Successfully Gained Independence

We did a bunch of party-type things today. Swept the floor, put away laundry, and cleaned up the "playpen" (AKA our living room) in anticipation of lots of company for the holiday.

Lori brought us flowers and cupcakes, and - along with the Argentinian boys, Josh, and Ryan - played many hours of games with Colin at the big white table. After Josh and Lori left to go have real 4th of July fun with, you know, booze and fireworks... everyone else moved into Smash Bros. land:

Calina, you see, had quite enough fun for the day, and slept for a good long time with Gramma, while I taught Courtney, Rich, and Karen how to play Ticket to Ride. (Which, incidentally, I LOST for the first time in ages... to Rich - a first-timer, no less. Oh, the shame.)

The bitterness of my defeat didn't, however, sully the sweet and tart deliciousness of the cherry/pineapple dump cake.

In this order, fill a pan evenly with:

A spritz of pam

1 large can cherry pie filling

1 large can pineapple

(mix them together)

1 box yellow cake mix

(flatten out and score with a fork. don't mix.)

1 stick melted butter

(drizzle as evenly over the top as possible)

1/2 bag sweetened coconut

(sprinkled on top, if you like. I don't.)

Quite possibly the perfect summer party dessert.

So, I did a few things today. Enjoyed my independence from the U.K.. And from mommyhood for a few hours. It felt weird, a little, to not attempt to find fireworks to go see, but I couldn't imagine subjecting my newborn to the booms, nor could I imagine subjecting myself to the disgusting, disgusting heat and mosquito-death by which we'd be guaranteed to suffer a horrible misery.

I was commiserating with Chris Stiles the other day over twitter, about the fun I'd had in Chicago on the 4th of July back in '05. Chicago is really fun during the summer. During the winter everyone hibernates indoors, but the city comes alive during the summer. Chairs cover every sidewalk because even the idea of going indoors for meals while the weather is so lovely would be a downright shame. Outdoor seating leads to more friendly socialization and larger get-togethers. More people are having parties and barbecues, filling tiny patios and alleyways. Drinking cold beer and listening to lots of music. And, when Independence Day rolls around, they are dragging out the explosives, and dangerously setting them off among tall buildings. I distinctly remember attempts to blow up a watermelon in an alleyway. Not me attempting this personally, but with me standing close by. I don't remember if it worked. I just remember that a neighbor wasn't happy. And it was raining.