Saturday, March 30, 2013

Easter Party and Egg Decorating With Neighbors


"Last night I dreamed I ate a ten-pound marshmallow, 
and when I woke up the pillow was gone." - Tommy Cooper

   This past eve was too much fun. We headed over to the neighbors Easter party for a bite to eat, egg decorating, s'mores, and general hijinks. We had some pizza from a local place that's our "go to" for a great pie. That was mostly a formality in order to get to the good stuff. We got moving on the egg decorating and I drew the short straw to sit next to my 'Lil Man. He proceeded to drop the eggs into the color die from death defying heights like he was going for some kind of high score. The kids were all having a great time with it. Again though, just another step to the good stuff. 
   S'mores are a messy affair, but isn't that a small price to pay. There's an inherent peace to a fire pit. From our Wee Lass to the adults, the flames produce a calm that no medication can touch. If you'll see in the pic to the far right, it was a great evening between a father and a son. We roasted mallows together and found out a bit about our likes. I like to slow roast to a golden brown, while he likes to light that sucker on fire and yell, "Ziggybamwa!!!", before blowing out and feasting upon the sweetened charcoal. After they'd had their fill, the kiddies headed off to play games, chase each other around, and so forth. That left time for the segregation of the sexes. 
   The ladies were in the garage, talking about a number of different items. The guys stayed out by the fire and discussed politics over brandy and mustaches. Kidding, we laughed a lot. Stories of work, the kids, movies, etc. were all on the agenda. Did I mention we laughed a lot? My desire to repeat stems from a recent lack of guy time. The Wife and I love being together, working on our current wood pallet art projects. There's still the need to bond with members of your own gender clan also. I was happy The Wife was able to have some chat time, as she told me it was a great conversation and there were strides made to build friendships. Similarly, we guys need some time to give the Tim Allen "guy, power tools, drywall, ruff, ruff, ruff......." So it was time well spent. 
   Holiday aside, we discussed trying to start a once per week hang out to repeat the fun we had. We're game, and that's says something about getting out there, meeting new neighbors, and recapturing the community feel that I remember from when I was a kid. So as we head into spring, look for those opportunities to build relationships with friends, your children and their friends, and perfect the art of the s'more. By the way, the Jet Puffed Caramel/Vanilla marshmallows are super good. Try 'em out!

J. 

2 comments:

  1. That's cool. We have a crazy bunch in our block here in Baltimore, and we all mostly keep to ourselves. But when spring comes, we're all outside--the kids play with the kids, and the adults plan a block party. We forget how much of a community we are until the sun comes out.

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    1. I tend to forget that about our snow states. Living like hobbits, making cookies in a tree, until the thaw. I wonder it's a natural state of being, or if everyone is just dying to get out and hang with the living? Either way, prepare for LOTS of barbecue this season at the Cheeky House!

      Jason
      The Cheeky Daddy

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