Summer?

Here we are almost midway through September and I am thankful for NOT deflating our pool! Temps nudged 80 yesterday and today, and that forgotten feel of sweat beading on my forehead surfaced as I hung at the park with my boys. Don't get me wrong, I do not want to brush off the summer weather too easily, but my poor body feels like hot flashes by day and ice cubes at night, confused to say the least! I know by now we should all be used to the "wait 10 minutes and the weather will change rule" of Wisconsin, but this is more like our seasons have all shifted by a month or two. So in the spirit of enjoying every minute outside, even though a couple of good rain-soaked days would make my house look cleaner, I spent the morning at one of West Bend's many wonderful parks for an organized playgroup. Every Friday us mom's of not-in-school-yet aged kids head to a pre-determined area park for some socializing and fresh air. Snacks to share are the only requirement, and believe me the kids know to save their appetite on Friday am's. And us mom's can catch up on everything from orders in the latest Avon Catalog to what capers which kids pulled during the week.

So today's picture is of my younger two at playgroup today, but instead of romping on the maze of slides and equipment with all the other kids, the nearby stream caught their interest. They are gazing at the trickle of a stream that in wetter months would create a much faster mode for carrying their "bugboat" leaves downstream. Today they resorted to betting on whose "bugboat" would even come into sight, floating cleverly enough from the launch site upstream that it avoided the branches and other debris that had overgrown with the low water. They would find a leaf, run up stream and gingerly place it in the water, then scramble back to the bridge, hoping their leaf would be the one to catch a break and go zipping through the water. Giggles and squeals filled the air as they watched to see who's leaf made it and who's settled into a new home stuck somewhere along the way.

So if you are ever in West Bend be sure to stop at Silverbrook Park and take a breath, listen to the breeze, watch the kids play and maybe float a little bugboat of your own. It may just make it all the way, or at least bring a little giggle to your day!
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