Lulu was going a bit stir crazy at home this morning. It was dark and wet outside and the rain didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon. I looked out the window, I looked at my sad kid and I told her to suit up. I told Lulu we were going puddle hunting and that we were going to splish, splash, splosh our morning away, just like Alfie. Her face immediately lit up. And the thought of slipping on her bee rain boots made her crack a smile that had been missing for a couple of hours. Lulu got dressed faster than lightning and off we went.
What a fun morning! We found a big puddle a few doors down and while Lulu was a bit timid at first, she got jumping and splashing in no time (we love puddle hunting). She laughed while she trekked back and forth, back and forth, watching the puddles ripple in the rain.
Our neighbors' kids longingly looked out at us from their window. They called out to Lulu and waved hello. We smiled and waved back. Then we slowly moved through the neighborhood jumping and laughing and greeting our neighbors. We found a water spout that had washed the spider out and Lulu proceeded to wash her face with rain water. She insisted. I resisted freaking out and we moved on. Henry was found sitting under a chair, trying to stay warm and dry. He meowed cheerful greetings to us as we left for the corner store.
At the store, we ran into Yo, who lives across the street and he offered to buy Lulu ice cream (mostly because she kept yelping that she wanted ice cream). I said yes, and she was stoked! Yo and Nadia, the store clerk, also treated Lulu to some fruit punch. The kid was in heaven. Sweet treats were a welcomed reason for celebrating.
On our way home, Lulu closed other people's open gates and pet mushrooms in strangers' gardens. We ran into my Uncle Edward, who was out walking his guard dog, Cody. They were in town from Arizona. We caught up for a minute but Lulu reminded me that she wanted to eat her ice cream cone, which was slowly melting in my pocket. So we scampered home quickly and I let the kid enjoy her ice cream on this brisk Fall day.
Lesson learned: it doesn't need to be sunny out to have a sunny disposition. Be up for an adventure and you will find one!
