study of a cycle

parenting is such a thrill ride. constantly trying out a new spin. 

feeling cautious and brave and terrified. 

you step up, you have a seat, you push the peddles, you steer, you glide. 

sticks and pods and pebbles and ruts rough things up a bit. 

you drift downhill, out of control. 

you step away for a spell and take in a new perspective. 

and then you get back on. 

every day. every hour. every moment. 

always cycling, recycling, and reinventing the wheel.

at the edge

tristan took a nap after preschool today, which always means he'll be up late into the night. so we decided to fill the time a bit by going on a sunset jaunt after dinner. the evening was getting on already, but we went to a favorite spot along the moormans river, where there are some big rocks jutting out of the earth. we walked a path to the top of the rocks and hung out there as the sun descended. there were some lovely red flowers emerging from crags, and we knew we'd picked the right spot.

i learned this evening that i am terrified of having tristan anywhere near a sheer cliff. suffice it to say, i had a very bad dream once. several times i felt the panic rise in me as he pranced and danced upon the top of that big rock. dan and i were vigilant in our protection, and tristan was angry that we were squashing his buzz. he claimed that he was perfectly aware of the edge, but i was feeling driven by fear, and i hate being that passenger. 

what really concerns you when it comes to the safety of your small child? how do you get the message across without making them feel incapable of good judgment?

forest dwellers

in the woods

there is new life

and new death

there are adventures to be had among the trees, in the water, and the ravines

there is quartz popping up everywhere, small pieces

and large

there is a little boy collecting flowers. in this case, twin daffodils!

and a young girl with pen, paper, camera, pencil, quietly observing the changes

there are wildflowers. ornamental trees. blooming shrubberies.

near the woods

there is home

my spring garland

i don't think i realized how much i longed for warm weather until it finally arrived. something that was missing was suddenly there. toasty dappled days with the yawning flowers hanging about. an infusion of birds and migrating flocks. the greening of the moss and the tapestry of tree blossoms. an abundance of miracles. 

everyone happy outside. meals on the deck. tristan leaping from tree to sandbox to garden to bicycle. tashi soaking up vitamin d while reading, sketching, taking notes on the changes. dan dutifully raking the embarrassment of leaves that are impossible to deal with in one season. everyone gathering for an afternoon snack while chimes welcome the breeze.

these are our days now, where there is no barrier between the outdoors and the indoors.

tristan loves gathering a great bouquet of dafodils

the pitch back net came out today

apples are not of the spring, but an afternoon snack outdoors is!

gifts from the faeries that tristan has been finding around the yard

 

our own little faerie contemplating the sunflower seed pods a lovely friend gave us. 

the first violet. all by herself by our new garden plot.

trucks trucks trucks, i love trucks. and sticks.

oh bumble bee oh bumble bee, you are so very very lovely

i adore seeing tristan lay down on the earth and take it all in. 

though tick checks are routine.

spider boot.

spider door.

(this was our most recent guest, a trapdoor spider. those are her legs holding up the disk of earth that is her door. creeping out of her hidey hole are her red babies. and the white webbing is her trip wire. it extends for a couple of yards, and vibrates when prey crosses it. trapdoor spiders are neither aggressive or poisonous to humans. i feel really quite honored by her presence, though certainly not without some revulsion!)

spring heart break

tashi and tristan both have spring break this week. we've been in a bit of a bubble because tashi has been suffering from a terrible head cold/sinus infection/ear infection for over a week now. last year she had a sinus infection and we were able to clear it up with natural means, but this year we pulled out every trick in the book before finally resorting to antibiotics for the first time in her 15 years. she did respond quite well to a baked onion on the ear, but while it took the pain away, the infection remained. it's been really sad seeing her go through the phases of this illness, from bothersome cold symptoms, to high fever, pain, and extreme exhaustion. she seems to be recovering a bit more each day, but is still not totally herself. not an ideal spring break, but i suppose it is better than missing a week of school and falling terribly behind.

easter sunday was a gray day of  hardboiled eggs, chocolate induced tantrums, a warm fire in the woodstove, a sick tashi falling in and out of sleep, and souvlaki for dinner.

tristan has been very anxious to use the hoe he got for his birthday, so today we decided to work on our little garden plot, a space in our yard that has been piled with leaves for a couple of years. a few months ago dan sawed a fallen tree into sections and arranged them around our plot-in-the-making. tristan and i raked aside some of the leaves today, and broke up the soil in one corner with his hoe and a hand cultivator. tristan asked what we were going to plant, and since i had no seeds or starter plants on hand, it was easy to decide on the organic yukon golds sprouting in our potato bowl in the kitchen. so there you have it, the beginnings of a garden, with potatoes planted. mostly i hope to plant medicinal herbs in this space, as it is a pretty small space at this time, and we have no fencing to keep out the wildlife. 

tashi came out of the house for some much needed fresh air and vitamin d. i think it did her some good.

afterwards there were snacks and warm, spiced apple cider inside.

and then tristan got creative with some special rocks and shells we've been moving from house to house for years now (he likes to make funny faces in all his photos now).

far better than sitting in front of a video, don't you think?