I go? You go? She goes? He goes?...

at a four way STOP when we all kind of get there at once?

The person on the right - is what I remember from drivers ed.
Except that for a few long seconds, we are making eye contact and gesturing before going forward.
As civilized as the exchanges may (or may not be)...
Give me a traffic light anytime ~
I will gladly wait a few seconds for a green light that means I GO.

I love the lush leafy trees in this town.  I don't love the STOP signs that are hidden beneath the verdure during the flowering seasons.  Can we say traffic hazard!
Again, give me a traffic light, (usually) visible during all seasons ~
I will gladly wait a few seconds for a red light that means I STOP.

To emerge, mate, then rest in peace...

such is the cycle of the annual or "dog days" chatty cicadas.
Well, only the males are chatterboxes. Females remain silent.  Imagine that?!

M spotted this dead cicada lying on the road...truly an exquisite looking insect.

I say a lifeless cicada is a way better sighting than coming across a feathery furry sad mess of roadkill.

Beware of drivers...

taking a right on red.

95% of the time, they are just concerned with watching oncoming cars coming from their left...and take the turn while keeping their heads turned to the left.
Completely oblivious to the possibility that there may be a pedestrian on their right.
95% of the time, even when they do see me getting ready to step off the curb with kid in stroller, they take the turn anyways.
Surly words just projectile right out of my mouth when this happens.

After one of my tirades, I happen to glance at one of the cars waiting to take a left turn into the mall...the driver is sort of grinning more smirking and shaking her head.
Oh crap.
M's preschool director just witnessed one of my public $#F@U!^$# meltdowns.

Sidewalks are not a given...

Whether I am out running, biking with M, or just taking a stroll, it makes me a bit uneasy to share the road with moving vehicles.  Is it better to face oncoming traffic or have my back toward oncoming traffic? My instincts say to face toward, then I see all the other runners / power walkers doing the business facing away from oncoming traffic.
No matter. Whichever way I am orientated, I am practically hugging the curb and yammering at M to stick closer to me.

Most drivers are considerate enough to drive away from us when they see us in the road.
Key phrase being...when they see us.
My biggest pet peeve are sporty cars with souped up engines zooooming around the corners with wheels a screechin!
M always yells and shakes his mini fists after them, "Slow down hot dog wheels!".

Guess he can't escape his urban roots either.

Are we walking....

to the grocery store (ahem, I mean supermarkets), to the playground, to the library, to playdates, to wherever.

It is very convenient that I live within walking distance to two- count them TWO- well stocked malls. King Kullen, Super Stop-n-Shop, Home Goods, Children's Place, a USPS within an Ace Hardware, excellent pizzerias, etc...
so we could and do walk to all of the aforementioned places in 10-20 mins (maybe 30 mins to the library and the shady playground with sprinklers)...it's just that everything is so much more spread out and feels much farther. Fair enough, this is why most folks move to the burbs - for the extra space, right?

Fortunate to live right by a picturesque bay so walking to points along Main St is actually pleasant and doubles as a nature class.
M gets a kick out of running onto the town dock, checking out the boats, geese, goslings, swans, and determining if it's high mid or low tide.

The downside is that the sidewalks are really quite narrow and traffic is zooming by about a foot away from us.  It's a bit too close for my comfort level. If there are any other pedestrians or bikers on the sidewalk at the same time, then someone has to yield by stepping aside.
When M wants to bike to wherever we are going, then I become a nagging nelly. He's on his bike with training wheels, pedaling along at a quick clip and I am constantly reminding him he must go 15mph since he's on the sidewalk and can't go 30mph (he thinks he can just because he reads the speed limit signs).
He's still going along at his speedy speed and I realize that he can't hear me! He's got on his helmet and all of my words are actually being drowned out by the whizzing traffic.
As it turns out, we can't hear each other even when he is walking with me or is being pushed in his stroller.
I just hear him yelling "Right mama?", "Okay mama?"...I don't answer affirmatively since I am not sure what I might be okaying.

I am proud to say that we've hoofed it during the fall, winter, spring, all of June, and some of July.
However, I put dibs on the car during this heatwave.

Heat index near 110F. I put dibs on the car...

dropping B off at work so I can drive to pick M up from camp then onto his swim lesson at the pool.

When it's so hot that "everything looks like a Salvador Dali painting", it's too bothersome to be a pedestrian in the burbs.  Traffic lights are not programmed for folks who need to get from one side of the street to the other. It's a long wait for that "walk" icon to appear. Delayed green lights dominate. I've learned that jaywalking is not a good idea. And so it goes...

It's been 324 days...

of living in the burbs.  Weathered through a tough winter, seven days of spring, and a very warm June which bring us to the middle of July.

The summer is turning out to be kinda fun in these here parts.

Joined the newly renovated town pool - an awesome oasis from the heat and humidity.

Getting invited to bbq's...we've met some swell moms & dads from M's class who are a fun hang.

The biggest growth spurt is that I am getting more comfortable behind the wheel (haven't done highways yet).  Driving really does makes getting around easier and somewhat more efficient, especially grocery shopping (stay tuned for future postings on the gigantic supermarkets).
Don't get me wrong, we still do plenty of walking. Just because we can and it's a way of fitting some cardio into my day.

We will be poolside for the next two days to beat the heat....