summer in the springtime

I think we pissed off the weather gods with all our complaining about the cold spring we’ve been having because it responded with a little mini heat wave over the weekend. It’s completely weird to be in sweaters one day and sunscreen and sundresses the next. I’d forgotten what it feels like to have that tight, itchy skin from being outside for most of the day, despite copious amounts of sunscreen slathered on. It was that hot. Mark was busy this weekend with the Flea and prepping for a catering gig for Monday, so aside from a family trip to Ikea and Fairway in Red Hook, the girls were with me. Hot days are best spent getting mint iced tea at the Farmers Market and lying on a blanket in the shade in Prospect Park, our first real picnic of the year. Both the girls were ecstatic to put on summer dresses for the first time this season. They kept admiring themselves in the mirror while Claudine repeatedly whispered with a heavy sigh, “wow. These are very fancy dresses”.

Hot weather here in on our end of the street also marks the return of impromptu stoop and sidewalk parties with our neighbors. Sprinklers are put out to cool down, sidewalks are colored with chalk mud, watergun fights and scooter races ensue, and beer, wine and pizza is shared by all. It can be a bit of a zoo with all the kids and water flying around and I have a feeling that our block is getting a reputation as the most annoying block to walk on during the summertime in our neighborhood, but this is urban living. Kind of like how I grew up playing kick the can and spud, except our parents were inside while all the kids from the block played on the street. Times have changed in that regard, but the spirit is the same.