glorious

Yes, you're going to have to listen to me go on about spring again.  Really, when it's happening, there isn't much else to talk about, is there? It happens so quickly - arriving quickly, living such a short life, and then disappearing into the full sunlight of summer.  So. This day started with sushi rolls, kid-style (I think they did a pretty good job on the rolling, don't you?)

Then Out. Our mission was to find a place to plants some ramps Dan bought, roots and all, at market this week.  Though we don't have a good place for them at home, we are hopeful that they might thrive on our friends' land...

Ramps!

Our friends' property runs along a gorge.  It is impossible to convey how dramatically beautiful this spot is.

While looking for a good spot for the ramps (near beech, birch, or poplar, and in a spot that is somewhat wet), we discovered that the ramps she planted last year were GROWING!!!!! Beyond exciting. Now we knew exactly where to plant the new ramps!

The spring ephemerals were everywhere...

violets

This was the second hike I've taken this week with a cat. I love hiking with a cat. Makes me feel all wise-woman-witchy.

Cutleaf toothwort

Hepatica!

There is a creek running through the gorge right now; this is me trying to get some perspective on the hill and the size of the gorge. Can you see the child waaaay down there?

And here is the view from the bottom, back up towards the rocks. There were flowers everywhere we stepped - we were choosing between stepping on cutleaf toothwort, troutlily leaves, and trillium!

We did not step on the trillium.

Is there any better place for children to explore than a creek?

Salamander

Dutchman's Britches

Hepatica with leaves

We found some good treasures in the thick leaf litter along the banks of the creek.  A turkey sternum (and yes, we went from "it's a fin!!" to "it's a pteradactyl crest!" to finally deciding on Big Bird and went from there...)...

A salamander baby (can you see it? Bottom right)...

It was gorgeous, all of it. I felt so lucky to be there, to have friends who share their bounty.

 

And in case you are finding me somewhat nerdy (what? you hadn't picked up on the nature-geek nature of this blog already??), rest assured that I share this trait with my good friends here. I am in excellent company.

Spring Cuties

We haven't done this project for a while, and our nature table was a bit lacking, so little spring people (fairies? root children?) it was.

Out came the wooden people, the acrylic paints, some acorn caps and some wool roving.

On came the music - the Duhks, at Eliza's request - and we were off.

The girls draw so much that we can go for quite a while without a more guided art project. I forget to get out the paints or clay.  This was just right for today.

Needle felting some hats...

Eliza's littles

Ani's littles

Eliza has such a knack for character - the bangs, the faces...I love what she did.

I called them "spring beauties", like the flowers, but Ani thought "spring cuties" was more fitting. I think she's right...

sunday sunday

 It was a nearly-perfect day, in every way.  Cold weather suspended, blue skies and green popping out from everywhere, and a day to meander. Together and apart. With dearest friends.

Spring Beauties

 Yup, meandering.

 We sat for a while, between the parts of the day known as "coffee" and "beer", and made an attempt at treasure mapping together, but honestly, the day was a distraction, and the breeze was strong, so we left that for another time.

 Oh yeah, there was also Hard Work (not pictured) by Strong Men (pictured), who deserved a well-earned break to sit, and then meander.  A new tee on the golf course in the woods was cleared away, and the hole known as "snake canyon" improved upon.

 And the kids? I know you're wondering about the kids. They were there somewhere...climbing trees, sitting under the forsythia, giggling, talking, imagining, and ambushing me with hugs when I strolled by.

praying mantis egg case

Did I mention it was nearly perfect? Oh, it was....Sigh.

Good Earth Farm School

No Foolin'

 Oh, I'd been waiting a year or two to remember to do this trick. My friend Kimmy did this for her kids one April Fool's Day and I thought it was hilarious. Last night I finally remembered to make up a small pot of oatmeal. Dividing it into two small plastic bowls, I sat spoons in each and stuck them in the freezer overnight. Mwah ha ha...breakfast of champions: frozen oatmeal.  Above you can see a blurry image of Ani discovering that her yummy bowl of oatmeal is...frozen? What???? How can I eat this oatmeal? WHY did you do this to my oatmeal? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?????

 She did not take it well.  She was mad.  There is a fine line with Ani between something that is funny and something that is REALLY REALLY REALLY not funny.  Eliza, on the other hand, found it very funny and thought all day about a joke to play on her papa tonight:  slipping Cinderella into the dvd player instead of the family movie of choice this evening, How Art Made The World. Pretty funny. 

Ani was able to laugh about it later, sort of laughing at how ridiculous her mom was and sort of laughing at herself, but it took her a long while to get there.  I was glad I had abandoned any attempts to pull anything over on the group at farm school, who are mostly around Ani's age.  I think perception is still too literal at 5 and 6 - that sophistication of seeing more than what is in front of you must develop around 7, though I'm sure as with anything else, it depends on the kid.  She also thought that she would have liked to be in on the joke, just having to keep a secret, but even that, she then thought, was really too much.  I think on another day, maybe if she were feeling solidarity with Eliza, and experienced the joke as a team, she could have handled it, but what I forgot in my brilliant moment of planning was that Ani finds it really painful to be embarrassed. She even has a hard time seeing others feel embarrassment; watching an episode of I Love Lucy sends Eliza into hysterics, while Ani cringes and covers her ears and buries her face in the couch, anticipating Lucy getting caught doing something wrong.

Sigh. I went from feeling so pleased with myself (chortle chortle) to feeling like such a heel (Bad Mom!!!). It did help to hear Eliza telling everyone today about the goofy thing her mom did.  She has a silly streak a mile wide...the other day she saw me writing on some hard-boiled eggs, to make sure anyone looking in the fridge would realize they weren't raw.  I'd gotten bored with "HB" so was making some drawings.  She asked if she could take over, and this is what I found the next time I went looking for a hard-boiled egg...

Me, as egg.