This week and last we went back to our afternoon work/school schedule to accommodate another round of swimming lessons, this time in Iowa City's outdoor pool. This has been another rousing success (except for one blip for Daniel where he spent last Friday morning having a meltdown about not wanting to go. I finally told him I needed to talk to his teacher about why he would be so unwilling when he always loved the water before. We arrived at the pool with him still saying he was NOT going in the water. I walked to his class meeting spot and sat with him while they discussed pool safety. They they announced they were getting life jackets so they could practice jumping in the deep end. That was all he needed to get back in the swing.)
Although I thought the boys would enjoy the novelty of outdoor swim lessons and the MUCH bigger pool, I failed to take into consideration that the observation of said lessons would also be outdoors. Some days it's taken all my self control not to leap fully clothed into the pool myself. It truly has been a miserable late July. I usually feel we can turn the air conditioning off if daytime highs are below 90 and nighttime lows are below 70. This has not happened in at least three weeks.
Unfortunately, this unremitting heat coincided with the Johnson County Fair, which is usually some good, free fun for the kids. Climbing on tractors, petting bunnies, seeing sheep shorn, watching for cow pies underfoot while secretly hoping a cow will produce one before your very eyes, yes, this is the stuff of little boys' dreams.
Daniel, our diehard chocoholic, accepted a free sample of homemade (hand cranked) vanilla ice cream and declared, "This is the BEST ice cream I've ever tasted!" The only disappointment was the absence of one of their favorite firefighters--someone we've seen at these events for the last four years and who remembers them like old friends. They decided the firefighters must have been on a call--nothing less would cause them to miss the fair, right?
Daniel, our diehard chocoholic, accepted a free sample of homemade (hand cranked) vanilla ice cream and declared, "This is the BEST ice cream I've ever tasted!" The only disappointment was the absence of one of their favorite firefighters--someone we've seen at these events for the last four years and who remembers them like old friends. They decided the firefighters must have been on a call--nothing less would cause them to miss the fair, right?I said this is a free event, which is mostly true. Now that they're old enough for the rides, we do have to buy tickets for those. At least none of this year's rides seemed held together with rust and duct tape, and although several of the operators were smoking while holding the gates open and helping the kids with their seat belts, at least most of them had a full mouth of teeth. (I know that's snarky, but seriously, last year's crew might has well have come from the cast of Deliverance.) There was no scary "roller coaster" for Daniel to have to feign bravery to ride. They jumped in a bounce house, rode a "train" and climbed through a pirate ship. Ed also took a ride down a very tall slide, which Daniel claimed he wanted to ride, but then changed his mind while standing next to it appreciating its full height.
Diversion turned out to be simple: "Daniel, if you think we can be done with rides after Edward's slide, then I'll buy you a sno-cone." SOLD!
They shared pretty well, but I have to tell you, if you have never witnessed the spillage the last third of a five-year-old's first cherry sno-cone, then you have never truly seen despair. While passing it back and forth, one of them squeezed a bit too hard and the slushy remains slopped out onto the ground. Edward stared for a moment, clearly calculating whether salvage would be possible, and then burst into inconsolable tears when the reality of the frozen slush mixed with dirt sunk in.
They shared pretty well, but I have to tell you, if you have never witnessed the spillage the last third of a five-year-old's first cherry sno-cone, then you have never truly seen despair. While passing it back and forth, one of them squeezed a bit too hard and the slushy remains slopped out onto the ground. Edward stared for a moment, clearly calculating whether salvage would be possible, and then burst into inconsolable tears when the reality of the frozen slush mixed with dirt sunk in.It was very sad. And I told him so. There was no way around it (and I certainly wasn't about to buy another!) We just had to agree it was a sad thing and that it was just time to take our hot, tired, hungry selves home. Home where Dad was waiting to make us dinner. Oh, did I not mention that I undertook this trip solo? Yeah, wife of the year, right here.
For a number of reasons I didn't get very good photos, but I enjoy this sno-cone series and hope you will too. I had already put the camera away by the time of the cone's demise, and I won't deny that it crossed my mind to dig it back out of the bag, but in the end, comforting my child in his time of grief ruled the day.
For a number of reasons I didn't get very good photos, but I enjoy this sno-cone series and hope you will too. I had already put the camera away by the time of the cone's demise, and I won't deny that it crossed my mind to dig it back out of the bag, but in the end, comforting my child in his time of grief ruled the day.
