Mudpuppy

We missed our pool time in August because of the unseasonably cool weather. Instead of basking in the sun we were cuddled up in front of the fire pit and under blankets in the evening. Now we are nearing the end of September, the temperatures are topping out in the 90's every day.  With the pool closed and the hoses and water toys packed away for the season, our outdoor fun has been significantly stymied.

I wish we could play in our yard, or through our woods and in the stream. The mosquitoes have been swarming in such force that I am reminded of the summer we visited the Everglades.  We cannot walk to our car without getting bitten numerous times and no repellent seems to be effective.
 
With our yard transformed to a mosquito nesting ground, we haven't been able to play at home. Yesterday morning, after dropping Robby off at school, I swung by the park to allow Timmy to run and play before the heat of the day forced us to retreat inside. He started squealing and giggling when he realized I had turned into the park and was practically jumping out of his seat when he saw other kids playing and sliding. He took off running as soon as he was released from his seat.
 
While I took my position on the Mom bench, Timmy ran and played with his new friends. The other moms obviously knew each other and weren't terribly inviting to an outsider. I smiled but when my attempts at small talk were brushed off, I moved into the shade and began to answer emails on my phone. 
 
I sat quietly by myself and listened to the twenty something spandex moms calling after their little cherubs to get out of the dirt. The moms were practically on top of their kids, hosing them down with sanitizer and wiping them down with wet wipes each time the child touched a piece of mulch or anything on the ground. If their hands were dusty from dirt, they were immediately scrubbed down. 
 
In the meantime, Timmy was digging and piling mulch into the back of his little Tonka truck, which he then proceeded to dump on his feet and legs. Just as the moms were talking about the dangers of getting dirty at the park because it was "filled with germs," Timmy laid down and made a snow angel in the mulch. If I didn't know better, I would swear he did it to prove a point. The other moms may have clean kids at the end of the park play date, but they are missing out on sticky and dusty hugs from a happy little mudpuppy.