Quintessential Summer Day

Today was the perfect summer day delivered in a sky blue box with a sunshine yellow bow. It was everything yesterday was not and then some.

I woke up because I had enough sleep - not because my alarm clock rang, or a cat called attention to my full bladder, or a child was requesting breakfast. And I awoke to a beautiful sunny day without a hint of humidity.

Before breakfast (Wednesday is pancake day so usually breakfast is served a little later), my son and his friend were playing baseball in the back yard. When the bat connected with the ball, the sound rung in my ears and made me feel more awake than the strong cup of coffee I was enjoying. I quickly realized that was no tennis ball. Hard balls (even soft balls) are forbidden now on our baseball diamond because these little sluggers have grown into heavy hitters, but I guess no one ever banned golf balls. Boys will be boys!

After the lumberjack breakfast we headed out for a game of tennis. Miss Bit got not 1, but 2 rackets for her birthday and she has been itching to get on the court. We are anxious to find her a sport aside from cheering on T Bone's little league team and keeping the concession stand in the black. I happen to think tennis is a great family sport so I was ready to dust off my racket. Miss Bit and I worked on a few essential techniques and some skills, but soon she was more interested in the creepy crawlers on the court. That gave me the chance to play with the boys. I thought we could (and should) just volley, but they were hell bent on having a match. The two of them were raring to take me on. They probably could have taken me had they both not tried to get each and every ball and then get very few, and if they didn't try to hit grand slam serves. These two have baseball in their blood. Try as I might...I couldn't lose. After 3 games and 3 defeats (these two are so used to winning), they decided to have a home run derby using tennis balls and rackets in the field beside the court. While Miss Bit studied the slimy species and the boys whacked the balls, I had a grand time hitting all by myself against the backboard.

We ventured to Stonefire Pizza for bad food and expensive entertainment for lunch. Seriously, the pizza is so bad here that I don't mind taking 12 slices trying to find one that tastes like more than soggy cardboard and then throwing away 11. Today the pizza actually had a little flavor. The boys took their loaded up cards and went on their merry way. Lil Bit and I had fun trying a few games too. Our favorite was Let's Make a Deal. Then when they all ran out of money and headed to the ball pit, I sat in a broken massage chair reading my book. I pretended I was poolside on a comfy chaise lounge and that the blinding florescent lights were the mid day summer sun high overhead. It worked for me.

When we got home, they set up another lemonade stand and were once again quite the little entrepreneurs. They even tried to sell me back the soda they raided from my very own fridge and ate all the leftover homeade cookies T Bone's friend's Grandma contributed to the cause. The boys are saving for skateboards. Heaven help us.

Grilled chicken and green beans fresh today from my aunt's garden for supper were a tasty end to the textbook day.

Every day should be like today.