Sunday

The girls and I needed to decompress a bit today after saying a sad and early goodbye to our friends this morning, so we went outside.  Isn't that always the answer? They have been struggling lately, bickering, venting, driving me (and themselves, wouldn't you think?) nuts, and our answer is always to get outside.  The greenness of the day absorbed some of that craziness for me - the drive to the park is like a tunnel of green right now, every green you can imagine, all of it fresh, nourishing.  I shared that with the girls, and asked what color makes them feel better when they are out-of-sorts? Yellow for Eliza - like dandelions, buttercups, sunflowers, the sun, she said.  Anika first mulled over the question as I asked it - when you feel blue, what color makes you feel better? - then answered pink and purple. Eliza chimed in finding flowers of those colors as we passed gardens and redbud trees.  When we got to the lake E jumped out of the car to look for frog eggs, and I thought we had found some, but they turned out to be bubbles...

Don't they look like eggs? 

Mayapples

Critter of the beetle variety (I think it's an Earth-boring Dung Beetle, Geotrupes splendidus) - look at those cool antennae he is sporting. (A called this one a Very Large Tick, which gave us an opportunity to count the legs and think about whether or not he might be an insect or an arachnid...we definitely have ticks on the brain, as we've found a few on ourselves after recent hikes.  E will find a random small red mark on me and exclaim, Mama I think you have Lyme disease!!)

The girls in a peaceful moment. E is wearing a new-to-her handmedown sweatshirt from R's brother who is turning 11 this month and bought it to wear as one of the Flight of the Conchords boys for Halloween. This really cracks me up.

And just in case you thought Eliza was the only fashionista in the family, check me out! Classy, huh.  One of Eliza's portraits of her ma.

Sadly, we round out the family photos with this one of Dan, taken one hour ago, sitting at the table with me.  He is sick with what E and I have been dealing with for the past week, and as usual, it is hitting him hard - fever, chills, aches.  I am sitting here with a tank top and pjs on and am quite comfortable...He is still cold, despite the hot tea, woolen hat, layers of clothes...I do not envy the fact that he has to use his brain in this state.  In the worst of it I was still able to hardboil eggs and make toast, but I didn't have to think.  This may be a long week...