Weekend Amusements

So, a couple of amusements in the last few days.

• I played tennis one night last week at the Athletic Club in Little Rock. The courts are surrounded by honeysuckle, which smells heavenly right now. Every now and then, the fragrance would drift on to the court, and I'd feel like I was playing in Hawaii, where everything smells incredible. I was amazed that I was the first one to comment on the wonderful smell, and no one else had noticed it before I mentioned it. What gives, ya'll? It was incredible out there!
• So this same doubles match involved me and another lady who is about my age, and two other women who are probably in their 50s. One of the older ladies was doing us quite the favor, as she was usually well into her nightly glass of wine by the time we played that evening. I commiserated.
  
  The second older lady, a tall brunette in full makeup and perfect hair, is one of those women who epitomizes the sassy southern woman. The perfect combination of sweetness and smartass, with the amazing southern drawl that only someone who lives here can appreciate. Her voice usually precedes her presence on the court, so you know when she's coming. She's unapologetic about her voice, cussing, and pretty much anything else. That's just who she is, and she's hilarious.
  
  Late in the match, I was trying to buckle down and serve out a game. I'd struggled a little during the match, mainly because I wasn't as focused as I should have been. It was just a practice after all, but I needed to bring my game back around. So I settled in for the first point, served a nice serve to the tall brunette and won the point. As I gathered the balls for the next point, I could hear her across the court talking to herself, expressing frustration with the previous point.  I was getting set up to serve the next point as she continued her tirade against her missed service return, and she capped it off with a fabulously drawled, self directed "yeww dumbahhss."
  
  I proceeded to double fault the next two points as I was laughing too hard to pull my shit back together. I love playing tennis in the south, and I love these women. I've never had so much fun playing matches.
• Outside of the tennis front, J and I went to a crawfish boil this weekend up in Bentonville. It was friggin' COLD. Fortunately, there were lots of warming beverages, a fire pit, and interesting people. I got to watch my first game of beer pong - guess I can chalk that one up to one of life's experiences? No, I didn't play. I wasn't looking for a hangover this weekend, and I don't particularly care for beer, so it wasn't really worth it. But I can now say I at least know what the damn game is. And it was amusing as hell to watch all these folks from their early 20s through mid 50s playing drinking games. Guess there's no such thing as a moratorium on the craziness of youth? 
  
  Being back in NWA always makes me nostalgic for college days. It's so beautiful up there, life is a bit slower, and people seem a bit less reserved. We have many friends up in that area, and sometimes I wonder what it'd be like to be living up there. Life won't be slow, no matter where we are. With two kiddos and (usually) two working parents, there's no such thing as a slow life, not to mention the kiddos are quite attached to their grandparents.
  
  But with sunsets over the mountains, watching the moonlight coming up in the trees around a firepit, good friends, and what at least looks like a more grounded lifestyle, it's hard not to feel the pull to be up there.