Monday evening's practice started under an ominous looking sky. I decided to stick around, reasoning that if I left, as soon as I got home, the storms would start and I'd have to turn right back around. Storms did start, but the team took refuge under an overhang near the tennis courts until it blew by. The boys reviewed their signs with the coach until the lightning had passed. It started to rain again after practice resumed. More lightning... Coach kept playing... more lightning... kept playing... finally, after everyone got a quick turn at bat, Coach ended practice early, just as a beautiful double rainbow appeared.
Unfortunately, the storms that led to that rainbow also led to this:
This house is around the corner from us, near the kids' bus stop. An older couple lives there. I haven't been able to find out if they're ok. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the tree inside the house through the upstairs window. Neighbors say that the tree fell (taking out two others on its way down) after all the storms had cleared out of the area. Jr. Jr. has developed a bit of a fear of thunderstorms after all we and our friends have been through in the past month, so I avoided this area at all costs until the tree had been cleaned up.We've been hitting the pool for a few hours every afternoon. The pool club is about 1/2 mile from our house, so we can walk or ride our bikes if we want. So many families in the area belong to the club that we're virtually guaranteed to run into a couple of friends whenever we go.
Yesterday we ran into Sr. Jr.'s friend J., who doesn't go to school with him, but was on his last baseball team. We don't see them much during the year, but see them often during the summer. Every year, the two pick up exactly where they left off, as if they'd only seen each other last week. J. will be going to the same middle school as Sr. Jr., which will be fun.
Today, in an effort to allow the older boys some more freedom and independence, J.'s mom and I allowed them to meet up by themselves at the pool. (We met up at the pool not long after to catch up ourselves, of course.)
Yesterday while the boys were playing at the pool, the loudspeaker squawked and the announcer came on and said, "Attention! It is now 3:30. It is time for all members of the Dive Team to meet out in the front parking lot to throw water balloons at each other and eat candy!"
Sometimes I feel like I'm living in 1956. Just with less knitting.
4 comments:
A couple of days last week, my kids went totally back and forth to the pool on their own (almost 15 and 11--it's the younger one that it's such a big deal for). I felt sort of sad that they don't need me to "take them" to the pool anymore. The one day I accompanied them, they totally did their own thing with their friends and only checked in for money for the snack bar. :-( So, lots of crocheting and reading got done, but not without wistful memories of being tied to the baby pool with not a minute to read or even look away.
Oh, I remember those days, and the days when I was torn in half, with one boy in the baby pool and the other in the bigger pool. I was so happy when they were both in the big pool!
You're one step ahead of me, Sharon, with TWO kids who can go back and forth on their own :)
I bring books and the ubiquitous New Yorker with me to the pool, but not knitting. I'm a bit worried about the effects of chlorinated water on yarn, plus I go into the pool, so I don't want to knit while wet.
I don't get much reading, done, either, because I enjoy just watching all the kids have fun.
Yesterday, Sr. Jr.'s crush girl was at the pool, so there was much showing off going on, to my amusement.
As for the "crush girl," wait until next year--well, maybe more so in 7th grade. They're "going out" with someone different every two weeks. They want to take their phone calls in private, spend hours instant messaging--oy! I grew up with sisters (my only brother is 13 years younger than me), so watching middle school through a boy's eyes (my son's) has been a tremendous growth experience for me. A good one, for sure, but definitely different!
Well, back to the stove to figure out what type of stew to make with quinoa (sp?) and chayote!
Ah, the lazy days of summer. Except for the lazy part as you all seem so busy!
Are your neighbors okay? that photo is amazing. Scary though. This happened when I was a kid, except it was caused by a hurricane instead of a thunderstorm. Either way, ick.
When you wrote about the dive team and the water balloons I immediately thought the same thing you wrote about the 50's. It is so nice for you that you have such a great community.
And here? It's still hot.
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