I think this is the part of summer that is commonly referred to as The Dog Days.

I’ll admit, I really had no idea what that phrase even meant.  Like… did it just mean that this is the time of year when the weather outside is so unbearably miserable, even the dogs need to just lie down and fan themselves with DIY fans made out of the cardboard from their Milk Bone boxes?  Thankfully, this is the era where no one has to run down to the public library to check out the D encyclopedia, like the pilgrims did.  No, ma’am.  We have the instant gratification of the Google, and the Google just informed me that it all has to do with that dog star, Sirius, rising with the sun.

And that’s enough research for me this evening, because it’s still summer vacation, and I don’t want to tax my brain with too much knowledge at the moment.

Especially considering that I just cleaned up an entire box (!!!!) of Golden Grahams cereal that was upended on the kitchen floor fifteen minutes ago.

Raising boys is never boring.

Anyway.

With these lazy, Dog Days being upon us, we have been taking advantage of the parks and playgrounds, as we head outside to breathe in that refreshing, 100 degree air.  And then we rush home, where we embrace our central air conditioners, profess our love for them, and vow to never take them for granted again.

My cousin was going to be in town today, so I was thrilled when she texted me yesterday and asked if I wanted to get together with her and her pack of adorable, redheaded boys today, to play.  I texted her directions to a park with SHADE, SHADE, OH GLORIOUS SHADE, where we met and hugged each other’s necks.

We both came very prepared to handle the lunch hour with our little people.

I had a grande, no-water chai latte from Starbucks, and I’d bought Thing 2 a berry refresher from the ‘Bucks, because thirsty kids at parks are unhappy kids at parks.

My cousin had an entire bag packed with a loaf of bread, a knife, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, fresh bananas, fresh blackberries, fresh grapes, and organic apple juice.

I’ll let you guess which one of us is more prepared for life situations than the other one is.

Our little boys had a blast playing together today.  My cousin and I talked our heads off, catching up, while the boys climbed on the monkey bars and whipped down the slides, and then they got to the business of building a large gorge and a volcano.  This was actually very well-thought-out engineering, because all the playground bark that was dug out to create the gorge went straight into manufacturing the volcano.

In other words, the boys were kept busy.  They were well-fed and happy, and we had a lovely afternoon together.

And I’m not even kidding.  The red hair?  I can’t even handle it, it’s so cute.

Y’all have a good Wednesday night.