Blustery Day

What else should one do on a blustery day but fly a kite? We bought a kite for Alex’s upcoming kite day at school, but I couldn’t resist busting it out this afternoon. It was windy as heck, and I figured that had to be perfect kite weather, and we have the perfect wide open field right across the street from our house. I don’t recall ever getting a kite up when I was a kid, but today, Thomas the Tank Engine* flew straight up into the air and did not quit. I handed Thomas over to Alex and got Elmo aloft. Things were going great for about a half hour. Alex was so proud of himself, keeping his kite aloft. And then Alex let out a bit too much string just as the wind died down and poor Thomas swooped into a tree. Right at the top of the tree — just a wee bit of string caught on the slenderest of branched. It was maddening that it wouldn’t pull down. Then I went home, got the ladder and the tree trimmer, and climbed up to try to retrieve it. I just could.not.slip.it.off.that.branch. Then I tried trimming the branch, but without an extra set of hands to pull at that moment, poor Thomas just fell deeper into the tree. I tried one more time, to no avail. Poor Alex was heartbroken. I promised we would get another for him to bring to school. But I feel awful that I could not retrieve it.

Thankfully, I brightened the evening by giving Alex his dinner of choice — “more of those palacsinta cheese things we had for breakfast, what are they called?” — blintzes. I added scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, fresh blueberries and mango, and the kids devoured dinner. Alex asked for a second helping of blintz, and of eggs, and would have eaten more sausage if I had it. Oh, and strawberry yogurt with more blueberries for dessert. You’d think I hadn’t fed them all day!

Of course, now I don’t have anything to make for breakfast….

*Please do not call him Thomas the train. That’s not his name and it makes me disproportionately nutso. Thank you.