Ice Packs and Dandelions
This can't be normal.
The Ice Pack
It’s cold here in Buffalo in April. 22 degrees this morning. That’s snow cold. in April.
But, as I write this, my little one is completely out of her night gown and happily asleep1 and curled up to an ice cold ice pack.
Yes, an ice pack. It doesn’t really matter what ice pack she has either. If you’ve got one in the back of the freezer for that one time you messed up your knee - that will do. As long as it’s freezing cold. The colder the better for her.
We don’t usually hand her the knee ice pack and usually buy her some more kid friendly ones that are shaped like fruits and vegetables or something. (get yours now before the tariffs hit.)
“My face is hot” she says to us almost nightly just at bedtime “ I need an ice pack”.
So, I trudge downstairs for the umpteenth time today and go find an ice pack from the freezer to bring to my daughter.
It could be 2 feet of snow outside and our poor little furnace hasn’t had rest in days trying to keep our house at a comfortable temperature and she wants an ice pack. Most kids go to bed with stuffed animals or a favorite toy, but I get the ice pack.
Then what happens in the morning is when you go to make the bed and you have forgotten all about the ice pack only to find this squishy cold thing in the bed and it takes you a moment to realize:
“Oh right - it’s the ice pack”
The Dandelion
I go outside and wait with her for the bus. Mom is smarter than me2 and just waves from the door but I don’t get such luxury of waiting for the bus in the warmth. It can be 20+ minutes until the bus is to show up and she’s all ready with her coat on looking like teenage mutant ninja turtle if they transformed into bright yellow bumblebees.
ME? I’m unshaven in a hoodie and praying for spring, or heat of any kind.
This morning was 22 degrees outside when we were waiting. It was cold. Not “cool” or “fresh” - it was cold.
Anyway, because it’s cold and this is the time of year where we can have warm and cold days all in the same month we have started to have our daffodils pop up and it looks like they might bloom any day now.
Of course, her first instinct is to pick them.
“NONONO”, I yell.
Your mommy will not be happy with you if you do this, I tell her.
She understands and then she sees the dandelion at the front of the house.
“How about the dandelion?”, she asks.
“Sure, go ahead”, I reply.
We then go on to have an entire discussions about how dandelions are grown, what they are and how the heck do they make more dandelions anyway?
I explain about how they get white over time and then she blows them all over and those are seeds and they make more dandelions, etc.
She thinks for a minute and then says to me: “I’m going to give this one to Mr. Dave”. 3
I bet Mr. Dave was thrilled to have some soggy half-plucked weed from our front yard greet him held up by a six year old with questionable gift choices.
Stay Cool,
Tidy Husband and Co.
thank god
always
the schoolbus driver