It's Over, It Really Is

Can I just say...baseball is over for Monkeyboy. No, really it is. It was supposed to be over last night. But, alas, it wasn't.
First of all, it has been hotter than hell any summer that I remember. I mean, come on. It's been 90 degrees for a zillion days. And the humidity has been as high as it can be without raining. Let me just say...J's hair can't take it. It's long, naturally curly and very thick. Enough said.
And S. smiles, and says she feels sorry for us in the butterfly room...which, did I mention...was 94 degrees with humidity of 3,000 degrees.
The butterflies don't even like it. I won't go into that, though.
OK, so it was hot. Stinking hot. And last night was the final game. thank goodness, I am SICK of it We all assembled our chairs, watched with anticipation as the sky grew darker. Of all nights, they were calling for horrible storms. Not to worry, they weren't to happen until after 10:00. liars, all weathermen are liars
First inning. Not good. They got lots of walks and a run. We got nothing. Sky getting darker.
Trip to the concession stand for Bean and I. Female appearing to be on drugs takes our order. She keeps repeating it as she adds it up in her head. I, who have not had dinner, have a large order...mistake!!!!
Bean and I make our way back to the row of chairs. Uh, oh, switching pitchers. Monkeyboy is called to the mound. Texting (hard to do with two dogs, coke, nachos, slushy) to let Bird know. No response from him.
Hot dogs were cold (long walk). Ketchup everywhere. Monkeyboy doing his thing...very well, if I do say so. Bird pulls up on Harley. Sky darkens even more. Ready to start third inning....what is that? Lightening? OH NO. Score...4-0 other team.
No one wants the second dog...I don't blame them. I know, children in the world are starving. Into the garbage.
Apparently, one lightening strike delays game for 20 minutes. Whoops, here comes the second strike. Are those bats flying around? I do believe they are.
Rain starts. Not just rain, but wind. Bird checks the weather on his trusty cell phone. Looks like we are on the edge. No......wait, THEY ARE CALLING THE GAME.
OMG, what is a tornado size wind little wind and a monsoon a little rain? Come on, toughen up. People racing to cars...Bird to motorcycle. Hmmm.
People pray for him, wish him luck, tell Mippy to check insurance and we are on our way. We follow Bird while he fishtails his way home. He makes it...whew.
Fast forward. Game tonight...well, now it is last night. Game to be at 7:00. We arrive at 6:30. Kids warm up. No umpire. It's windy. Cold front has passed through. 7:30. No umpire. Mippy wants hot chocalate. I want a blanket. Kids, now running about, rolling on the field. Parents getting grumpy. 7:45, no umpire. Coach trying to contain kids. Not working.
8:00. No umpire. They decide to let someone ump.......but wait, sun is blinding batter. Have to wait till it drops behind trees. I use the covers for the chair over my arms to keep warm. Some selfish lady has a corduroy jacket AND a blanket.......DO YOU THINK SHE COULD SHARE........NOOOOOO.
Some kind man offers me a blanket from a senior citizens home. I grab it, thanking him profusely. FINALLY, the game begins. Monkeyboy on the mound. Holds the other team. Our boys are pumped. We are shivering.
We win...bottom line....we win. By a lot. Our guys did great.
I just want to go home. Take pictures, get trophies, get in the car. Monkeyboy and dad are in a different car and are stopping at MickeyD's.
MR, Bean, Mippy and I decide to get donuts. Krispy Kreme's sound good. We race towards the highway. OMG, they are closed! It is only 9:30 and they are closed!!!! Not to worry...let's try Dunkin Donuts. WHAT THE HECK??? They are closed. OK, we will stop at Giant Eagle. Wait, they have no donuts????? MR suggests cupcakes. No, I want donuts. Onto the next Giant Eagle. Surely they will have them. They do. Whoooohooo. We grab them all and head for the car. I grab one........AND IT IS STALE!!!! I throw it out the window and Mippy tells me I am a poor example for small children. MR is 15, Bean is 14. Bean said that Bird threw a hamburger out the window once. Mippy is still appalled. Who cares? Not I.
Did I mention that Monkeyboy's team came in first. What a night. I have to go to bed now. Phipps should be cooler tomorrow, J's hair should be good. It's a good night.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Getting up and going to the track for forty minutes listening to my ipod.

Watching Monkeyboy being called in as relief pitcher and getting the team out of trouble.

Balancing my drawer at Phipps.

Sharing a meal with friends.

Or just eating!

Watching Bean in Footloose and Dance Emphasis...beauty and fun.

Sitting at a baseball game with nachos.

Watching my cat race through the house, playing with a paper bag or just sleeping at the foot of the bed.

Getting ready for the road trip.

A bottle glass of wine at the end of the day.

Reading my book in the garden on a summer afternoon.

Watching a good movie (Invictus, Chase, Juno, The Blind Side, The Wrestler).

Sunday dinner.

Seeing the older couple at Phipps that speak softly to each other in polish and are so devoted to each other, she taking care of him after he suffered a stroke. They come nearly every day and sit in the gardens and talk.

What are some things that make you feel happy?

A Nearly Perfect Day

OK, so I have been TRYING to get to the track everyday, but it is so very hard. But, I have been doing it. I love going when it is early, when the sprinklers are on. The sound of the water swooshing, (is that a word?) the droplets of water in the early morning sun, the quiet, the blue sky. It is a nice beginning to the day. The picture of Bean in the sprinklers is an older picture, but it is appropriate. I think it shows spirit, freedom, fun.
It was actually chilly this morning. 49 degrees. Made me run just a little faster. I'm not counting times around the track, I am running with my i-pod. I make up new playlists and run as long as the playlist, usually about 40 minutes. And let's be clear...I say run, but I mean jog....very slowly, in time to the music. And it is wonderful. I hope I can keep it up.
I meet the nicest people at Phipps. If you are ever in Pittsburgh, you should visit. Green, butterflies, flowers. Fridays are tequila nights with music. Wednesdays are Farmer's Market. I meet and greet people from all over the world. Last week was a German couple, and Sandy talked to them in German. It's fun to try to communicate with people who speak a different language. And it's fun to tell them about Pittsburgh and all the things we have for them to visit.
So, work was great today. Butterflies flying, people visiting and music.
After work I decided to attend the first all star baseball game with Monkeyboy. Have I mentioned that I love to watch little league baseball? By the way, that surprises me. But it is such fun.
Let's start with the introducing of the teams and the announcer mispronouncing the names of the players. I mean, come on.....get a life here. Then a man takes the field in a horrendous tie and microphone. And he gives a speech about freedom, the 4th of July, the flag and then states he is going to have us join him in a passionate version of The Star Spangled Banner. He begins. No one joins him. In fact, people begin to look around to see how others are responding. Wrong move. Mippy begins to stifle a smile. Bean nudges me in the ribs and I peek out of the corner of my eye to see her suppressing a smile. Oh, my gosh, is CS beginning to laugh? Is that singer beginning to dip and dance? Mippy is now struggling to not laugh out loud. Bean is convulsing with giggles. CS notices and her shoulders begin to shake. Of course, I remain the stoic one in the group. FINALLY it ends and...are you ready.....he comes over and says he is available to sing if we have an event. Mippy pulls it together, as does everyone. However, I must say, she is laughing so hard when he leaves that she is crying. And she doesn't stop. I think she had some "happy juice" on the way to the game, but Bean swears she hasn't.
The team (I shall refer to them as the DeH team) scored in the first inning. Monkeyboy was on the bench a stupid move by his coach when he is clearly a star player and his coach is a truly great coach, one that Monkeyboy has had in the past. Coach knows the game and is supportive and a great teacher. Their team scored, but clearly we had the best team. As the game progressed, Bean and I visited the concession stand. The hot sausage was great! So were the nachos, and you could get extra cheese for $.50. Of course, always wanting to support the team, I ordered more cheese.
Remember the last game where Monkeyboy's team scored ten runs in the last inning? Well, the score was 10-4 DeH in the beginning of the sixth inning. Let me just cut to the chase. Monkeyboy was on the bench. They scored three runs. Two men on base. Two outs. They pull the pitcher and Monkeyboy goes in as relief. Bird and I start pacing. Silence on our side of the field. Tying run at bat. Bird shouts some tips to Monkeyboy as he warms up and Monkeyboy does as Bird tells him to do. First pitch actually I had my eyes closed so I don't know what happened and I'll make this up, but the end result is true and I hear a roar from our side. Strike one. Second pitch. Strike two. AND HE DOES IT. Monkeyboy strikes him out in three pitches. Can you believe it? The crowd roars. What a save!!!!
Is there any doubt? Nearly a perfect day. I would say perfect, but there is always room for improvement, although I'm not sure what that would be.
Happy Fourth of July and have a safe and happy weekend.

Such a Game

The crowd was arriving for the game under the lights. Parking was at a premium. Mippy waited mumbling, grumbling, sweating smilingly for a parking place. Monkeyboy screaming suggesting that she hurry up so he could practice. Bean rolling her eyes asking Mippy to drive around. Me, humming at an increasing loud volume. sweating in my Phipps sweatshirt...(it was supposed to cool off). We waited for that stupid idiot mother to load her children into the car and back out of the space so we could pull in. I am sure it took her twenty minutes while we were sitting there waiting. Finally....wait.....there is a spot on the other side......should we try for it????(from Mippy) A resounding NO the rest of the car.
Monkeyboy bolted from the car, racing to the field.
Erin making a remark about my sweatshirt, wanting to know if they were forecasting snow and she had missed it (little did she know that it would get down to 75 degrees by the end of the game).
Chairs set up, snacks procured (had to force Bean to go to the concession stand with me).
Let the game begin.
Uh, oh....this doesn't look too good.
Look, here come Ginger and Skipper. They had no trouble parking.
Here comes Bird, on his Harley. He too has no problem parking. The crowd swells to near capacity (30 parents and fans and 10 people who left the swim meet and wanted a laugh.
The crowd quiets. The opposing team scores, scores, scores. We do not.
Monkeyboy pitching. A walk. Uh oh. Good pitches ensue. The inning is over.
The opposing team continues to score. We continue to not score.
Bird needs to get back to work. He waits till Monkeyboy gets up, then has to leave.
It is the sixth inning, the last inning of the game.
Monkeyboy's team gets on base.
The score....13-4....other team.
I turn to Ginger. Maybe, I say. Skipper is ready to leave. We encourage force by holding him down to remain.
Another player gets on base. A loud cheer goes up.
A steal to third and a runner gets in. Only 8 runs to tie are needed.
The crowd is on their feet. I'm pretty sure that Erin is shivering from the cold, but I say nothing. More hits, more runs. Monkeyboy is on third. One out. Score is 13-11. The ball is hit. Runner runs to first, Monkeyboy to home, first base to second, but gets tagged out because the ball hit him. Two outs. The coach argues. Monkeyboy back to third. Another hit, and another walk, more scores. Ginger and I go wild. Screaming, jumping, cheering. Score at the bottom of the sixth.....14-13......Monkeyboy's team.
Their team scored another run. Big deal. What a comeback for Monkeyboy's team. It ended in a tie. My throat was sore, but what a game.
As we left, I think I heard Erin say she was cold, but I could be mistaken.
A baseball game under the lights, a hot dog and soda.....could anything be better? I think not.
A post script: Bean did have her hair cut and donated to Locks of Love. Pictures are posted. Thanks, Bean...your new hair looks great!

Vacation Time

We made a trip to New York City this past weekend. It was a great trip. We women had one room, and the guys had a "man cave". Pleasant drive to the big apple. No problems. We rented a van and packed it up and on our way.
Sunny day, not much traffic, even going into the city. We have a thing here called ez pass. What a great invention. Whip right through those toll gates. We got it mainly for the Holland Tunnel, and it really got us through all the toll lines in great time. We arrived in the city through the tunnel. Mippy drove the final leg. We came out of the tunnel and the garmin said to go one way, but Mippy thought we might be going the right way. By the way, the garmin often gets confused around tall buildings. After a screaming, yelling, swearing fit minor meltdown, we were headed for the hotel. Had to go around thousands of blocks in the darn traffic the block several times because of the one way streets, but we made it to the parking garage which charges thousands of dollars because they can and began to unload the van.
We went into our separate rooms and unpacked before heading out to ToysRUs to ride the ferris wheel, which, of course is a tradition. Thank goodness, I didn't have to ride it.
The kids swam, we shopped, we ate, we went to Central Park to ride the buggy and to hang out. We saw Wicked and I saw Race. Wonderful productions. I went to see Race first with James Spader from Boston Legal. What a provocative wonderful production! And after the play, the four person cast came out to greet those who waited by the stage door. It wasn't as though I waited (OK, I did), but there was about twenty people there to greet them and the cast was very kind to meet with us and thank us for coming.
We headed to Central Park Saturday morning. I mentioned that surely, if I was to find red cowboy boots anywhere, it would be here. No longer did I say it then they appeared in a window of a shoe store that we were going past. I went in, tried them on and they fit! Needless to say, I bought them AND wore them to the theater that night. Aren't they great????
Did you ever have a time when you began to laugh and giggle about something very silly and then it got to the point where you couldn't stop? Then everything becomes hysterical. We left the theater after seeing Wicked. A wonderful production, by the way. Did I mention that? Bean does this wonderful impression of a horse. She paws the ground then gallops. It is hysterical. You would have to see it to appreciate it. If I can figure out how to do a movie and download it, I will. That started the giggling in the corridor of the hotel. We got into our room and began to find everything amusing. We were laughing so hard that we couldn't stop. At least we were in the hotel room and not in someplace where we were supposed to be serious.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip.
I have my boots, we all have memories and we all arrived home safe and sound.