Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Past, present, and future perfect...

Flashbacks: Steve remembers that during his early childhood, he and his dad used to go to semi-professional baseball games on Cape Cod during the summer. Together they ate sunflower seeds, kept the box score, and hoped to catch fly balls during batting practice - or with luck, during a game. During my younger days, I made necklaces from colored pasta or bead kits picked up on the cheap at Woolworth's. Early in our life together, Steve and I went to a couple of Boston Red Sox games at Fenway. I tried to conjure up some excitement about the proceedings, but I couldn't stop thinking or talking about the people who'd have to sweep up all the peanut husks and sunflower shells. I don't think I'll get invited to many more games. Soon after moving to Connecticut as a new bride, I began to frequent a funky, little bead shop in Norwalk, Connecticut; I still have some of the beads I bought 15 years ago.

Fast forward: Right now (9:16 PM), Steve and Daniel are attending their fifth baseball game in three days down in Florida; it's their second annual father-son spring training baseball jaunt. I imagine them chewing and spitting out the shells from their sunflower seeds, punching the web of their baseball gloves between innings, and chanting silly rhymes along with the other thousands of Yankee fans under the lights. And I'm pretty confident that neither of them is worried about the mess they are leaving behind.

As I write this blog, I am sitting at the computer, taking a break from a mother-daughter beading/jewelry making extravaganza. Kristiana and I are in the throes of creating necklaces, bracelets, and earrings from the glass, crystal, wooden, plastic storehouse of beads we have collected over the years. Our most recent stockpile was picked up at our new favorite shop over in Asheville, North Carolina yesterday morning.

Not to be outdone by the male members of our household, we made the trek to the same Inn that brought me rest and rejuvenation at the end of January: the Inn at the Biltmore. We feasted on two divine vegetarian meals at The Laughing Seed, drank chamomile tea and ate creme brulee in front of the fireplace at the Inn, then dove into a dreamy and luxuriously large bed: sweet dreams were had by all. She woke up early yesterday morning to soak in the whirlpool tub while I slept in. After packing our things and heading back into town, we roamed through our own version of the crystal palace, picked out a tube here, a box there, a stone here, a pearl there, and now we are making the most of our most recent discoveries.

Last night, Kristiana and I went to the library like the good geeks that we are, roamed around unhindered by the complaints of the young baseball fanatic who attends our little homeschool, then we went in search of a spring jacket for Kristiana in several stores. No luck, but we sure had fun trying. This evening, we ate Thai chicken pizza for dinner and chocolate peanut butter cookies for dessert. Why that particular meal? Two reasons: First, we can't eat peanut butter cookies or thai anything when Daniel is around; he's allergic to peanuts. Second, having dinner without a salad or vegetable is a rarity indeed. We were being quite extravagant and indulgent!

Okay, so now that I wrote that last part, it doesn't seem like such a big deal, but for us it is. We are big fruit, veggie, and salad eaters, so deliberately choosing not to eat them ... okay, I'll stop right there. I'm just digging myself into a deeper, more hopelessly geeky hole, aren't I? In any case, we have thoroughly enjoyed these three days, evenings, and nights together as a daring duo.

Looking ahead: Tomorrow morning, Kristiana and I are off to the hairdressers to have special hairdos done. Then we will go hear our favorite woman pastor give her weekly devotional, have lunch, and then ... well, quite frankly, I don't know how the two of us succulent, wild women will end our four-day lovefest. Sometime in the evening, the two main men in our lives will return to find us coiffed and gorgeous. (We should give Maya a bath and get her all fluffy and fabulous, shouldn't we?) After the requisite "oohs" and "aahs," we will all have stories to tell, hugs to share, and normal lives to resume.

Why bother to look ahead or plan the future when what we have right now is so enjoyable? So perfect?

La vita e' bella.
Life is beautiful.
Ciao.

1 comment:

Otter said...

Gail,

I loved your post.

Especially well said, "Why bother to look ahead or plan the future when what we have right now is so enjoyable? So perfect?"
That is so TRUE!

I too worry about they guys who have to sweep-up after me. Funny thing too because at the Little League park no one does and it got me to thinking....
and
since Daniel has a peanut allergy maybe you could answer this one for me...At baseball games are the peanut shells on the ground a danger to his health? I was worrying about this the other day when I was watching my son's baseball game.

Lisa