Hot! Hot! Hot!

I'm glad tomorrow is Friday. It has been a busy first week of summer vacation. Good and busy and hotter than Hades. Seriously, it's in the 80's now and it feels cool. We spent the day swimming at my in- laws Tuesday trying to beat the heat. The water was so warm, that it was not really even refreshing. Think bath water. I had both kids bring a friend so I could lounge poolside and read the afternoon away. I brought a bag filled with books to keep me entertained and the four munchkins were supposed to well... entertain each other. I got through almost a chapter of New Moon which is to say, I was interrupted a lot! "Mrs. W. you be the shark and we'll be the minnows." "Mom, catch me. Catch me again." "Mom, can you get the ball that I just threw out of the pool for the umpteenth time?" And the one that would have had me breaking into a sweat if I weren't already drenched in it, "Can you fix my goggles?"

I probably could have baked the pizza they wanted for lunch on the sidewalk or on my sun burned chest. (After lathering up four squirmy, eager to get into the water bodies, I kind of forgot about myself.) Waves of nausea came over me as I watched them devour the greasy, cheesy pies. They, no doubt, earned and enjoyed them. My son's friend D. said, "Mrs. W. you're a good cook." That's how hungry they were. I let them have as many freezies as their hearts desired just to keep them cool and hydrated.

When we got home, they all played a game of baseball in the yard. Together...the boys and the girls. Really! I watched from the air conditioned house with a tall glass of iced tea and a fan blowing on me. When my friend came to pick up her daughter, she stayed for a glass of wine. The boys left for a hot, crowded Little League Night at Miller Park. It was the first of three games T Bone will attend this week. When I'm reincarneted, I so want to come back as an 8 year old boy!

Yesterday was just as hot. Instead of swimming, we chose to go for a hike. I know...what were we thinking? We traipsed along the trails around the gorge near my Aunt's house for a couple hours. We went through several bottles of water, a tube of sunscreen and a bottle of bug spray. Just so you know...I don't recommend applying repellent on top of sun block. It is a greasy, oily mess made even worse by lots of salt and sweat. We all smelled as bad as we looked when we got back to my Aunt's...one motley crew... but we had fun. My kids...they are two incredible troopers. After lunch at Cotsco (my Aunt's favorite place ever), we were going to stop by my in-laws to cool off and to try out the new goggles I bought after our $1.50 hot dogs, but I feared we would contaminate the pool and copious amounts of chlorine would have to be used to delouse it.

Besides, I had to get home because I was expecting company for the gloaming. The age-old friend who called me out of the blue a couple weeks ago...the one I recently dropped the bomb on about my Mom...was supposed to come for a visit. She never showed. I wasn't the least bit surprised and more relieved than annoyed, but I don't think I'll be making any dates with her in the future. It is just too oddly reminiscent of why we became estranged in the first place.

The unexpected free night (and the Nester http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/) inspired me to switch things up a bit in my house. I moved pictures, lamps and even some furniture. I now have a sofa table in my 1/2 bath and it really cozies up the big square room. I love the concept of shopping in your own home.

When that was done, I got to thinking about my Mom and how she would rush over to see any thing I ever bought for, or did to the house. No purchase or project was ever too small to warrant her scrutiny. Missing her prompted me to watch her funeral. I watched it once before, but I think I was still in shock. Last night I found myself smiling and crying and thanking my friend Rose. She is the one who encouraged me to record the service and hired the videographer. I really felt my Mom's presence with me last night.

This morning I was dragging and my eyes were swollen not only from last night's cryfest, but also from the raging cold I woke up with. I managed to make it through the day, but I am so ready to climb into bed with one of my books and wake up to a new day tomorrow. Friday. And it's not supposed to be as HOT!