The Wonder of Trader Joe's Park

There are very few things in the Leatherkids' lives that give them greater pleasure than "Trader Joe's Park" (which I just learned is actually named "Gartner Park").  Early this afternoon when we found ourselves recognizing the beautiful fall day that it is, we collectively concluded that we should be outside.  Having spent the better part of yesterday afternoon outside doing typical things (raking and cleaning up leaves, riding bikes up and down our neighborhood sidewalk, and... let's just call it wrestling), we needed something different.  Ella even asked, "Can we go somewhere FUN, Mommy?"

"How 'bout Trader Joe's Park?" I asked her.  I had barely finished the "k" in park when Ella was running to Cal and excitedly asking him, "Cal, do you want to go to Trader Joe's Park?!"  Of course, he did.

The entirety of Trader Joe's Park

Trader Joe's Park is nothing more than a neighborhood park near the Trader Joe's that we frequent. It's got a couple of playground play sets, one for bigger kids and one for smaller, that are mostly describable as things to climb but also with a handful of fairly simple slides.  It also has a couple of varieties of swings -- even babies can enjoy their time here. There's also a see-saw, not the kind I grew up with where the guy left on the see-saw was screwed when the other guy unexpectedly jumped off, but one that is forgiving of that and safe.  I just noticed the sand pit, and I'll take credit for the fact that my kids don't even notice it -- they've been discouraged from any time in the sand at these parks since before they could walk.  I hate those sand pits.  And around the park area is some attractive landscaping that includes a couple of trees suited for, yes, climbing.  It is pretty nice, but really doesn't have much more than what they get at the park in their own neighborhood.

Leatherkids on the see-saw

I love having this park in my back pocket.  It's my go-to... my slam dunk... my "money" move.  I swear, you'd think it's Disney World the way the Leatherkids react to even the possibility of spending one minute at this park.  I typically use it as an incentive for them to be cooperative and on their best behavior while shopping for groceries at Trader Joe's -- if they're good, they know they can go to Trader Joe's Park; if not, we'll drive right by it with a certain mention of what could have been, "There's the park, Leatherkids!  We could have had sooooooo much fun there.  Oh, well, maybe next time."

The last time I used this tactic it was a cloudy day.  The possibility of rain was high going in to Trader Joe's and a reality when we left it.  The Leatherkids had been on their best behavior that visit.  With one-track minds and an inability to apply any reason and common sense to a scenario such that the conclusion wouldn't be the desired one, they asked if they could still go to the park.  It wasn't pouring rain, but it wasn't drizzling, either.  Not one to renege on my commitments (some might argue otherwise) and not applying common sense or exhibiting signs of a backbone myself, I told them that we had made a deal and that they could go.  After all, rain is just water.  "You have 10 minutes, and I'm going to sit in the car and watch from there," I told them.  And off they went, only to return 8 minutes later, drenched and ready to go home.

Today's park time is also tied to a visit to Trader Joe's, this time after park time.  It being such a beautiful day here, I wanted the Leatherkids to have some long, quality time at the park without worrying that groceries in the car were thawing or going bad.  It's a risk for sure.  As I've been writing this, I've been visited three times by thirsty kids (I forgot to pack water) and twice by a teary-eyed, wronged and supposedly hurt kid (Ella, of course).  Other than that, it's been glorious so far with the Leatherkids darting from one play area to the next with no plan other than to have fun.  They've climbed, they've played "it", and they've see-sawed.  They've also almost run over a couple of smaller kids as they did so, not with malice but with a lack of recognition that anyone else exists.

Leatherkids throwing leaves

As I say that, I see the Leatherkids in a different part of the park, beyond the play area I described.  They're sitting beneath a yellow-leafed tree in a bed of leaves that have already fallen.  Cal is rolling around in them in his on world, and Ella is sitting with two other smaller girls in the sea of leaves surely telling them something. The three girls just stood up and are walking together, dragging their feet and kicking up leaves as they do.  They made their way to another tree with even more leaves beneath it.  Cal followed.  And now they're throwing leaves into the air and at each other.

Anything can and does happen at Trader Joe's Park.  I guess it is really is better than others.  I don't have high expectations for what's about to happen at Trader Joe's, though. Hopefully, I won't have a blog-worthy story to tell about it.