Friday, July 2, 2010

One Day of Summer

A few surefire signs of summer...

Skinned knees. And ankles, the tops of the feet. The mere fact that it's too hot to wear anything but seven bandaids and a headband.
Flip flop tan-line, though it may well be dirt. No matter.

Suddenly noticing out of the corner of your eye that the chrysalids in the Bug House have finally opened, and then letting the new baby butterflies taste the coconut ice cream still sticky on your fingers.
Never mind the manhands, it was truly a spiritual moment.
Realizing that the butterflies were born the day before you go on a road trip, and oh god--what if they hadn't hatched? You picture yourself coming home to a net house full of whisper-thin dead wings torn from flapping hungrily against the sides, or the alternative--taking them with you, a house full of crisp cocoons wedged between the surfboard and the juice boxes, waiting to hatch on that taut ribbon of I5.
These are not the things one thinks of in January. Of hats and sand, the smell of bbq two streets over, of a day that seems to stretch and then drip into tomorrow.

14 comments:

essbesee said...

must know where to get those crazy awesome monkey bandaids! the butterflies are gorgeous - we had moths from our caterpillars. have a blast out of town!

Jenny Danger-Porter said...

Ah summer and to be young again. It feels like just yesterday I was bringing treasured items into an abandoned treehouse in the woods near my parents' house. And "saving" worms on rainy summer days by piling them up into one gargantuan disgusting worm pile-up in the cul-de-sac. Or eating popsicles on my best friend's driveway in our bathing suits. Or swimming so much that dinner tasted as though it was glazed in chlorine.

Can I get hired somewhere where my sole job is to just be a kid again?!

Anonymous said...

those little feet! and those bandaids! perfect! sweetest! happy summer!

amanda said...

love those little feet and bandaids! same at my house. both girls are upstairs playing calico critters in nothing but undies. ah, summer! great blog!

amber {daisy chain} said...

happy road-trippin' - may the flip-flop tan lines only get darker! xo

Jules said...

Please. You don't know from manhands. ;)

Have a wonderful trip!

xo
J

Unknown said...

I want Monkey band aid.. I really do.

Brooke
http://www.momentsofelegance.com

anita said...

love this! you've summed up summer perfectly. i miss the days when i had flip flop tan lines.
thanks for sharing.
have a great weekend!! xo

Maggie May said...

love her bandaids!

jennifer said...

i love that last photo. those moments that make motherhood bearable!

Petunia Face said...

Hi all,

I got the monkey bandaids at a small store near my house, but I checked the tin that they come in and the website is
www.accoutrements.com

We also have pirates and cupcake bandaids from the same company. They definitely help the crying stop after skinned knees!

xo,
S

krista said...

we have mustache bandaids.
i'm a fan of a themed bandaid.
but, really, who isn't?

happy holiday, my friend.
xoxo

essbesee said...

moustache bandaids??? who knew? must have!

Anonymous said...

just want to know...does your daughter have makeup on?