Today was a nice leisurely day. All hell is about to break loose later this week when school starts, so I've been trying, finally, to appreciate the summer. Better late than never.
H and I went to exchange her brand new cell phone for a different model -- turns out she didn’t like it so much after all -- but she had written on the box and therefore the phone couldn't be returned. I understood her teary disappointment, yet I could also legitimately say, “Appreciate what you have; you thought it was pretty great on Wednesday.” This was not a situation worthy of more than a moment’s regret. It reminded me of an ad for Levi’s that I saw in a city bus stop earlier this summer. It was a photograph of the back of a young woman, running away from the camera, dressed only in jeans. "All I need is all I got” was the caption. Call me a prude, but she could probably use a shirt as well.
It was a beautiful afternoon and we hung out around the pool for a while. I finished reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane to H (never mind that I gave it to her three years ago for her tenth birthday). It’s the sweet, sweet story of a china rabbit who learns what love is, who learns never to stop hoping. We both got a little choked up at the end. I really love children’s books, and although H is getting older she still enjoys being read to. I have to make more time for it.
For the first time we allowed J and L to jump off the big rock at the deep end of the pool. It’s about four feet back from the edge, and I’ve always worried that someone won’t jump out far enough and will land on his head. But now that L is 6 feet tall and J is 6’3, this is no longer a legitimate concern. They each landed about ten feet out into the pool! I wonder if it was as much fun as they’ve been imagining it would be these past five years…
I opened a small package from Amazon that arrived in yesterday’s mail. I didn’t remember having ordered anything recently. Turned out to be a gift from a friend, a DVD of “The French Chef”, Julia Child’s first cooking show. In one of my earlier blogs I wrote about watching that show with my mom when I was a little girl. I can’t wait to dip into this DVD! What an incredibly thoughtful gift.
This evening we went to a party for a couple who have just come back to town after an absence of eight months. They’re really fun and interesting people and I look forward to getting to know them better. Making a new friend (a real friend, not a Facebook friend), is one of life’s great pleasures.
And speaking of friends, tomorrow is my friend K’s birthday. We haven’t seen one another very much this summer. One of the good things about school starting is that we’ll have our days back to ourselves. Spending time with an old friend is an even greater pleasure. Happy Birthday, K.
At the party I got chatting with a friend who has had to dramatically change his eating habits for health reasons. Among the many foods that he’s had to give up are Little Debbie Swiss Rolls. I’m not all that familiar with Little Debbie products as they weren’t sold around here growing up. Imagine my consternation when I learned that Little Debbie coats her Swiss Rolls with chocolate! Excuse me, but with all due respect, that’s a Yodel. Drake’s Swiss Rolls are uncoated and are about twice the size of a Yodel. Anyway, I didn’t argue this point with him because he’s been through enough already. I admire his determination and his willpower and his philosophical approach to his situation. He’s a much better sport than I.
And finally, speaking of growing up, today I found the most perfect Facebook group to join: You Know You’re From Mount Kisco When… My very favorite game! I’m sorry, though, I’m not trying to be rude, but most of the posts are from neophytes. Please! They remember Sam Goody! They must be all of 18. I was born here. I’ve lived here most of my fifty years. I scrolled through all 311 posts to make sure that someone hadn’t already entered my answer. It had nothing to do with Starbucks or Borders or Pizza Pizzazz. You know you’re from Mount Kisco when you remember the Frosty the Snowman that used to be outside the Manhattan Savings Bank at Christmas time. He’d talk to you as you walked past. It didn’t get any better than that.
What a great day.
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