The North Pole

August 19
the notebooks, backpacks and ipods are on sale. The school buses have started their practice runs. yellow leaves and early red ones are announcing, ever so subtly, what is coming, looming on the horizon. college kids are buying out all the supplies needed and unneeded at major stores. parents are frantically signing their kids up for whatever is left of summer camp. basketball teams and fall swim lessons are almost set. It's getting darker a bit earlier every day.
But, the pool is still open.  i'm still wearing sandals and the toes don't need socks. It's still August and my birthday hasn't even come yet. the sun is still warm.
 for me, the summer isn't over yet. I don't let anyone say when the summer is over until I'm ready to throw out a kiss to summer.
but tonight, i just wanted ice cream.  The summer isn't over and I wanted ice cream, soft vanilla ice cream.
So, after my walk/run, I drove to the North Pole. The kids are older now and I can no longer be spontaneous and say,"who wants to go out for ice cream?" But, I can be spontaneous with myself and so I took myself to Chittenango and had the best ice cream there is.
 there's something about driving to a local ice cream stand that's only open in the summer. it says rural, local and delicious all at the same time.
 only a few more weeks left.
 enjoy.