Annals of Play

The armada readies for sail to friends and family. Senior son's creation.

Marble track. Free-for-all general marble bedlam in the interior, the sound of glass crisply colliding, the ping of the marble meeting metal. Picked up one by one and lined up like a precision acrobatic team to orbit the rim, spinning round, then gracefully descending to the concrete. A slight push sends them around again with the red, green, yellow swirls in the center fluttering like tiny flags. Youngest son's creation.

And the reason why I've been away. My sweet mother's day gift. The house dirties. Dog hair swirls in tufted eddies under the couch. Suppers are pulled like a miracle from quickly assembled foods. In the evening, the kitchen is tidied. Dishes cleaned. I sit down and play, go to bed too late, and wake up in the morning with my body hazy from lack of sleep to start the cycle over again. I am in love.

Mother's Day Benefits

Thanks to our generous friends the Oclaray's, we enjoyed a Dodger's baseball game on Mother's Day weekend. Great seats. A Dodger's win. Our friend's gave us their tickets for the Friday night game as they were busy. Busy with the arrival of their newborn daughter. Although baseball is a great way to celebrate Mother's Day, having a baby is even better. Congratulations Oclaray family! And thank you.

Into Plein Air

On the way to preschool early in the morning, my son and I rode next to the San Gabriel mountains near Eaton Canyon. Sage speckled the hillsides with blooming purple spires. Orange poppies fluttered like tethered butterflies with wings splayed open surrounded by the pervasive yellow dots of mustard blossoms. My youngest son asked to pull over immediately, hike a path and paint. I explained we weren't prepared for a painting hike today but we could do it tomorrow. "With snacks?" he asked.

Absolutely. We dropped his big brother at school the following day and headed straight to the area around Eaton Canyon that spoke so clearly to his imagination the previous day. A four year old with a paint brush is a beautiful thing. He paints with such intention yet filled with freedom. A lesson to all.

Painting has it's pleasures and rewards, but really, it's all about the snacks, the open air and adventure.

May this notebook (and many more) be filled with the celebrations and commemorations of being out in the places that call to you mixed with the calm complexity of all that is within.

Mother's Day

The boys and I made hand dipped candles at my oldest son's suggestion as presents for our mothers/grandmothers. Wax from our bees.

 

Homegrown bouquets plucked and arranged by my oldest boy adorned the table. Gathered around were mothers, family, great company, with the sounds of music and the steady hum of conversations and stories shared as we sat before plates full of delicious food.

One of the fine kids who opened the door to the amazing journey of motherhood. I am so grateful for the love and wisdom my sons share with me.

And my very own beeswax candle, hand made with plenty of love, presented to me first thing in the morning with the greeting, "You are cool, clever and awesome." A salute to all the mothers along the road.

In the Yard

Carpenteria californica aka Bush Anemone ready to explode 

Carpenteria californica aka Bush Anemone 

Hordeum murinum aka Foxtail or Wall Barley

Newest Ramshackler

Our dog Trudy told us about this development long ago. She would camp out underneath the olive tree, hackles raised, barking like mad. I would peer up and search but see nothing. Perhaps a squirrel? Not likely. Not with Trudy's raised hackles.

On Sunday, we all became acquainted with Trudy's nemesis...eyeball to eyeball on the front porch. This raccoon is one of three to claim Camp Ramshackle as home.

Hand Sewn Doll

In preparation for the preschool's Carnival on May 5th, I also made a hand sewn doll for the hand made fundraising booth. When my youngest was about two, I made him a doll completely by hand only to be stymied by the hair. How to attach it? For my son's doll, I painstakingly sewed on each strand directly to the head and knotted the yarn. Not recommended. It took a really long time.

I bought the book Sewing Dolls by Karin Neuschutz after my son's doll was complete in hopes of learning more about the construction of hand sewn dolls in the Waldorf style. For this doll, I sewed the yarn flat onto the head like a yarn toupee, then added rows of yarn hair on top of that to give more depth to the hair style.

The early sewing was very quick.

Including sewing the face. However, that yarn hair still undoes me. I think this doll may be the last one I ever make. And it can be yours, if you come to Sierra Madre Community Nursery School's Carnival on May 5, 2012, and saunter to the hand made booth and buy it. Your support is appreciated.

Garden Work

The end of school nears. The sunny weekend bears the promise of summer around the corner. I find myself in the yard pulling weeds, day dreaming, planning summer trips and preparing for the preschool's school's end carnival. This year, I finally got it together to plant some seed starts and replant many succulents to sell at the garden booth of the preschool fundraiser. Each family is required to donate a plant, but I've always wanted to bring a few more. There's no added cost, it's just a matter of planning and a push from good intentions to action.

A few weeks ago, I posted a query for terra cotta pots on freecycle. A fellow poster cleaned out her reserves and left them in neat stacks on her front porch. I picked them up & put them to use with clippings from my garden. I hope these pups will find a good new home. Perhaps you? Carnival is May 5, 2012, 10AM-4PM at Sierra Vista Park in Sierra Madre.

First Newt of the Season

Our after school canyon adventure with classmates marked the first catch (and release) of a newt this season.

Other wildlife sightings: juncos, one raven swooping low through the canyon & many squirrels. None held.

From fellow adventurer Julie Desmond on the newt (thanks, Julie!):

It was a California newt. They go through a terrestrial phase (non-breeding, where their skin is all bumpy) and an aquatic phase (breeding, where their skin becomes smooth and they develop a swollen 'vent' (what we were noticing on its underside) and rough 'nuptial pads' on their hands each year once they reach maturity (after 2-3 years). They tend to return to the same breeding spot every year, sometimes traversing miles over land to get there (they're often seen in large numbers after spring rains heading to breeding spots). Their skin secretes tetrodotoxin, 'a potent neurotoxin which can cause death in many animals if eaten in sufficient quantity' (but note that the poison can also be ingested through a mucous membrane or a cut in the skin, so care should always be taken when handling them). Tetrodotoxin is the same toxin that pufferfish produce.

Replanting•Planting

volunteer succulents given new home

the unseen magic of the seed: basil, cilantro & dill

Spring Garden Through the Lens of a Four Year Old

Joshua Tree Redux

We headed out to Joshua Tree to take in more desert spring.

Kids in rocks.

Pinon pine.

Departing lunch at the Inn.

A garden wander.

Brazen visit from a juvenile Cooper's Hawk to close the adventure.

Windlass

Through Freecycle, we picked up a stack of contemporary Boy Scout manuals. My youngest son spotted the instructions on how to build a windlass.

He waited patiently for the milk carton to become available, opting for refills at dinner to do his part. I found him at the table with all the tools at the ready, so we dove in and made the vision a reality.

Spring Beach Day

Cousins in town remind us, everyday is a beach day. Dolphins all day. Pelicans gliding mere inches over the cresting waves, so graceful in an awkward body. Blimp sighting with a message to buy vodka. Clear drive over Kanan Dume with the mountains in bloom, everything plump and green from the recent rains, punctuated with the bright yellow blossoms of Prince's Plume. Smiles that start from the bottom of your feet and bubble up and explode, one after another.

Nasturtium Island

Prior to the St. Patrick's rain two weeks ago, my youngest son pulled this nasturtium and put it in an empty tub. The rain hit. A small pool formed. The flowers grew. I found it when looking for a container to hold pulled weeds from the pathway. It felt like a gift for my manual labor.

Springing a Pathway

Fast grow the weeds at Camp Ramshackle, along with everything else. Spring is here. Cousins/niece/nephew, aunt/sister on a spring break trek with a stop at Camp Ramshackle.

Time to prepare for a family dinner party. Pull the weeds, get the trailer in order, pick up the dog poop. Baking a secret delicious dessert. Shhhh! Looking forward to being up all night talking, laughing, hopefully avoiding any fresh mounds of dog doo, but it all washes off in the end. I'm sure it would just make us laugh anyway, although some are sure to laugh harder and a bit longer than others.

Saturday Slowness

Buena Chica Cheesecake

Buena Chica Cheesecake baked this weekend. Report from eaters: tasty, thumbs up. Although I do not eat dairy or gluten, I enjoyed making this simple fantastic-smelling confection with my youngest son, resident food processor operator & KitchenAid fan.