A Park and Play Kind of Day

The weather has finally set its sights on spring!  I can't tell you how happy this makes me.  I can't tell you how tired I am of being cold inside my own house.  I can't tell you how often I have thought that my heated toilet seat was the best seat in the house.  I can't tell you how much I dislike the cold in general.  But my homebody days are ending as the weather turns warmer.  Trees are starting to show their earliest spring blooms presenting all their shades of pink, yellow and white.  My God, I am happy.

In honor of the first very warm spring day, I threw a light jacket on Kimono Peanut, strapped him into the stroller and began the long walk to the park.  Not once on the walk did my nose get cold or did my fingers freeze.  Not once did KP sniffle in the cold breeze.  My God, I am happy.

We caroused the antique train that sits off to one side of the park.  We mounted each of the animals figures turned rides that spotted the landscape.  We clambered all over the antique fire truck.  We ran our fingers through the sand and mud beneath our feet and found ourselves camouflaged from the dirt and grit left behind in our clothes and skin.  It was just grand.  My God, we are happy.

The park was virtually empty save for an occasional runner passing through or a baseball player cutting across the playground to the field beyond.  Only after we had been there near an hour and thoroughly shrouded from our fun did we have our first real company.  There is a school nearby and for the first bright, sunny, warm day, they had brought all the kids out in their neon colored hats to soak up the sun.  When they saw us there, the teacher instantly called out to KP with friendly waves and smiles.  We watched the most orderly lines of kids, EVER, enter the park behind this woman and then line up quietly in front of her.  As they stood patiently and silently, she explained the rules of the day.  I caught some of it - things like playtime will be for one half hour, play nice with one another and play nice with the cute baby.  How sweet that she told these quiet little angels in front of her not to be impolite with my rough and tumble, thoroughly dirtied Peanut.  When she was done her speech, a loud 'go' caused shrieks and squeals and a fanning out of the kids in vividly bright hats, the likes of which you have probably never.  Then I knew why she said play nice.  They were wild!  But... in such a good and sweet way. 

The more bold of the group, apparently one of the older boys, came running directly to KP, helping him up when he fell down or wandered too far away.  They surrounded us and quipped away in their Japanese, of which I sadly didn't understand much of.  As we continued prattling around the park, all the kids took their turns waving and yelling out the only English word they were confident in using.  "Hello!  Hello"  KP gave them what they wanted with his enthusiastic waves and giggles, delighting each one in turn.

When it was time to start our walk home for lunch, the park exploded with goodbyes and waves.  It seems the spring spirit has caught us all.  My God, we are all so very happy.