Sally's Ramble: Sweet Son's Summer Swim Swansong

This is how SSon loves to spend the summer-wet!

And this summer he has been able to go swimming quite often. The place he goes most often is Darien Lake State Park (the one that was closed all last year due to some "never-happened-before-we hope-to-fix-it-soon" 2009 mantra).

He gave me official notice last weekend that today, Labor Day would be the last day which they are open for the season. That is serious-that means summer is over.

I tried very hard to make his last week a swimming week-he went 4 times, but I honestly would have taken him more if we would not have had rain-this activity had an expiration date, so all efforts were towards swimming.

Then the weekend happened: Friday-rain, Saturday rain and COLD, Sunday (today), COLD.

All weather reports said that this was going to be THE BEST DAY OF THE WEEKEND! Warm, hot even, in the 80's.

At 7:30 this morning it was 53degrees, and the heat went on here in the house (after I asked SHusband to nudge the thermostat).

I had a plan: I told SS that if he wanted to, I would take him swimming for 5 minutes so he can say that he went swimming on the last day of the season. Now most people would laugh and say are you kidding? He however saw the beauty in this idea. He gobbled down his breakfast while I tried to look for a Plan "B" to do after swimming to lessen the disappointment. I remembered that a local church has a noon BINGO game-that's it. He loves BINGO, we almost never go-it has been maybe 8-9 years since I last took him (Can you tell I hate it?). So, as a remembrance of SMom, who loved BINGO, I thought we would go there after the min-dip. Just to be sure, since that is what I am all about-I called the Church, bothered the man who answered (probably the Reverend-yikes), apologized for bothering him, but just wanted to see if there was BINGO today-no luck, no BINGO. While SS was brushing his teeth, I went online to a site called http://www.bingoplanner.com and there is a list for all of the Western New York BINGO Parlors (isn't that a neat name, BINGO Parlor-like a formal place you would visit, like the front parlor in a fancy house). The only place that had a Monday afternoon BINGO Game in WNY was the place which I just called. DRAT.

While driving to the lake, we discussed other options, and another favorite activity of his is to GO TO THE MALL! I hate malls as much as he loves them.

So, that was the plan. THEN.... he remembered that he did not bring his fanny pack-one of those things that you wear to a sporting event for your wallet, etc.

Well, it is his security fanny pack, he wears it everywhere but swimming, didn't bring it today because he only brings his I.D. some cash and his cellphone for swimming, and I did not mention that I was working on a Plan B. H was sure we should turn around and go home to get it, but this was not my plan, A, B or C. Once I am out, I am out. I told him that he could either go home after swimming or put his things into the pocket of his shorts that he brought for after swimming-BUT, he brought those sporty shorts-pull-on, no pockets. Are you kidding me, who makes shorts without pockets????

When all seemed lost (notice I did not say I could just go home and get his fanny pack, which to some was an obvious solution to avoid a meltdown), I had another idea-I would just stop at a Dollar General Store and buy him some shorts with pockets-genius!

Dollar General had their fall line out-no shorts, none, nada, zilch. Are you kidding me again? So, I bought a cute top for SDaughter and some pants for SS.

We had the bad news, good news conversation in the car. From the look on his face, you would have thought I just told him that his favorite hometown hockey team was moving away. Oh no, pants, no, I can't wear pants in the summer, ......

Then it was time for tough-mama: you can either go to the mall wearing pants or go home, and if you choose to wear pants, you will not pout. Worked like a charm.

He went swimming, he went to change his clothes, and this is how he walked to the car: