214/365 Missouri Trick

That's what a school parent called this brief thaw. We call the pretty summer days in October "Indian Summer" although maybe we don't call it that anymore...but I don't think there's a term for the sudden warm up in the late winter that is inevitably followed by another cold snap, usually a bitter one, too, even if it's short-lived. We dropped off Delia after a play-date with Daisy the other night and her dad called it the Missouri Trick. So that's what I'm calling it now.

But what a trick it's turned for us. All the snow is gone. Kids have played outside every night this week, running and scootering and pulling babies in the wagons. It's like old times, really, all of us sitting on the stoops and chatting. Not that "old times" really means anything--we were doing this last summer, too, but it was so hot that it didn't last as long or start as early in the day.

I get home from a conference with Fiona's lovely teacher on Friday, about 4 o'clock, and Bree is sitting on her steps. She gets up and runs over to our car because she's so happy Fiona is home. But Fiona isn't home--she went to a friend's house. I tell Bree I'm sorry, that both girls will be home about 5:30. Disappointed, she plays with little kids until Iris gets home and joins her.

But 5:30 rolls around, the car pulls up and drops off my girls, and like magnets, Fiona and Bree gravitate toward one another and head off to play. Yay.

And Bonnie Dee and her family came down, too, so Daisy wasn't a tagalong. She joined Bonnie Dee in whatever drama they created out of the air. And Billy yelled at the new little boy who moved in across the street. See, all cars belong to Billy. As Jake put it, "Billy acknowledges personal property rights as long as he's the owner."

I'm going to be smacked hard by this trick. St. Pat's Day will probably be a high of 40 with sleet. Bah.