fresh strawberries

The freshly-picked strawberries made for an excellent triffle at my dance group's pool party, and a conversation starter with the triffle creator.  My first real summer party this year, I couldn't find my white sandals, my toenails had to get their summer coating, I changed twice.  It still felt too stifling in my sundress, so I wore my nice tank top and shorts.  The same top I wore when I first met BJ, now that I think about it.  But my shorts are larger; I'm 45 and been widening for 3 years now.   No bathing suit for me in public later realizing it'd have been just fine.  Potluck, what to bring?  Ack.  I talked with my friend a few times, and finally hours after it started, I felt organized enough to leave. 

Still muggy and hot, yet sunny by a pool with friends was nice.  Later, we even danced some.  Eight of the guys danced the Sweets of May which we all found hysterical as they don't truly know it.  Traditionally a courting dance, our group instead tends to use all women when dancing Sweets of May, particularly for performances.  E was as cute as ever, expecting a new grandchild later this summer, and hiking some of Mt. Ranier this past week.  Ah, nice.  A few of us ate selectively from the desserts, deciding that we don't do this typically, that for our ages, we would have looked okay in a bathing suit but knowing exactly why none of us were ready to do so in public, YET, and those strawberries really are fresh and good.....

Finally, Friend and I leave for R's party, a "pick your strawberries and have strawberry daiquiri's" party.  Also blackberry daiquiri's and a potluck.  I didn't even remember to put on makeup to vast improvement, until riding in Friends car, watching her don her colors.  This party would be more relaxed, with most people approximately our age.   "Irwin" was cute, joking with both Friend and me, Friend really excited in thinking she liked him, so fine.  Interestingly, thoughout the evening, their personalities did stay matching fairly well. 

We both mingled a lot, but by then, we'd been sitting with a happened to all sit there loose group.  Three main guys, who had met each other a few times previously, Friend and I, and sometimes one, sometimes three, other women.  NiceGuy was next to me.  NiceGuy, and really they were all nice but I need some name for him, seemed interested, "testing" me some with silly word games, confident while perhaps not in the dating field for too many years.  He dressed in pressed khaki's and a polo shirt, shoes with socks.  Hmmm, everyone else is, well, casual.  Then again, I almost wore a sundress, I didn't know WTF to wear.  A few virgin daiquiri's later, I try half an alcohol one R pours, while N grabs Coronas for a few of us.  Warm Coronas.  He tries to play it that European beers are served warm.  Uh-huh, is this a European beer?  We all banter.

N's smart.  He's very good with language.  N is talking of his kids, asked about M, kid talk to the point I started thinking his wife must have moved these times overseas and back and such, with him, no ring, yet, is he still married or is this recent, or?   Single.   At one point, I noticed that N was really listening attentively.  I wondered if this is because he's heard that a woman will find him a better conversationalist if he gets her to talk about herself?  I make sure to ask him more questions.  He went to law school where my grandfather taught, but when N and I were still in high school.   I still hadn't asked N what he does work-wise, as I don't believe it necessarily defines someone.  Sometimes, other things are more important.

I'm the oldest in that small group, R on the patio side yep, phew (not that it mattered but in the fun spirit of it all), is 1 year older.  N asks me if I remember what happened on my 18th birthday?  I found that a slightly odd question, "I saw Crack the Sky."  He didn't mean me.  There was a global/political event that day, I knew more about the year I was turning 19 than when it happened.   He's a year and 16 days younger than me, so I asked him if he remembers when John Lennon died and we talk Beatles a bit.  He knows his details, his history.  I recalled later, that Crack the Sky was the fantastic small DC venue concert I saw for my 21st birthday, not my 18th.  I used to love that band.

Where's my cell phone?  He offered his phone, to call mine, thanks.   THEN realized, it seemed like a ruse to get my number, made a big point to delete it, a bit flustered.  Cute, though, when I guy tries to hide off being interested, the different ways different guys do that.  lol 

R is setting up mattresses forout of town friends, with kids, seeing a Nationals game on Sunday.  The group kept saying we shouldn't keep everyone up, R probably wanted us to leave, so we finally head through the house TO leave.  R is disappointed, "I was going to go outside with all of you."  I almost wrote "y'all," but eh, he's from upstate NY.  I'd say y'all, but I don't think he did.  R tries to pan off extra strawberries on us, a LOT of extra strawberries.  N wants just one.  "Just one?"  "Yes."  I felt a touch seductive and flirty, even with R there, too.  I found a big red juicy one to pick up, and put near N's mouth.   I saw his teeth bite down on it, and took my strawberries and started walking away.

I suppose R followed, as at the door, I shook his hand and thanked him for the party, but he gave me a hug and a kiss on my cheek instead.  I probably did one of those air kisses back.  He's Italian, he may do this with his friends, but it still felt welcoming.

The group was hanging out front now, lol, R joined, everyone chatted.  Birdhouses, hurricanes.  R and I both like weather.  Tropical Storm Barry was turning into Tropical Depression Barry.  R said M would have some rain Monday camping at "the beach," but then it'd be nice weather.  Great, I had guessed the same but he'd know. 

In the round of big Italian hugs goodbye, R gave me another one, good strong bearhug like.  (As Friend said, it's hard to read R and just what he meant.  She mostly wanted "Irwin" to get her number ah well, heck, the third guy was really nice, too, it was a fun evening.)  N gave me the most awkward of the hugs, nervous perhaps?  Later following us to Friends car, letting me know he was serious about checking for the lacrosse brochure for camps for M (I'm not having luck with that), which was his way of asking for my # really this time.  So I call him, "Okay, now you have my # again, ttyl."  Men can be so entertaining at times.

And I knew he'd call (twice).  And I"m glad.  I'm wondering if we talk well together as he's a language expert, and I do decently in conversations, or if there's something there, too?   He's tall, runs and is lean, 6 hours away in Europe for work at the moment (I did run a search), modest, hikes, bicycles, involved with his kids, still has books 30 years later, doesn't tendto watch television news, never spoke negatively about his STBX (separated technically 1 year, realistically almost 2 years with 6 months of that in different countries).  He's not against dancing, feels he can hold his own for a waltz, anyway.  And he likes storms when safe inside, not so much the time he was on the Alps hiking with his children.  Hmmm, intriguing.  Etc., etc.   He compared our visitation schedules; his friend told him when he started dating that it'd all be around the visitation schedules.  That's true, yet I'm left wondering how often he's dated since. 

I'd thought of him, though.  I still think of M and her trip and camps, and of N.  My mind's so full right now; I tried to get M packed up last night after visiting my father for a while.  M did text me Sunday morning to say where at school she'd left her packing list for me.  I never reached her at all, though, even though I left voice and text messages M told me this morning she didn't get.  (L also called M after calling me, L who yeah won first in her novice treble jig so is all prizewinner now.)  

Excitement filled the students voices when I spent a few moments with M this morning, dropping off her things for her beach camping trip.  M showed J her polka dots on her bathing suit, somewhat coordinating with his "twister" looking swim trunks, whose high-level soccer team just won either regionals or states, and then on to, um ,either states or regionals next.  All the girls were comparing suits and boogie boards.  M was wired, talked w/ me of camp briefly, (I had to mail today), and mostly the items for the beach, understandably.  M high-fives a friend who for the first time for a class trip is NOT at (that time of month) as the girls all find that so important to know who is and when.  Spanish teacher tells me, "It was such a pleasure to have M in class this year..." when they start trying to line up to head out the door.  I hope M actually goes in the water some.  She is at least able to vocalize how difficult it is for her to reconcile her and her friends swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, within about 100 miles of where her friend and her friends dad died in a riptide last September.  I know they'll have s'mores; I know she'll still have fun.  I also gave Mo a heads up about M's feelings (I also talked with M recently).  Today R wrote me that it'd clear in about an hour, so about when M and her class was to arrive at their beach, some rain in the afternoon to contend with then that's it.  Hopefully it wasn't much rain for LEL's graduation yesterday YEAH LEL you know I SO wanted to be there!, or on my cute couple neighbors wedding.  I think of all these things.

Sunday was wonderfully drizzly sometimes stormy rain we needed and I got to walk in often, flip flops and shorts with frizzing wet hair and sans makeup.  It stormed once here today, gloriously heavy and short lived, rousing thunder kicking it off..   

Yet rain held off Saturday.  Saturday was the day for strawberry season, hopefully a day M got to attend her schools BIG fun day event, and for many others, a day for frying flesh foods on grills season, again.  I prefer the strawberries.  Maybe summer will be worth looking forward to.  At least, this next week or so after N returns from his trip, and M is off school.

(Now to get two of my girlfriends to stop trying to couple us up for eternity already, sheesz.  I think they're more excited about having potential dating to talk about with me, than I am.  Sometimes it's just too much, I don't know, girltalk or something.  I might like this guy, so, we'll see:)  But, sheesz.)