When life gives you lemons...

I know Spring officially arrived a while ago but today was MY first day of Spring.

Today I decided to drop my Mom off at my niece's softball game while I ran some quick errands. We pulled up to the ball park and the day suddenly seemed so nice and it's been so long since I sat in the sun that I decided to blow off the errands and soak up the sun for a while. I'm glad I did. I can still smell the sunscreen on my skin.

I don't know when it happened but my sweet little niece is now hitting against girls who do that crazy windup, underhand pitch. She doesn't even flinch when the ball flies by. It's not like these kids have much control either but she just stares 'em down and goes for it. I'm 42 years old and I'd be scared to hit against those kids. Another new thing is very loud music at the field. The grandmas hated it but when I heard The Beastie Boys Brass Monkey it swept me right back to my one "alcoholic" Summer. Let's just say it was a fun Summer and leave it at that.

On the way home I decided to make dinner for my parents. I grilled chicken in a citrus marinade alongside some vegetables. I picked a bunch of great lemons from the tree and made my first glass of fresh squeezed lemonade of the year. It was good. About 6 lizards scattered as I approached the lemon tree. I know some folks don't like lizards but I don't mind them. Every year we seem to have one or two who, when it gets really hot out, like to spend sundown heating their bellies on the pavement by the pool. I always see them out there, through the window, as I'm making dinner and they always make me smile.

While I chopped, stirred and squeezed, I listened to an oldie but a goodie on my iPod. I listened to The Eagles Live. It's probably not the most admired album out there but it too makes me smile and takes me back. I hadn't heard it for probably 15 years or so. The Eagles Live takes me back to around my eleventh year. We had moved to the desert and befriended a family with kids around my age. The Dad ran the local Coors distributorship. The beer was free and plentiful (not for us kids though... don't worry) and the Eagles were playing non-stop at every barbecue that Summer. Coors even sponsored my brother's soccer team. They had the coolest uniforms you've ever seen. Can you imagine that flying today? Beer ads on kids uniforms? No way. Some things have certainly changed for the worse.

In the end it was a lovely day that has left me in a great mood. I guess it was the sun. Well, the sun and getting out in the yard to pick fruit. The yard is filled with the scent of orange blossoms and stock, my favorites. Those scents mixed together will forever make me think of my Dad's garden. I tend to stay out of the sun because, as we hear constantly it's SO damn bad for us, but maybe I need get out in it a bit more. Yeah, sun and fresh lemonade, I see a lot of that in my immediate future.