Joy like a fountain

Edith has become a regular water bug this summer. The seminary pool, weekly water-play days in the preschool wading pools, a day at the beach, church friends' in-ground pools complete with every imaginable water toy...they all fill her with delight. She's becoming competent enough to float away from Tom a few feet on her own given the proper floating device, and Tom wants to look into daddy-daughter swim classes this fall.

But her favorite watering hole--in fact, her favorite place in town this summer--is the university fountain. A uniform 18" deep on cool dark stone, it's the most democratic space in town: no posted rules, no restrictions, everyone welcome, just splash on in. Edith can't get enough.


She has been enjoying a good summer in other respects, too. Starting this month, her class was deemed old enough to go on field trips, and the teachers have been filling the summer session with them. They attended a kids' movie matinee of "Alvin and the Chipmunks," to be followed this week by a matinee of "Bee Movie." They thought they were pretty big stuff, riding in cars with their friends and getting to sit in a big theater and eat popcorn. Last week they walked to the mall for story time at Barnes & Noble...and apparently were so good on the long, hot walk and during story time that they all received tops from Ms. Bela's prize box when they got back to school. There's also a trip to the public library for a magic show coming up, as well as a bowling expedition, and a train ride to the state aquarium. Big excitement!

Combine all that with the fact that they've graduated from one summer "swim" day a week in the younger classes to two swim days a week as Older Toddlers, and Edith is living the high life. Swimming at school means splashing around in the inflatable wading pools on the playground, but it doesn't seem to be any less exciting because the water is shallow. In fact, I'm noticing that swim days are the ones in which Edith's report about her day tends to include a spirited account along the lines, "Harry/Torrey/Zekie/I...didn't listen/splashed our friends too much/were getting a little excited...and had to go in timeout."

Summer doesn't look quite as carefree to ABD grad students racing a final dissertation deadline. But it certainly helps in the homestretch when one is greeted at close of day as I was yesterday: Climbing into the waiting car, I met with a tub full of warm chocolate chip cookies and a cheer from the carseat: "Yay, Mom! You can do it! Keep writing! We love you!"

She's the best.


And so is that guy hovering in the background. Friends babysat for us so we could go out for our sixth anniversary last week. Dinner and ice cream wasn't quite sufficient decompression time to stop talking Edith, Grindy, moving, dissertation, and new job, but we appreciated it nevertheless. Tom very generously gave me a gift certificate for a pre-natal spa treatment at the luxurious place where a certain reader of this blog set me up with a pre-natal massage three years ago...I've never forgotten how wonderful it was. I just hope the therapist doesn't run screaming from my pregnancy-pimpled skin.

On the reverse side of the gift-giving I had it easy: Since 6th is the iron anniversary, I commanded Tom to pick out the nine-iron he's been needing. The best perk of his new job so far has been finding a golf partner. A few pastoral visits, a little compassionate outreach, and he has a standing golf date at the county course with an older member of the congregation. He's delighted.

As for the rest of the job, it seems to be going well and I think Tom is happy to be serving in a good place where he feels useful--the need for long-sleeved dress shirts in mid-July notwithstanding. I won't try to represent his experience otherwise but will let him tell you about it when he has a chance.

Happy summer.