these are the people in my neighborhood

As is usually the case, it seems as though I haven't written anything in a while. June 7? What has happened since then? There have been several times I made a mental note to myself to be sure and blog an event/conversation...if only I could remember where I put that mental notepad. That being the case, I'll start with tonight.

I just returned from a nice brisk walk around our little town. Actually, I just penetrated the outer layers and went straight for the epicenter, I didn't actually walk around the town. It took me 17 min. to walk to one of our parks so I rested for 3 min. at a picnic table before heading home. I sat and looked around at the houses on all sides of the park and thought about how nice it would be to live in one of those homes so we could turn our children loose in the extended yard. In a big city that wouldn't be such a great idea...unless one was out to purposely loose a child. But here, where we are, it seems perfectly safe. It was a nice walk. I'm not much of a joiner when it comes to neighborhoods. I'm okay being in my space and I don't feel left out when a neighbor has a party. I won't ask you for a cup of sugar and you won't have the opportunity to wrangle be into pet-sitting while you're on vacation. And I'm okay with that. But walking around gave me a chance to observe humans being humanly. On my first pass through the neighborhoods I noticed many garage doors up but no people in sight. I decided they must all be smarter than me and had decided to stay in the ac or that they were all just getting home and preparing dinner. I progressed from the newer development where no one road takes you all the way through (it's a big snake instead) and where very little trees exist to provide a breeze or shade to an older development where the trees are grand and the yards look homey. I breezed by the high school's football practice field and caught a glimpse of teenagers sweating it out all for the glory of the game. 14 years ago I would have stopped to take in the sight but to do so now might classify me as a pervert. I'm so glad I'm not in high school anymore. I dodged the yards where lawn mowers were buzzing along for fear of getting hit by a flying stick or rock. I waved to a few people I've never met and even witnessed a game of baseball being played by three young boys and apparently an entire teams worth of ghost runners. It reminded me instantly of Camrhan and I as children. Our game of choice was kickball...first base was the mailbox, second was the big tree and third was the basketball goal. We played with ghost runners since we didn't live in a traditional neighborhood with children milling around. We never kept score so we never had a winner...mainly because we'd always get tired of playing and taxed by the mental sharpness necessary to remember where all the invisible runners were. But I remember the game and I suppose that's the most important part anyway.

Kids have a way of doing that... taking something quite ordinary (or nothing at all) and making it into a magnificent play-thing. It's great to see imaginations at work. Madeline recently shanghaied a moving box and made it a dog house. She was the dog. Thankfully I didn't have to take her for a walk or scoop up after her. When Luke was visiting they made the twin air mattress into a roller coaster ride by riding it down the stairs. Luke always made Madeline ride in front so she'd hit the wall at the bottom of the stairs first. The parent in me wanted to tell them to stop but it looked like way too much fun to squash. And luckily both kids (and the air mattress) escaped unharmed. Madeline was typing away on a kiddie laptop computer yesterday when she informed me she was checking people's credit so she could change the world. I think the freecreditreport.com commercials are finally getting to her. Kids are imaginative creatures. It makes me wonder if all the advertising executives, cartoonists, etc are just more in touch with their child-like selves than the rest of us. Or is it really just a left-brain right-brain thing? I'm not a scientist and I have no interest in doing a study (now that IS a left-brain right-brain thing for me.) My interest is purely just in pondering the question.

And on that note I'll end this blog. I have many pictures to post and even a new member of the family to introduce! But you'll have to wait because laundry is calling my name....