Today was one of those beautiful Northwest days. The kind that catches those tourists who happen to come at the right time, and reels them in. It was sunny, warm but not hot (it IS still Sping). I took a walk this late morning, down to the Farmer's Market. The air was still chilly enough to warrant a sweater, but the day was bright. The sky a stark turquoise, the water deep blue. As I walked down the hill I watched white boat sails slice through the ocean, the sun twinkling so much off the waters, I almost feared it would give me a migraine. I came home empty handed. I hadn't really figured I'd be buying anything today. It was the walk I was after. Down the hill, around the market, and back up the hill. A Little League baseball game or three was going on at the park, so it was neat to listen to the crack of the bat hitting the ball, and the cheers of the audience as the players ran the bases, or made the catch or throw.
The kids were up when I got home, so we made banana -chocolate -chip pancakes and bacon for a late breakfast. Then we tackled cleaning the garage and mowing the lawn. That got done much sooner than I had expected, but it was entirely too nice outside to go inside. Instead, my son brought a chair, table, and my laptop outside to work on his homework. My daughter and I just lounged around on the grass, soaking in the sun. We don't see much of that sun thing around here. It is a must to take advantage of it when it shows up.
After awhile, the day was just too nice to sit around, and the kids got up and started playing with sticks and branches, sword-fighting each other. Then the frisbee came out, and the three of us dashed around, throwing and catching it. I. Suck. At. Frisbee. I cannot throw it properly to save my life. It made for quite a few belly laughs. My daughter was throwing it to tear people's fingers off if they tried to catch it, so instead my son and I would tend to dodge her throws. My son, as tall as he is, kept throwing it over the fence, and then would have to run and get it.
One of my favorite things to do during these sunny days is to just close my eyes and listen to the sounds. Especially the birdsong. I love listening to them tweet and chirp and sing to one another, answering each other. It is so beautiful and freeing. I love the other sounds, too: someone running a lawnmower, the aforementined crack of the baseball bat and cheers of the crowd, young children running and laughing as they play somewhere, the sizzle of a grill and the clink of ice in the glass, bees buzzing from flower to flower... It all takes me back to when I was young. To the days when I was a child, running through the park with my friends, giving birds the cats had gotten burials, playing superheroes, lying on a fallen tree trunk in a field with the sway of the tall dry grasses around me, or sunning on a large boulder at Rocky Mountain next to the snakes. Back in the days when I had nothing to care about or worry about, other than making it home in time for dinner. Back when things were uncomplicated.
I really hope that my children are developing memories like that. It is my goal this year to not be indoors on nice days. I want to make it a point to take absolute full advantage of nice weather when we get it. Even it that just means standing outside badly throwing frisbees at each other. The computers and Ipods and Kindles and video games will still be inside when the sun goes down.
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