was borned and raised, after all. Mamma and her million and a half brothers. And her dad and stepmother. They all lived there somewhere. I've driven through a couple of times, and there's a vibe to the town. Archaic; old; mystic; intriguing and a little scary/intimidating. There's a church or two (maybe a once-a-church and a current one.)

It's a tiny little town sitting up on a hill above White Oak Creek and/or Sterling Run. It looks self contained, which adds to its mystique.

Jean agreed, without a great deal of enthusiasm, that it would be a good place to explore.
Someday.

As we came around the bend, it suddenly poured down the rain so hard I couldn't see, and had to stop.
But even after the rain eased off, I still couldn't see. My vision was somehow waterlogged. I had to get out of the car again and after a bit my vision cleared, so I got back in the car and started driving again.

But as soon as I started driving again, my vision went. Sort of like the horizon sinking beneath my field of vision.
This happened a couple of times, until I finally pulled off into the main road from 68 into New Hope. I just stopped the car, put it in park, and said something about being here now.


limited vision, new hope, being forced to stop driving. all somewhat obvious as metaphors perhaps. Just to note, I did drive through that area -- veeeerrrrrry slowly and carefully -- due to heavy rain, not many days before the dream. There was a Jeanie/genealogy experience shortly before that.  
Since this dream, my car is acting up big time and having transmission problems. (Also an obvious metaphor, if I had known it was coming to that)

Was I dreaming of a return to the bucolic past?
Am I advising myself to give up control? To let someone else do the driving? (Who?)
Am I looking forward with limited and fuzzy vision?
Am I looking clear-eyed at the legendary past?

Do I just want my Mamma?