the first day of summer
(cherry blossoms from a tree in north boulder park)
today is the first day of summer here in boulder. (written a few days ago.) yesterday was the final day of school for the boulder valley school district so last evening when we walked hank through the park across the street - the park that is the center of our neighborhood - where kids first learn to swing and do monkey bars, where there are lots of trees to climb, but one famous one called “the climbing tree” because the branches are spaced so perfectly that children can get to heights that take their mothers’ breath away, where kids and adults alike play basketball or kickball on the baseball field or baseball on the baseball field, where there are outdoor dance classes and concerts and races and picnics and, of course, celebrations, which is what was happening last night. there were families celebrating eighth grade graduation, fifth grade graduation, kindergarten completion… there were taco trucks and ice cream trucks and music and it was pretty wonderful. but there was an underlying wariness because we had a DOOZY of a week.
(baby lu in the swing)
(we logged A LOT of time there…)
(even when she got older)
(theo hanging out on the tube slide)
(both kids in the grass… the way lucy would prop herself up as a baby ….)
(reminded me of the prairie dogs that are everywhere in boulder, but NOT in north boulder park)
(theo way too high up in the climbing tree… we were fresh from amsterdam - that’s why he’s wearing his rain boots even though boulder is nearly always in drought)
(lu and our neighbor, who at the time was also her “fiancé,” on the play structure)
(theo’s kindergarten poetry celebration)
(lucy’s pre school graduation)
right on the heels of the horrific shooting in buffalo there was the mass shooting of CHILDREN in texas. and then we were told that there were credible threats to lucy’s middle school from one of the 8th grade students who had violent plans for the graduation scheduled for thursday. on wednesday, lu’s school was teeming with police and children were told not to linger between classes or go to the bathroom alone and generally, to be on high alert. wednesday evening the boy was arrested, but i regret sending her to school. of course i am beyond relieved that nothing happened. but WHAT IF?? and why is it even a question that our children will be safe at school?
wednesday night was also game four in the series between the golden state warriors (my home team!) and the dallas mavericks. the warriors lost this game (but ultimately won the series) and at the presser following, head coach, steve kerr, had this to say:
“i’m not going to talk about basketball…any basketball questions don’t matter… fourteen children were killed 400 miles from here, and a teacher, and in the last ten days we’ve had elderly black people killed in a supermarket in buffalo, we’ve had asian churchgoers killed in southern california and now we have children murdered at school. WHEN ARE WE GONNA DO SOMETHING? i’m tired, i’m so tired of getting here and offering condolences to the devastated families… i’m tired of the moments of silence. enough. there’s 50 senators… who refuse to vote on HR 8, which is a background check rule that the house passed a couple of years ago… ninety percent of americans, regardless of political party, want… universal background checks… we are being held hostage by 50 senators in washington who refuse to even put it to a vote, despite what we, the american people, want… because they want to hold onto their own power. it’s pathetic. i’ve had enough.”
of course, as the story unfolded, it was actually NINETEEN children and TWO teachers who were murdered at robb elementary school. i think we all have had enough.