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Friday, April 10, 2009

leaf car



Eva made her doll Maya at the homeschool market last Sunday. One of the booths had all the fixin's for doll making- clothespins, cloth, fancy tapes, pipe cleaners, yarn... Eva added a jacket of her own at home and an acorn hat so she was warm enough. She rode around in her leaf car while Eva snapped photos of flowers.

We were strolling along

and Eva took 100+ photos of flowers around our neighborhood. We posted several to her blog and I couldn't resist some of them for my own. Here is the disclaimer- if you are tired of photos of flowers {egad!} then now is the time to look away! We are gaga for flowers around here!





Tuesday, April 7, 2009

flowers on my mind

Let's ponder for a few moments how incredibly amazing it is that we get to share space with flowers!



daffodils...daffodils...forget-me-nots (of the usually pulled variety)



trillium...wood violets...dandelions



daffodils (did I mention I love daffodils!)...pansies and ranunculus...hyacinths


Eva on her hippety hop!

ever optimistic...

Spending time with plants over the last couple of months has reminded me over and over again of just how optimistic life can be. I was working in a friend's garden recently, pulling up unwanted plants (a.k.a. weeding, but I dislike that word and haven't found one to replace it with- it is so presumptive!) and I marveled at the apple tree putting down roots in a path of gravel, making use of what little nutrients she could find mixed in with the gravel. Dozen of lilies had managed to spread into the gravel as well. Think of the plants popping up around rocks or peeping through a crack in the path, growing in a teaspoon of dirt, collected near a patch of moss...When you pull up one plant, another is bound to take its place.

Today I stopped to check out a gathering of ants, wondering what had drawn them into the patio and was amazed, as I always am, at how optimistic ants are! They were gathering together to pull a piece of dry cat food down into a crack in the concrete. The cat food was considerably larger than the crack and I still had no doubt that they would eventually dismantle it and haul it, every last piece, down into their colony. Perhaps they would start jumping up and down on the cat food, forcing it down into the crack. Or- they will get through what they can and move on to the next morsel...

One of my favorite Daily Grooves came through today and exemplifies this optimism very well-
:: No Regrets ::

As you progress and become a wiser parent, you may at
times feel regret that you didn't "know better" when
your children were younger. You may even feel guilty
for "damaging" them. If so, let Mother Nature inspire
you to a more hopeful perspective.

Have you ever explored a wild forest and appreciated
the awesome way in which Life springs forth from the
chaos? Then you know Mother Nature never regrets. She
learns as she goes and always makes the best of things
as they are. She never looks back.

When a tree takes root in the shadows, Mother Nature
doesn't regret giving it a "sub-optimum" start in
life. She trusts it will bend toward the Light and
find a way to thrive. And in doing so, the tree
creates its own unique beauty.

She knows that no storm, flood, or fire can stop the
endless Flow of Life through her children.

http://dailygroove.net/no-regrets

Feel free to forward this message to your friends!
(Please include this paragraph and everything above.)
Copyright (c) 2009 by Scott Noelle

Monday, April 6, 2009

squirrels in the yard, oh my!

This quote is from Oprah's site-
"Take up knitting. According to research at the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, the repetitive motion and focus of needlework can elicit what's known as the relaxation response—a calming meditation-like state that slows heart rate and causes blood pressure to drop. In addition, a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that knitting is associated with a lower risk of dementia for those 65 and older."



Samuel took this photo today of the squirrel who is bold enough to build a nest! in our yard. Her nest is situated close to the cracked corn and the bird feeder. She can jump from the cracked corn to the tree and be up into the branches before Jack can reach the edge of the patio. Jack is, needless to say, very confused about this turn of events. Not only is there a squirrel in his yard, she is living there!

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Gosh hmmm there is a lot going on and then also sort of the same things going on. For instance we are making chocolate chip cookies but the twist is Samuel made them and Eva just learned how to take them out of the oven. So a little same, a little different.

We are currently getting ready for the homeschool market tomorrow. Eva is planning on doing body art and tattoos and Samuel is selling cookies, cupcakes, handmade hattifatteners and little guys with eyes.

I am loving the book My Stroke of Insight and wondering what to read when I finish.

Portland is lovely right now with flowering trees and daffodils everywhere. The sun came out today and as usual when the sun shines here everyone came outside to play...