Seasons

Madeline and Jaime

Artwork I created on my work dry-erase board

With a cool breeze in the air, the earthy smell of freshly cut grass and a small pit of excitement in my stomach we enter football season. I can hear the techno twang of the tunnel song right before the Huskers break out onto the field. Goosebumps rise on my arms and tiny tears swell up in the corners of my eyes. College days gone by I can still remember what it's like to sit in the student section of Husker stadium. Pretty soon we're going to have to take the girls. They won't have the enjoyment of a hot Fairbury hotdog wrapped in foil and doused with ketchup or foil-wrapped Runza, but they will be able to experience the electricity in the air and will probably as strongly associate Valentino's cheese pizza with football as we did with Fairbury hotdogs.

Husker season ushers in the fall season and the school activities begin in earnest. Madeline attended her first roller skating party last night. The mildew-y odor, dim lights, psychodelic decorations, carpeted benches, sticky snack bar counter, all girl skates, concrete block walls and relentless 70's and 80's music harken back to my own youth. They are, in fact, still playing the same songs they played when we were at the roller skating rink. Needless to say, Madeline had a fabulous time with her buddies Lissa, Andi and Jaime and will probably pester me in perpetuity to take her to the roller skating rink.