sundresses and iced tea

The fine weather has me reaching for sleeveless things and forcing me into the light.

Yesterday Rachel, Gussy and Lily collected me and we went in search of a neighbourhood park with swings. Thankfully we first went to Mt. Pleasant Park and established our picnic spot in clear view of the playground. I brewed some iced tea and hauled out my beloved tartan thermal jug (salvaged during one of my grandparents' estate sales) and some banana bread I whipped up the day before for the afternoon (Gussy ate half the banana bread and was none too pleased when he discovered I had the last end piece). I have been enjoying the remaining iced tea, partly because it's refreshing but also because it reminds me of the enormous jugs my mom made almost daily for us from June to September.

Lily is outstanding at grabbing food, but her intensity means she stares at you while she squeezes whatever food she has in her hands until it squishes out through her fingers (or turns it into diamonds). It's a little disarming in the cutest possible way, especially when she giggles as she's doing it. After an extended turn on the swings, we decided to search out the other parks in my neighbourhood. Unfortunately, Mt. Pleasant Park is the best of the lot, making all others pale in comparison. Sigh. We did happen upon one just a couple blocks away that had shade, swings and parking, and was virtually deserted. Maybe we'll try that one next time.

Being a fake auntie is pretty fun. I don't even mind having mushy peaches smeared on my legs as much as I used to. There's also something endearing about having a 3-year-old tell you he loves you out of the blue. Still doesn't make me want kids of my own; it just seems like more fun this way.

Today I had a walking date, but he stood me up. It's sort of funny... a few minutes after the meeting time the music in the waiting area played "He's a tramp" from Lady and the Tramp. I took that as a sign. Oh well, it was a good excuse to get out of the house anyway, and I wound up walking from Science World to Kingsgate in the blazing sun. There were some dresses on sale, so I picked a couple up and plotted ways to wear them without embarrassment (one is eerily similar to a smocked dress I wore as a child). I find it annoying that dresses are ill-fitted and baggy, but in cute prints. I also stopped off at the relocated Mt. Pleasant branch to drop off some books and had a chat with some of the peeps I got to be friendly with during last year's strike. I'm planning a visit to Dadeo this evening to take advantage of the Tuesday po'boy special, with a wander through the surrounding neighbourhood to see the remains of my friends' burnt down house.

Last night I hacked the bushes outside my patio area after being neglected AGAIN by the yard maintenance people. Today I heard them outside fixing my hack job. You'd think after the last hack and slash they would have kept on top of the shrubbery. This time, I'll hope for the best. I do get some level of enjoyment from using the clippers Jill bought me; it's satisfying to cut a path out for myself. I also enquired with a coffee person if he could promise coffee grounds would kill the weeds outside my door. He couldn't promise, but was pretty excited that I asked. I'm going to try it and see what happens. I just need to get enough grounds from somewhere... I only have tea.