Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Jumpin into Summer the Old Fashion Way

Jumpin' in to summer

A summer night melody, no a rock concert of frogs, crickets and the birds sang me to sleep.

The night in the tent… I bet you wanna know what happen.

Yes, the cat jumped on me in the middle of the night. Right on my stomach, starred me in the eye. I screamed but nobody noticed… or stirred. Gave new meaning to "slept like a log."

Nobody wet the the bed either. Thank my lucky stars for that! 

Have you ever slept in the middle of the bed in a tent? So much fun.

 

Summer fun 11

I love my nieces and nephews. Coming home would not be the same without them.

We went swimming today. I put my toe in and yelled, "It is freezing!" It truly was ice cold.

But as usual that did not stop them from jumping in. So I did too, and froze.

They told me about a game that we had to play called, Mermaids.

We each had to describe ourselves as mermaids. Each of them described their outfits: Long blond hair, pink fins, polka dotted tops, pink lipstick, ribbons in their hair, sparkling tail in multi colors.

 

Summer fun &&

After three hours of jumping around trying to keep warm in the ice cold pool, it was my turn to describe my outfit as a mermaid.

I told them my tail was jewel encrusted with rubies, diamonds, pearls… that my hair was flaming red, my eyes green, my top…. two seashells, that I had seaweed woven in my hair too, and Oh, I had eyelashes longer than my arms and ever time I bat them it caused a mighty wave to roll.

My nephew added, "I think it should be coconuts and not seashells for your top?"

My nieces disagreed.

Seashells won.

Though the eye lash wave creator stole the show.

Later they told me that our names were no longer our first names, but our middle names. I told them my middle name was "Sugar Cube".

 

What would your mermaid outfit look like? I promise you I won't splash.

Oh by the way I am sleeping in the tent tonight… why let a good thing slip by just because of a cat and the fear of pee.

Fifty three and feeling like ten again… oh the joy of being able to spend summer with children and not having to act my age.

By the way what is your middle name?

 

Comments

49 responses to “Jumpin into Summer the Old Fashion Way”

  1. Shelley Noble

    You have to be the most creative and lovely person ever, Corey.

    Reply
  2. Zosia

    My daughter loved the film Aquamarine when she was about 10. She watched it many times. Mermaids have this spell over little girls.
    My middle name is Anna.

    Reply
  3. Sam

    Looks like you had a fabulous time. I love the smiles on their faces, they’re so expressive. I haven’t slept in a bed in the middle of a tent, just a sleeping bag. Hope you’re enjoying yourselves underneath the stars.
    My outfit would probably be made out of starfish and seaweed, sort of a Friday casual thing.

    Reply
  4. Amanda

    Hi Corey!
    I’ve been reading your blog for a year or so now, and I’m delurking! I’m coming to France (from Australia) to study for a year in August. I love reading your stories! Hmmm… If I were a mermaid, I’d have dark waist length curls, a peach coloured seashell top, and… a turquoise jewelled tail!

    Reply
  5. Paulita

    Gorgeous photos and dreams of mermaids. Soak them in like a giant sponge before they eschew your company for boys. I think my middle name will be Feather Pen.

    Reply
  6. Lisa

    It has been years since I even wanted to sleep in a tent, but you are making it sound like so much fun! I spent most of my childhood summers playing mermaid in our pool, but I don’t think I ever gave it any thought about how I looked…

    Reply
  7. Jeanne

    Fabulous indeed.
    You transport many beautiful childhood memories
    although I don’t like camping or sleeping in tents the sharing of magical moments is priceless.
    I love you
    My middle name is Victoria.
    Love you
    Jeanne

    Reply
  8. Sam

    That sounds lovely Amanda, you’d look just like an ornamental pin in your jeweled tail.

    Reply
  9. Nance

    You are giving those young minds and hearts…an opportunity to know you never have to lose the joy of childhood…never have to stop playing.
    My tail would be covered with tiny, sparkling stars, that automatically twinkled in the night, so the children mermaids would not be scared of the dark. My top has been tattooed with sunflowers and my hair is long, brown curls. My middle name is Star.

    Reply
  10. Sue

    You are the best Aunt ever! This makes me miss my nephews and nieces. They are getting all grown up now (a couple even married), but I remember them like your nieces and nephew are in the photos!

    Reply
  11. jackie

    Marie, my middle name is marie (yawn.) I would be the sister of the starry tailed mermaid above, and we would look just alike. What a great description and what a terrific tale/tail:)

    Reply
  12. Julie M ~ The Little Red Shop

    If I were a mermaid…I would swipe a cable-knit sweater and some comfy jeans off of the side of a fisherman’s boat, slither onto shore until I had a couple of dainty legs…and then go shopping using sunken treasure for cash.
    You must be brewing such fond memories in the minds of those little kids!
    : )
    Julie M.
    ps As for my name, my elementary school self wanted my Indian name to be “Cornflower,” because that was my favorite color of crayon.

    Reply
  13. joodie

    PATRICIA!
    would’ve named my baby Valentina Bay if God had sent me a girl…got a big ole boy, and named him Austin Hunter, and have never looked back! [he’s 22 now]
    waiting on new baby, due today….my oldest nephew’s first child…life just ZOOMS by, don’t it?!?!?!
    have fun, crazy Corey, and give your Mama a smoochie for me

    Reply
  14. Lisa-vet

    Since I only live an hour away from willows, I know it’s going to be really hot today.. Enjoy, the pool. Have fun little Corey, ; )

    Reply
  15. Cheryl in Wisconsin

    Dear Sugar Cube:
    I’d be a biker mermaid, swathed in black leather and silver studs. Might be kinda hard to float in that get-up though.
    Sometimes we just have to embrace adversity, so I’d say give that cat a big ol’ hug.
    Have fun.

    Reply
  16. debra

    C, how fun! I think you find the fun & laughter in everything you do – another little lesson/reminder for me! Geez, that’s why I can’t go a day without reading TIC. Jean . . .middle name. When I was born, my childless aunt had miscarried again and my mother let her name me.

    Reply
  17. everton terrace

    I’ve only slept in a tent once in my life and I was in my 20’s. I love your mermaid and am going to remember that game for my nieces as well 🙂
    My middle name is Marie.

    Reply
  18. Marilyn

    Oh what fun your nieces and nephews are having sharing in the joys of their aunty Coco. I do wish I had some little ones to play with. If I were a mermaid their would definitely be flowers in my hair. My middle name would be MimiLove.

    Reply
  19. Kathie B

    At birth I was given my mother’s family name as my middle name. When I married Farmboy Husband I took his surname, so made my own family name my middle name. Ho-hum…
    Corey, does everyone in your family jump? :-)))

    Reply
  20. Cathy J.

    When I was 10 I went to summer camp. We slept in a sleeping bag outisde one night and I was freaked out all night because my friend swore she saw a snake. I saw something that looked like a snake, but it never moved. In the morning I discovered it was a twig.
    You’ve made lasting memories for your neices and nephews, that’s nice! They’ll say “Remember when Auntie Coco did ….”
    My middle name is Yevonne.
    I’d be a Hawaiian mermaid. Pulmeria in my hair and hibicus on my tail. Aloha!

    Reply
  21. Star

    My imagination could use a turbo boost; I guess it’s stale because we don’t have little ones around. I love your mermaid description!
    My middle name is Ann. it might as well be Plain Jane.

    Reply
  22. JudyO

    Corey, you are a hoot! Bringing back memories of sleeping in the backyard in a tent with my cousins when they visited in the summer. Looking forward to doing it with our grandsons in a few years. My middle name is Virginia after my mother. I never liked it. She didn’t like it either. When I was about twelve I wanted to change my name to Corey. I wrote it in all my books. Serendipity???

    Reply
  23. Carolyn Mallin

    Such fun! If I were a mermaid I would have long silvery hair and my tail would have sparkling crystal colors of ocean blue and pale green.
    My middle name is Renee.

    Reply
  24. Patt

    I would be the Crystal and Silver mermaid. My name would be Trauve’. My Middle name is Anne. After an old family friend. I was more creative with my daughters now in their middle 30’s. Summer and Heather. When I was a child I though my name was Annie because of the e at the end. I rather like my middle name but would love to be Coco Anne. I think every Patricia born in the 50’s has the middle name Anne.

    Reply
  25. LaurieSF

    Delightful, Corey. If I were a mermaid..I would turn my short, fine hair into a flowing mane of thick, brown, curls. I would wear nothing, as I love the feeling of water against my skin. My tail would be long, at least five feet and eleven inches and in a treasure chest I keep at the bottom of the sea. Pearls and sea shells collected from my many ports of call.
    Splash!

    Reply
  26. Marie

    I already told you what my mermaid looked like yesterday, and my middle name. I really like mermaids, because one of my favorite movies was Aquamarine! Love that movie! 🙂

    Reply
  27. meredith

    My middle name is Jo and I was a mermaid in a previous life.

    Reply
  28. g

    NEVER NO ONE AND I REPEAT NO ONE is a plain jane…with a name like STAR you probably just do not see what a true star you are!! we never do….each of us unique and so special….never say plain jane…there is one and only you— how can that ever be plain!!!

    Reply
  29. g

    my middle name is irene after my mom’s only sister and my first name is my mom’s mother and father’s names put together-with all the vowels in place…georgeanne…i carry her whole family name in one fell swoop….i love my name and ALL the history it holds(no one calls me georgeanne) a story in and of itself. if i were a mermaid i would have a emerald green fin about 5 feet long with gold on each gill of the fin. i would not have any type of top except dark brown hair(mid back length) to cover up only when necessary. i too would have seaweed woven in my hair and necklaces of the finest shells and some breacelts too- no rings….i would sun myself in the day and sing songs to the boats in the evening….and swim swim swim…my face would be as it is now. i would enjoy being a mermaid.

    Reply
  30. Brenda L. in TN.

    My mermaid outfit would be seaweed, starfish and seashells…
    Sleeping in a tent brings back many memories of me and best friend, Dorothy, sleeping beside her driveway and her two little brothers scaring us to death!!
    My middle name is Joy…named after my Mother’s cousin.
    Enjoy your visit!

    Reply
  31. Salut15@ aol.com

    My mermaid tail would be iridescent blues and greens,like dragonfly wings.
    My middle name isLouise.
    So glad u did not get peed on, Corey!

    Reply
  32. Jeannie

    I thought of you last night as I laid down to sleep. My window was open and I could hear the crickets. Cats at my feet and head, but no fear of pee, unless I was too lazy to get up during the night. Middle name is Marie after my Great Gram, and many cousins also share it. She was an extraordinary woman. I am a mermaid. Emerald green eyes, raven hair, my tail is a tidal pool of color and since this is my imagination, no top. No need as the girls are perky enough to go without. (I told you it was my imagination.);) Keep having fun in the sun!

    Reply
  33. patti

    What fun with your nieces & nephews. My husband is the very youngest in his family so when we were marrried, his sisters and brother all had children. One night we picked six of them up at the ferry, took them to the opening of the very first Star Wars then to our house over night for a slumber party. What a fabulous time! They still talk about it. About twenty years later, we invited them to our house for a “Star Wars” reunion where we remembered, laughed and watched the recorded version. Memories like these are precious. Keep making those memories!

    Reply
  34. Franca Bollo

    That pool looks very familiar. Anyone jump off the bathhouse roof?
    My middle name is Weldon Rumproast. A rare one, indeed.

    Reply
  35. Kiki

    so much to read, to smile, to wonder…
    mermaids….; gosh, I have never thought about ‘my’ mermaid costume! Can i add my costume at the next party in a couple of years?!
    no middle name; we are modest! (but my Christian name has already 2 names, combined)
    WONDERFUL, FRESH PHOTOS of lovely, lovely kids!
    TENTING: yESSSSSS, i DID THAT; with my dachshund doggie, and yes, she was laying with her head on the cushion, husband was holding her like a lover; she sneaked in from the bottom and worked her way up until she had the ‘special place’ – but I was buttoned up to my nose and was ‘safe’…. much fun, very little sleep – later on with kids and friends – more fun, more little sleep…. NOW I prefer a cosy room with a large bed and no moscitos!

    Reply
  36. Allison

    Middle name Elizabeth–love my saint’s story behind it. She used to feed falsely accused prisoners by sneaking bread in her apron. One day she got caught and could have been imprisoned herself but when she dropped her apron, fresh flowers fell. I’m a pink mermaid. Deep dark pink sparkly tail, light pink bikini top (Rafa used to call bikinis “boobie shirts”)dark pink long flowing hair and light pink lipstick and eyeshadow. Love from San Francisco!! Allison

    Reply
  37. Kimberly

    Fun stuff! My middle name is Ann. Blessings, Kimberly

    Reply
  38. Brenda, Walker, LA, USA

    I love all your posts,enjoy the tent experience! I hope you don’t mind this post from me!
    My Middle name is Marie, however legally I go by my maiden name which is french “DeLaune”…
    Now as for the Mermaid outfit:
    I once had an old Norman Rockwell in my Antique Shop, I looked at it and began to dislike it more and more. It was something about the man’s ultimate catch, the helpless women with no feet, the ultimate control over a woman! lol…I was so glad it was sold! I wanted to take it out of it’s beautiful frame, I didn’t think the picture deserved it ;however, I love all of Norman Rockwell’s work, I didn’t like that one.
    If I were a Mermaid I would hide from men, so I wouldn’t dress to appeal to one! Glad to know some men who aren’t like the typical ones!

    Reply
  39. bleu

    Oh what fun! Kids are the best. Enjoy tonight and my middle name is Denise.

    Reply
  40. Mahala

    My middle name is Alice and my tail is a beautiful shade of Opal…shimmering greens and blues with a top made out of abalone shells. My eyes are as blue as the ocean and my hair is long and wavy brown the sides held back by little purple and pink starfish.

    Reply
  41. Sheala

    Kathleen
    My mermaid outfit is made completely out of pearls….every shade and hue, from tiny seed pearls to HUGE, GINORMOUS pearls! It’s beautiful, creamy, and pure♥

    Reply
  42. Violet Cadburry

    I have a riddle for you:
    First, I have slept in a tent in a bed a couple of times. I have slept in a tent without a bed probably thousands of times.
    Second, I am a mermaid of olden times, who romped in waters colder than thine.
    Third, A squirrel that flys through the air will land exactly where?
    Who am I?

    Reply
  43. Jennie@clusternavigators.com

    Well now
    Given the colour of the sea in my part of the world I think I would want a long rich turquoise tail covered in lots of mosaic like pieces of Paua (or abalone to you guys) so that as it moved in the water all the colours would change and move between pink/purple/turquoise/green and so on. I would probably have trouble with using shells or coconuts for the top half unless they came in “spectacularly large bust” sizes so I may have to resort to wrapping my upper half in layers of bandage like seaweed to keep everything in place!
    As for middle names I have two. Elisabeth and Willard. Willard was my Grandmothers middle name and she was born in 1898, around the time an American suffragette called Frances Willard died. I come from a long line of strong minded Methodist missionaries so it figures I would have such a middle name!
    Thanks for the lovely summery images as this side of the world is in winter mode.
    Cheers

    Reply
  44. Gypsy Threads

    My mermaid outfit would be made of silver bells and cockle shells. I envision myself looking much like The Venus Rising mermaid in that beautiful gallery in Florence, Italy, the Uffitzi (?). Hey, if you are going to fantasize it may as well be a good one, right?
    I am suffering from ‘family envy’ as I am an only child and both my parents have passed as have most of the other family members. What a blessing you are to them. They will have these memories in their hearts for all the days of their lives. And, when it is their turn to sleep in the tent as the adult there will be no stopping them!
    My middle name is Sue. I have always hated my name and am in the process of changing it! I cannot wait!

    Reply
  45. jend’isère

    Mermaid crazy around here since my sirene-clad girl played violin for a Peter Pan pantomine. With the challenge of navigating her tail and instrument onstage. “Beast” is the translation of my middle name, as you know.

    Reply
  46. Gail Sullivan

    Ha ha, coco,
    I just left Indiana. I went for my niece’s wedding. I forgot to check your blog for several days, so got to come home to 6 days worth of entries….kinda fun. Anyway, in high school, my good friend “Lorraine in Spain” called me “Gail the whale”, so I guess my middle name is Whale!
    xoxo
    Gail

    Reply
  47. mary blanchard

    I would have a long gorgeous tail with colors of purple and silver. I would have long blond hair with seashells for a head band. My top would be made up of pink seashells and pearls, Middle names are Jane Helen and I guard the pearls of the sea.
    I wish I had you for an Aunt :o)

    Reply
  48. Kathie B

    Bette Midler — that’s the type of mermaid I’D like to be 🙂

    Reply
  49. Lyndee

    If I were a mermaid I should have a cape and be a super hero. My cape would be lavender with silver braid and threads interspersing it. My middle name is Annette so it would be AA across my silvery mother of pearl breastplate standing for AquaAnnnette The Water Wonder. My powers include being able to look like a person with legs in order to trick the enemies of all my sea creatures like oil barons who don’t treat the ocean well. My hair is long and red and I wear only pearls for my jewels. The pelicans are my trained bodyguards and friends. My eyes are green as seaweed and I bear a small tattoo of a crab as a mark of my birthright. King Neptune has commended me for my work in saving starfish. I am a force to be reckoned with! LOL!

    Reply

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