easter

Paas bonanza. Nothing fancy this year.

waiting for sister to wake up

Ani and I think maybe wood frogs?

hiking with ramps. mmmmmmmm.

Cutleaf toothwort

Bitter Cress

my people, in the woods with me = holiday

see that green? ramps. ohh yeah.

hello, baby buckeye!

Trout lily leaves

old puffball

little stinkbug, out where it's supposed to be
(instead of my bedroom! enough is enough!)

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Ani declined the family hike for some old fashioned kid romping.  Our neighborhood has doubled its kid population in the last couple of months, specializing in six to nine year olds, and it has been an interesting development. There are parts I love - the pack running wild, laughing, staying out until the very last possible minute.  There are aspects that are confusing Ani - like the focus on "crushes" and who likes who, and the boy/girl divide, which some days manifests itself in flirty games and other days becomes "boys against girls".  It is all familiar to me as a former schoolkid, and it is making me really appreciate the kind of imaginative play I see the mixed age and gender groups we are with in the homeschooling world.  Interestingly, all of these kids but one have homeschooled in the past but have been back in school for a couple of years.  She seems to be enjoying her time with them, but finds it occasionally boring or befuddling, and wonders why the focus on relationships...

When everyone had gone home and we'd finished with dinner, she dragged me across the street to help her identify a new plant.  We keyed it out together, using our Newcomb's Wildflower field guide and successfully identified it as Lesser Celandine, a member of the Buttercup family. Always satisfying to figure out something new.

On an unrelated note, I made my second-ever roast today, but barbacoa style, with chipotle peppers, in the crock pot. Holy wah, it was good!!! The sun was shining, I had my family near for most of the day, we ate delicious food, the tadpoles are still alive...Life is good.