Watermelon Day

We woke up this morning to the biggest breakfast I have ever seen. Scrambled eggs, made from 2-1/2 dozen farm fresh eggs, sauteed eggplant and squash with onions from the garden, crumbled sausage (perhaps venison?), and cheese, as well as yogurt with granola and fresh raspberries picked on our garden tour yesterday. All the kids ate well, and were so happy to eat good food upon awakening. Breakfast just does not seem to happen much, if ever, at our house.

About the time we were ready to go into town for Watermelon festivities, the skies darkened and rain threatened our day. We decided to wait it out just a tiny bit, hoping it would roll over, and a few minutes later, it began to rain.

Well, that rain did not stop. At all. It only varied in intensity as we watched it from the windows of the house. As the clock kept ticking, ever closer to race time in town, we gathered our courage, packed up our lunch (I should clarify that LISA did all the lunch making, as she does each and every year for all of us to enjoy picnicking at the park in town), our water bottles, and braved the rain which had slowed to a sprinkle for just a little while.

Once in town, I stopped at the gas station to pull money form the magic money machine inside(the ATM). Lisa and Nick had continued down the rode to find a parking space for their family vehichle, so I was surprised when I saw Lisa standing by MY truck as I looked out the window while waiting for my money. I was even more surprised when she began talking to a man, that from the back, sure looked a lot like my husband. I was even MORE surprised when that man turned to the side, and it was clear that INDEED, it WAS my husband! WOW! Talk about a complete and total surprise!!!!! We had absolutely NO IDEA of any kind that Daddy was going to drive 3-1/2 hours up to go to Watermelon Day with us! The kids and I were thrilled!!!

Bob had already been there for a few hours, walking back and forth in the cold and rain, searching for us down every street. I had not gotten his text message, as cell phone service was quite scarce in this small town, and virtually non-existant at Lisa's country home. It continued to rain the entire day...for four full hours we endured the dampness of the day, wondering how this 60-degree, windy, rainy day could be possible when it had been forcasted to be about 92 and HOT!

Despite it all, we still had a wonderful time: the kids got to participate in the foot races, and Beth won the jump roping contest. Laura and Tubby went on pony rides, and I promised all my other kids we would ride through the orchard again in the fall on horses more appropriate to their big kid size. The petting zoo is always fun to go through, and with so much rain, the kids had the pick of animals to snuggle with. Many vendors had chosen to pack up and move along as the rain continued to pelt everything in sight. We still got to sample my favorite Swedish dumplings, and of course, cheese curds and kettle corn which Daddy had purchased earlier.

The watermelon was quite sweet and tasty this year, and the kids shovelled in A LOT. I lost count of how many pieces they were eating, long in the beginning, as they went from slice to slice, as though they had no just eaten lunch less than an hour before. It was still raining, and many of us were sopping wet by this point, but it really did not matter much. Watermelon Day is great no matter what, and I don't think anything could ruin that day for us. And this year it was even sweeter, with Daddy showing up!

We trudged through the mud and muck back to our cars parked in what is normally a dry, grassy field. Daddy helped us in, then went back home after giving our friend's car a little jump start with his own truck. We were sad to see him go, but still so happy we had seen him at all! It had been a great time together.

I picked up a gallon of milk on the way back to Lisa's, the kids changed into dry, warm clothes, and Lisa made us the best batch of Hot Cocoa I have ever had. Why is it that things always taste so much better when someone else makes them? The rain continued to fall outside, relentlessly. As we began warming up slowly, none of us had any desire to launch ourselves outside again to go to the parade in town. We have NEVER missed the parade, in all of these 11 years, but really, could you blame us? Even the kids voted "no". Seriously, passing up free candy is a truth-telling moment.

Instead, with all of their creative juices flowing, the kids decided to make their own parade...inside the house! They worked on themes, costumes, and characters for a couple of hours while Lisa made us dinner. They giggled and worked, rehearsing secretly, and gathering materials. The excitement and motivation they had was wonderful! So, after dinner, the parade began, and what a parade it was!

Beth and Rachel began with a wagon "float" from which candy was thrown (they had a stash of candy left over from attending another parade a short while prior). Benjamin and Daniel, the hunters were next, and saved us from an attacking bear. This made Tubby cry, until he realized the bear was only Nick! Jonny and Benjamin were next, doing a sherrif and robber skit they had been working on. Then came Crispy, an accident proned-asthma suffering poor soul, representing the local clincs....apparently, he looked SO pathetic, that one of the "hunters" decided to put him out of his misery. Following him came Watermelon Princess 2009-Laura Zajac, adorned with her watermelon hat. Next, our spirits were refreshed by the sound of Melissa as she sang "Amazing Grace, representing the local churches of the area. Jonny and Tubby performed an improv skit and Tubby the Firetruck was the star. Finally, the parade was ended with the jump rope tricks of Beth and Benjamin. Impressive indeed.

The kids had so much fun, and it was so great to see them use their imaginations in such a way. Melissa even said that she hopes it rains every year for Watermelon Day just so that they can do another parade again. Laura asked us everyday for the rest of our vacation if "we could do a parade today?" The kids were smiles from ear to ear, as they ate some candy before THE BEST part of Watermelon Day each year: THE TOUR .

The Tour is comprised of piling into the old Suburban and driving through various and roads surrounding their country home, in the dark of night. The kids LOVE this wild ride, as they bump along the hilly, windy, dirt and rock covered roads. Rain could never ruin this ride (though it did cancel our annual bonfire......however, Lisa still made S'mores over the gas stove. Have you ever tried them with peanut butter too? YUMMY!!!!). If we were outside, we would be able to hear the giddy screams and laughter as the kids searched for wild deer, fox, and met with the occasional "bear" who would hungrilly attack Nick from time to time. While Nick entertained all the tots, Lisa and I had another chance to relax and chat, with only the baby sleeping quietly in the room with us. Ahh....what a great day...this is the life!

Happy 3 Month Birthday, Bethany!