the rose of kiev

This was the girls' house for this week, "Tig na Mara".  Every morning we've been getting up and reading  and discussing passages from an unpublished book by Dennis McCallum about the church as we feel the house sway slightly.  Every morning after we finish reading we then crank up the music and have a mini dance party on the steps.  Every morning we all put our bikinis on and then take off for the beach together.  And today we were lucky enough to see SUNSHINE.  What a glorious sight after all the overcastness, one that we capitalized on. In the afternoon, after some fun at the beach, a lot of boys and Emily Morris and I went to the second annual tennis tournament.  Last year's tennis tournament happened on the day where happy hour involved headdresses, so most bystanders were Arabian from the earlobes up.  This year, Cynthia and Emily Maxwell cheered us on from the sidelines, minus the headdresses.  They cheered me on to a magnificent 6-0 loss to Emily Morris.  ...

Everything starts with ice cream. Behind-the-counter Chubby brown-eyed baby Bringing in the college campus customers The biggest baby flirt you ever saw. Bathed in deep metal sinks in the back Young dad running the store with the baby Young mom still in school Learning to teach little older kids. I was an only child for Five whole years The only baby of three from The Upside-Down Penguin Ice-Cream Shop. I swear to this day Mint-chocolate chip ice cream Runs in my veins with the blood. Everything starts with ice cream From meeting Jessica Queeney at three (One old picture still left Of two smiling babies) To Coldstone cake-batter Reese’s pieces With a bunch of ‘pirate’ friends Tricia’s digital camera Storing every moment Of our scandalous sugary wickedness. Everything starts with ice-cream First date with this cute boy (I met him where I work at Wendy’s He ordered a side salad and a Frosty) Johnny Rocket’s corner-table Possibly gay? waiter He orders an iced tea With three sugar packets ...