Hubs and I walked together this morning. We walk (he runs) most mornings, but normally if he goes right I go left. Y'all there is a whole lot of togetherness in our days just now and sometimes I need to go left. Hi hubs! Love you! He gets me and my crazy need for a little space in my head.
The good kind of space not the spacey kind of space.
An.y.way...we walked. Together. Almost five miles. We'd walked about three when we landed on the road leading to the Duck Pond, and I said wanna go check it out, and he said sure, so we wandered around the long way. When I'm in charge of directions we often take the long way because that's just how I roll. After thirty one years of married life hubs is still sometimes amazed at my complete lack of 'where the heck are we' sense.
The Duck Pond.
I have not been back in this part of the neighborhood in decades, but it's a place associated with my childhood. The plant life around it looks all grown up and wild, and the water is full of algae and there aren't any ducks but there are plenty of geese and where there's geese you need to really mind where you step, but still...complete throwback.
I remember my sixth grade class walking here dressed in medieval garb. Our teacher was taking a film class and used us students to help with her final project. This was back in the day before YouTube or iMovie or cameras the size of a watch so we thought it was kinda cool. We were studying The Crusades and a hike to the Duck Pond was our version of a re-enactment.
The Duck Pond was a hangout and there were a few houses around, but not like there are now. As kids we rode our bikes there, skated across the surface when it froze (was that safe?), and got into a bit of mischief, some kids more than others which is how its been with kids since the actual crusades. I've been a rule follower all my life so not a lot of tales to tell on me.
Not interesting ones anyway-ha!
We have some plans for the weekend which include fireworks and a birthday party (for my mom, not America although Happy Birthday America!), and later today mani/pedis with my mom and sister-in-law because what is more American than apple pie and pedicures?
It has rained buckets this week and I finished a book I was reading, which was completely melancholy. This in-between season was probably not the best time for melancholy, but once I started I had to finish. A book has to be truly awful for me to put it down in the middle, and this one was not truly awful. Just truly awfully melancholy- The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. It won the Booker Prize a few years ago, so I should have known. Fantastic writing but you need a good long nap, a serious cry, and a box of chocolate to recover.
On a happier note...today my darling daughter1 and her sweet husband celebrate a whole half year of married life. They are just too adorable for words, and I can't help but smile when I think about their wedding day, and their charming home on the complete opposite far side of the earth from me, and the way they look at one another.
Love is grand!
I have to slow down and read properly. I was confused thinking I'm sure it can't be a year since your daughter got married. You only shared the lovely video recently. Then I re-read the post and realised you had slipped in "half" and it all made sense. Thanks for sharing your memories. We all need head space at times. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteHow fun that you have 6th grade memories of the duck pond! Happy 6 month anniversary to the newlyweds!! They are adorable! Happy 4th!
ReplyDeleteOh, I am so sure you are ready to be somewhat settled, in at least the part of the country you are going to be living in. Enjoy your pedicure and your 4th celebration.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on the book by Roy. I will avoid it since I am one of those who WILL put down a book that makes me too sad. :o)
ReplyDeleteLoved your duck pond with no duck, just geese. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Have a fun 4th of July celebration! I can't believe it has been a half year already since their wedding.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought it would be so much fun to be able to ice skate on a pond. The duck pond makes for a lovely photo, even if it does have algae. Hard to believe half a year has passed.
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