2017 Life Logs, Days 148: Work and Play
Date: Sunday, May 28, 2017
Weather: Mostly Cloudy and Windy; High 72, Low 50 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA

It is the end of a long and exhausting day, but it was a good one. I got up early and headed to Heather’s. I thought I was going to be taking their van to Home Depot to get the missing lumber needed for the foundation of the shed they are building, but I ended up staying with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie while Jed went to get the lumber and Heather did a 4-mile run. When she got home, I left Sam home with Heather and Jed to help with the shed construction and gardening, and I took off with Ollie and Jonah to Miskovsky Landscaping and Jenny’s Edibles. They were hosting a free fun day for kids today which included planting a ‘three sisters garden’ in a pot and a touch-a-truck experience exploring the big landscaping equipment. A ‘three sisters garden’ includes corn, pole beans, and squash. The three are planted together to complement each other. The corn grows tall and the beans grow up the stalk. The squash covers the ground and keeps the weeds down. The woman leading this activity was great with the kids and both Jonah and Ollie were very proud of their little gardens. The corn and squash were seedlings and the beans were planted as seeds. They were told to wait until the beans are seedlings before transplanting the whole pot into the garden. We then explored the big equipment and both boys loved this activity. Ollie immediately fell into the role of a big equipment operator and decided this is what he would like to be when he grows up. While there, I bought a few more plants for Heather’s garden and some parsley seedlings for myself. We took the plants home and checked on Jed’s progress in getting the shed put together and Heather’s gardening and then headed to Walmart. The boys were going to help me look for a bicycle to buy, but the Schwinn I was interested in was not on display. They have it in a box for assembly, but I really want to try it out before purchasing. So the bicycle hunt continues. While at Walmart, Sam called to put in a request for Subway subs for lunch as there happens to be a Subway in the Walmart. The boys each purchased a Lego set with money they brought with them and we got the subs and headed home again. After lunch, Sam and Jonah went to play with neighbors and I took Ollie on a triathlon adventure. In the space of an hour he went from wanting to be a big equipment operator to wanting to be a triathlete. A triathlete competes for the fasting time in three arenas—biking, swimming, and running. Ollie put on a shortie dive skin that was way too small for him, but he was convinced he it made him look like a bike racer, and off we went. He biked a mile around the school track, flirted with the cold water at Falmouth Heights Beach and finally did one little polar bear dip in the cold water, and then he ran the distance of the waterfront park on the west side of Falmouth Harbor. Then we both did a marathon shopping trip at two different grocery stores to get everything Heather and Jed needed for dinner. Guests were arriving at 5 pm, and Ollie and I got home with the food at 4:58. Whew! To combat the cool weather, a summer meal was served. We had grilled hamburgers and sausages, corn on the cob, kale salad provided by one of the friends, and watermelon for dessert. Another couple brought pre-dinner snacks for the kids and Heather, Jed, and I threw things together quickly. It was a nice, relaxed evening with friends and great food. But despite the food, it didn’t feel like summer. The thermometer says it was 72 degrees F today, but it felt much, much cooler. It was most cloudy and windy and there was a definite chill to that wind. I don’t see things improving in the next week, so I guess we just have to realize that this is one of those northeast springs that doesn’t end until July. We’ve lived through them before, so I suppose we’ll survive this one.