Kitty cat, soccer fields and the swimming pool

Today, after my shift ended, I glanced out the kitchen window and spotted a white cat squatting in the sand under the playhouse. I banged on the window.  “Get out of there!”

The cat just looked at me, undeterred.

I ran to the sliding glass door and yelled as I scurried across the yard and that cat raised one eyebrow in boredom until the very last moment when I was near enough to smack it with my slipper.

And so I noticed that the cat has obviously used that sandy area for a litter box a lot.  I’ve never seen it until now, never noticed until now but of course now that I noticed, I had to clean it up.

Did I mention it was raining?

And I still had on my slippers?

When I finished that unpleasant task, I decided to drain the fairly large inflatable swimming pool I purchased in hopes that summer would linger.  (Wrong.)

I drained it, washed it, dried it and lugged it inside so it can fully dry before I roll it up to store until next summer.

That’s why my entire family room floor is covered by a deflated swimming pool.

So, then, I had fifteen minutes to sit and stop sweating before it was time to go to soccer practice.  I failed to even bring a coat with me, but luckily, I never did clean out the trunk of the car, so I found a lightweight jacket to wear, nestled next to the eco-friendly shopping bags I never remember to take into the store.

It only rained a little, then the clouds scattered some and the sun shone.  The light was so beautiful and golden–to the right were dark, ominous clouds and to the left the sun glared.  I shifted my umbrella to the side where it provided shade so I could read my Oprah magazine.  (Don’t judge.)

The grass was emerald green and the children looked like they were in a commercial with perfect amber light side-lighting them.  It was a lovely moment.

A lovely moment I would have appreciated a whole lot more if I had been chilled to the bone.  Today was the first day that I felt truly chilly while sitting outside.

Summer is really over.

As if that weren’t obvious.  Duh.  I have a deflated swimming pool in my family room.