I could go on.
But I'll spare you the melty details and just tell you about the good day we had in spite of the weather.
A junket to Ithaca this morning. The kids (all 5) and Lulu stayed cool and had a grand time at the Science Center while Nat and I spent a good deal of energy trying to keep our dog cool, bemoaning the fact that we never crate-trained our sweet girl. Particularly when I was keeping her company in the hot van while Nat ran in to various stores. Can you say sauna?
Oh, sorry. There I go with melty details again.
It wasn't all bad. We discovered an adorable park just up from Ithaca, tucked in next to a marina, where we could let Cor swim and cool off, and I had the privilege of sitting there with her for a good half hour while Nat picked up the troops from the Science center. I can't complain about sitting in the lake breezes reading with my best canine friend at my feet...But I just might complain about the timing of our van A/C's demise, and the heat of the drive home...
We made it home to the point by four. The temperature dropped three degrees as we pulled into Farley's (all the way down to 92), proving that everything is better here. I sat in the shade by the lake while girly napped, Nat swam the kids in the bathwater-like lake, then Ivy and I went for a nice swim just the two of us. She is such fun to swim with. She chases seaweed and hunts for anchors and wonders about the mama-fish and puts her face in and is just so darn cute when she frog-kicks....
Then-- off to the fair. The Union Springs Fireman's Carnival. It was a picture perfect evening. Probably only about 90 in the shade, with sunshine filtering in on the endless line of local fire trucks that made up most of the parade. Fire trucks, and candy. We'd come prepared with a pocket full of treats to scatter for our children if they had trouble gathering their own (anything to avoid a meltdown) but we didn't need it. Both kids held their own, and ended up with stuffed ziplocs full of candy. Just what they need. They were so. incredibly. happy.
We walked over to the fairgrounds with the rest of the amiable, small town crowd-- and stepped back in time to the perfect small town fair. Cheap snacks ($1.00 for fried dough? What? $2 for beer???) and just the right number of games and rides to be festive but not overwhelming... all set against a backdrop of NY state farm country sky. The kids rode the little roller coaster and the giant swings together (I can't believe my baby is tall enough for the giant swings!) before separating into age appropriate areas. Ivy is so happy with everything, pleased as punch to ride in circles on the little rides. Jack is stuck in an awkward place, feeling too big for the toddler merry-go-round but not yet ready for the likes of the Gravitron. Luckily the giant swings and the scrambler were thrill enough for this year. Just as we headed the kids on to their last rides, the wind picked up, the leaves turned over, and the most spectacular black clouds rolled in across that big, farm country sky. The tents were rattling, flags flapping in the wind, a great rushing noise mingling with the sounds of the rides and band. It was very thrilling really. We hurried the littles through a quick stop at the fishing game and used the impending storm as a great excuse to leave while we were still having fun.
It's rained now and the night air is cool. Children are nestled in with their inflatable prizes tucked next to them. I hope dreams of a perfect evening are running through their little heads. What will I remember about today? The light in their eyes, the enthusiasm of their waves to each and every fire truck driver, the giddy excitement on their faces as the giant swings went higher and higher, the piles of clouds in the sky, the cool of the wind off the lake, the simple joy of a carnival night.
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