Ice Cream the Size of Our Heads

Our plan was to go explore Crane’s Estate up in Ipswich, but when I checked the website for open hours and ticket prices, etc, it read that the property was closed this weekend for an event. I texted Little to let her know our plans had been foiled and I’d come up with something else, “Don’t worry,” she responded, “We’ll have fun no matter what we do!”

In the seven years since we matched we have never gone mini golfing, so that’s what we did. Paradise Mini Golf was a funky little place with some obstacles in their course which was great fun. I didn’t write down her comments and quips like I usually do, but I did capture her humor in this clip. She had me cackling. For context, I told her I was going to pan to her so she could “wave or something”.

After a round, we hopped in the car and went on to Richardson’s Ice Cream up the street, ordering a “kiddie” sized cone which was the size of my head. We sat in the shade and while she enjoyed her black raspberry in a cup (wise choice), my mocha chip dripped from its cone in torrents down my hand to my wrist. Little graciously acquired a cup for her messy Big, and as we continued to sit, we observed a dad and his toddler and baby nearby.

He pulled out a wet wipe to clean up his toddlers face and I leaned into Little and whispered “I’d give that man twenty bucks for a wet wipe right now”. Playing into it, she whispered back in a please-sir-we’re-starving tone “um, sir, could I please just have one wet wipe?” We have no idea how this guy heard us but he turned “Do you want one?”

My embarrassment was overshadowed by the fact that I did, indeed, desperately want a wet wipe. We joked that we’d just been kidding about asking him, but now that you mention it…He kindly obliged and I made quick work to make myself look less like a five year old who lost control of their treat.

We wandered the Richardson’s property, visiting the cows and other animals, including a very pregnant goat who picked up a scratching brush and brushed at the little deck on their climbing structure. Nesting?

From there we drove to Micheals because who doesn’t want to wander around the crafts store of all craft stores, Michaels? We have this routine now. We go there because I need a specific thing – on this day it was clothing dye – but on the way I pick things up say “What are you?” and “Do I need you?” and Little responds with “You don’t need that, Cydney, put it back” (because this is something I also say to myself when shopping at Michael’s). For the first time ever, did a dramatic reenactment of this typical exchange. Good stuff. Oscar worthy, really!

From there we went to Target – the first time since I started boycotting back in January – and found ourselves a basketball. She’s started playing and we thought it would be fun to go shoot some hoops. An inflating kit was also needed, and I used this opportunity to teach her about inflating balls and tires and how to check their pressure. We found a basketball court but it was VERY clear that some not-of-this-earthly plane cartoon giant put these bball nets in because they were WAY too high up. Very off for an elementary school but also made it clear why the courts were empty when we came across them! Running out of time for our day, we drove around looking for courts for next time, taking mental note to find some before our next outing.