pretty, pretty everywhere

as a kid, i didn't delight in the summer... i know it sounds weird, but the thought of *not* going to school everyday used to drive me bananas (if i only knew then what i know now... which is there is nothing better than laying in the grass in the backyard and staring at the sun through the fluttering leaves and thinking about, well, absolutely nothing in particular).

for the record, i was *that* kid that joined the library reading program and not only read the amount of allotted books, but turned it into a competition to see how many i could read and report on... i think one year i got an award for breaking the record or something... oh what a little nerd!

i hated wearing shorts as i always found them too short, some bizarre color (thanks to my cousins who thought i was some sort of fashion experiment) and always riding up my bum. i was always dirty and sticky and sweaty... my parents would tell me to not come home until the street lights came on and i always had a scraped knee, a consequence of growing up on a street that was all boys except me. playing firefighter, doing very dangerous tricks on my bmx and touch football (oh, and the ever-phenomenal breakdancing competition) was my game and i stuck to it. my parents had this cream colored buick regal (and oh how i date myself)... a 2 door car with the *hottest, stickiest* leather seats ever. getting in that car after it sat in the sun was torture. once they "upgraded" to a minivan, i was stuck in the back with my brother's monstrous smelly feet and my sister's fascination with some nickelodeon-style bunch of singing adults that sang in wittle-itsy-bitsy kiddie voices while we drove to some place here or there... there were no DVD players or pimped out soccer mom rides... just the plain ol' voyager with the wood paneling and spoked wheels. rock on m and d!

i really just liked fall leaves and halloween and the first day of school better... getting my new school books and wearing sweaters and that first chilly, crisp morning at the bus stop.

**but** with homeownership came this really bizarre change. summer is the time of vibrant life and living in my little postage stamp size lot on this earth. here are a couple of the smiling faces i found in my yard last night to brighten my summer day (even though i *still* find shorts way too short)