Swimmin' in the Rain

When the overcast skies opened to deliver an afternoon downpour, we were in the pool. Once we took our stuff to cover, we jumped back in, because there was no thunder or lightning, and wet is wet.
How magical it was to be surrounded by tiny plops and drops, expanding into colliding concentric circles all around me! And the rain water was so much cooler than the pool water and the humid air around us that the sensation of all three at once was textural and refreshing. We swam and paddled and trod until storm clouds subsided to blue skies and sunshine.

I hope it rains again tomorrow!

Decorum Est

“When you get home, do you have any plans for the 4th?” A friend of my mom’s asked us this afternoon on the way to the airport. 

I thought about it a minute. Despite living a few miles from our nation’s capital, it’s rare that we are home for that most patriotic of holidays. It might seem that we had a number of exciting options.  “Well,” I told her, “considering the president is bringing in tanks, I think we’ll probably stick pretty close to home.”

Bday Recap

Every birthday is an opportunity to remember the joy in my life. Some years I am in places I love; some years I do things I love; every year I spend the day with people I love.

This year was no exception: Yesterday I woke first and spent the earliest hours of the day watching an amazing shelf cloud swirl down from the north and out to the east. I opened thoughtfully chosen gifts and enjoyed a delicious breakfast with Heidi and my mom. We went to the movies and were immersed in Yesterday, a sweet confection of a film. We enjoyed a delicious meal at a restaurant conceived of by one of the most innovative chefs in the Twin Cities, and when we were satisfied and full, we emerged into a clear evening, neither too hot nor too cool, and walked down to the historic Stone Arch Bridge spanning the Mississippi and St. Anthony's Falls.

Twenty-first Century technology allowed me to see and talk to Bill and Emily, Courtney, Jordan, Richard and Annabelle, and the day ended with a board game and a final chorus of Happy Birthday at my actual birth hour.

I know. Wow! Right?

Best. Wife. Ever

The first week after school is out is usually when I take the time to catch up in my garden. I often say that I love the garden in the summer, but not so much in the spring. That's because in the summer I go every other morning or so, pull weeds, prune and fertilize plants, and harvest the bounty of our springtime labor. But that's only if we actually get the garden in. The spring is full of must-do tasks both at school and in the garden, and it is really hard to find the time to get everything done.

That was especially true this year-- a combination of teaching so many more kids and bad weather kept me behind, and even though we got some stuff in, a busy June made it impossible to keep the garden weeded. My plans were also to leave town for a visit with my mom a couple of days after school got out. So I asked Heidi to go with me to the garden on the morning before my flight left. "Don't worry about it being such a mess," I told her. "Just water it if it doesn't rain. Try not to hate the garden while I'm gone, and I'll clean it up when I get back."

Heidi doesn't love the garden, but she loves me, and so she agreed. Even so, I was a little worried about it, especially since we are heading out of town to visit Heidi's parents a few days after we get back, and "How's the garden?" was one of the first questions I asked when I picked her up at the airport yesterday. She was vague but positive, and I thought I appreciated everything she had done.

That was until this morning when I was opening my birthday gifts. After I was showered with an awesome t-shirt, sweatshirt, 2 pairs of shorts, a camp shirt, Bombas socks and t-shirts,  and a gift certificate for a facial, Heidi told me there was one more thing. She pulled out her phone and handed it to me. "Do you know what that is?" she asked.

It was the garden, but not the way I left it last Sunday. In the week that I was gone, Heidi enlisted the help of family (thank you Treat and Emily!) and friends (Lauren, Lauren, and Traci) to completely weed it out, put down landscape fabric, and mulch over everything. They put hours and hours in to get my garden into the condition where I really can do some projects I never seem to have time for, and actually enjoy it.

I literally wiped tears of gratitude and joy as I scrolled through the pictures, and it felt as if a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I honestly didn't realize how worried I was about the garden.

But Heidi did.

PDA

I thought I'd spare Heidi the anxiety of looking for my mom's car on the crowded curbside outside of baggage claim, so I parked in the massive garage and found my way along a meandering route down and around and back up to the 14 carrousels in the arrival hall.

The  roundabout path from parking to passenger underscored how rare it has become to actually enter an airport these days unless you are  traveling.  Long gone are the times when friends and family greeted flyers at the gate, waving cheerfully at the end of the jetway, but it is also increasingly uncommon for anyone to stand outside of the security exit to welcome their wandering kin.

But today as I stood at the baggage claim scanning the moving crowd right and left, looking for the one who I was there to meet, I did witness a couple of reunions. Two little girls bounced eagerly in a collapsible wagon waving a hand-lettered Welcome Home Daddy sign. "Ya'll stay seated!" the smiling man the waited for commanded them as their mom rolled them toward him. "Safety first!"

And across the carpet two bearded young men with huge backpacks held out their arms in glee and crab-walked toward each other before engaging in an elaborate hand-slapping ritual that dissolved into a big bro hug. Chattering in Italian, they thumped each other's backs all the way to the escalator.

It was right then that I finally caught sight of Heidi, and although our reunion was just as happy as either of the other two, it's safe to say that it probably went unnoticed.

Humbling

I thought it might be fun to watch the Women's World Cup quarterfinals as I completed a workout this afternoon. What would be more motivating than jogging along on the treadmill as 22 elite athletes dominated the soccer pitch?

Uhhhhh...

Perhaps "motivating" isn't quite the right word.

Clear Your Arteries!

It's big news around here when they release the list of new foods for the state fair. Long ago Minnesotans expanded the classic fair menu way beyond the standard hot dogs, ice cream cones, funnel cakes, and cheese curds, pioneering all manner of other fried things (twinkies, oreos, grilled cheese bites, etc) as well as anything on a stick-- for example, pizza, spam burgers, bacon wrapped tater tots.

New for 2019? Deep-fried Dilly Dog, Duck Drummies, Feta Bites, and Deep Fried Tacos, wait for it, on a Stick! And these are just 4 items on the list of 38.

But hey guys! The Fair is the traditional end of summer marquee event. It's not even the Fourth of July, yet! What's your hurry?