…and the passing of another year, we went to the Tomato Art Fest in East Nashville yesterday. Several years back, Daddy and I decided that in a fast-paced culture with too few rituals, where years fly by without much notice and celebration, the Tomato Fest would be a worthy occasion to slow us down and remind us to celebrate the passing of the seasons. Sadly, we were sans Daddy for the kid-fun, daytime portion of this Tomato Fest; he was flying back from Seattle and got in in time to head down there for some music, a stroll through the gallery to pick this year’s art piece, some gazpacho and a late bedtime for you.
We went down a little after nine in the morning with Jates and family to watch the parade. You got a tomato red balloon and a wet kiss from a friendly, chocolate dog of some breed. You had a popsicle (a pink-colored one in a plastic sleeve) and sat still just long enough to have a tomato painted on your left forearm. The weather was mild, sunny and breezy, a sharp contrast to this time last year when you were new and the weather was scorching. I will never forget it, because I was bascially told by some do-gooder nurse that I was a bad mom for having you out in such heat. I tried to stifle my anger and hurt; through clenched teeth I thanked her politely for her concern but assured her that I was pretty tuned-in to your needs. Ooooh, I was seething. I’m sure she meant well, and I know it takes a village, but I had not asked her to be a part of my community. This year the weather was milder, people were less nosy and you were a lot less volatile. With the exception of the oohing and aahing crowd at the dunk tank who were too loud for you, you seemed to have fun, my lil mater.
Archive for August 10th, 2008
