Friday

Three points at the outset that speak to the splendidness of the day: the humid air packed its overstuffed bags of hot air and traveled elsewhere, the bug population did not increase over Thursday's explosive levels, and Snowdrop and I made it to the beach today.

Of course, we haven't really begun (yet) the slide toward a bug free existence. Going out to look at flower fields is still a huge chore. Better to admire them from afar than to venture in and clip spent blooms.






We had a storm pass through last night and another large willow limb fell to the ground. Neither of us is motivated right now to do anything about it.

One quick look toward the farmhouse...





... and I hurry inside.

At breakfast, we watch the butterflies play on the flowers. I think about how there are so many beneficial insects in this world! But I absolutely cannot come up with one useful purpose that mosquitoes serve. Will we be surprised to discover in the future that, in some roundabout fashion they are actually vital to our existence? Surely that would make scientific headlines. In the meantime, I zap them with my zapper and count the days when we can reclaim the farmette land again.






Snowdrop comes over for the day and though she settles in nicely to play inside...






... I tell her that I have an adventure in mind. She is excited! She picks up on the key words -- park, lake, beach.

Still, today's destination is a bit different from our County Park visit earlier in the week. Watching me play with Snowdrop in Lake Kegonsa, a woman, a parent herself, made the friendly suggestion that I take the little girl to Troll Park in Stoughton (a village just about a dozen miles south east of us).
There is a man-made lake with a wide beach, some playground stuff for kids and lots of shallow water for splashing about. It costs $4 to get in, but I think you'll both like it.

Looking it up online, I see that it opens at noon. Today we are there just exactly then.

Initially, it looks promising.







But as groups of somewhat older (compared to Snowdrop) kids arrive and the place fills, I begin to think that maybe this doesn't quite have the peaceful beauty of Lake Kegonsa. Snowdrop is, of course, as happy as can be! There is a lot of shallow space and the water has warmed up to be pretty close to the temperature of a bath.






The sun seems strong and I slather on the sun screen and put on her bonnet. And still, she is tickled to play in this space that is like a lake. Sort of.






But she also wants to try the inflated rafts and the slide and I quickly realize that none of those are right for her. The tube slide is too high and I cannot put her on it and catch her in the somewhat deeper water. And the inflated raft is packed with lively kids. She asks more than once to be taken to it...






But then she herself turns away from the ruckus, settling in at the quieter area by the shore.






I suppose there is an upside to the place: the water is calm. Here, too, she ventures out into slightly deeper territory and unlike at Lake Kegonsa, she does not get knocked down by a wave.






And surely Troll Lake is better than a community pool, where the crowds are intense right now and the bottom is more slippery. Here, she has a sandy bottom where she can curl her toes.






She brings her new little penguin into the water. How can one say "no," when book after book explains that penguins love to swim?






Yes, Snowdrop is a happy little girl!






Home at the farmhouse now. Last night's supper offers excellent leftovers as far as Snowdrop's concerned. Shrimp? Heirloom tomatoes? Cucumber? Yum!






Ed returns from his tech meetings and joins her for dessert. She is, predictably, delighted.






This then is our day.


Evening? Well, I studied the map of Poland, of all things. My enormously gifted architect/designer Pani Karolina had sent me links to many things, including places she liked for vacationing with her family. These are not unknown names to me. I've been to corners of Poland that Americans would consider remote. Should I go back? In the new Poland, everything is easier. Bed and breakfast type places flood the internet. Should I search them?

I thought about all this and about the continued disjunction between my family, my friends, my guy who is so at my side in all other respects -- in other words, my life here and that which I know belongs to Poland.

I then turn on the Olympics and, while Ed is away attending company events, I indulge myself in watching how countries can speak of unity against all odds. To many of us, the theme of unity seems rather contrived. Maybe. But to people split between belief systems, cultures, countries, or merely between what he believes in and what I believe in -- it's rather important.

Or maybe it's just that the Brazilians know how to put on a good party and I'm a sucker for watching people do things with passion and heart.