The books are up! It feels much better now! And today was a "Grandma and SIE Day". He came over here for the day and brought the dogs with him so Blue could play, too. We played and played so much. I totally love watching and listening to him. I think he's one of God's finer creations!
I can't believe what an imagination he has. First we played "Talking Animals". At his house it's usually "Talking Cars" because he has a bunch of cars. But I have a bunch of animals - the hard rubber type: tigers and lions and farm animals, etc. Today he started off dumping all the animals out of the box in a heap. They were all sleeping. A couple of the children woke up and started to play tag, then decided to walk down to the river (which is where the rug hits the wood floor). The last time he was over, the baby seal taught everyone to swim and he wanted to do it again, but something happened and a baby duck got swept out to sea on a piece of wood. One of the baby tigers had to hop on a rocket (an old pair of binoculars) and lasso the duckling and pull him to shore while the other "kids" went to wake up the parents. Whew!
Next we set up the store. It's easy in my livingroom since there's lots of empty space and 7 empty milk crates! He used to have a cash register that broke several months ago. His mom got him a new one for his birthday, but put it aside and pulled it out last week when he was sick. So we had a food store, a toy store, and a pet store (with the dogs) Something prevented us from buying too much. I think it was because he decided he wanted to be my new puppy instead of the shop keeper.
So I made him a bed under my desk and scratched his ears and tried to get him to curl up and sleep in my bed, which only ended up with him crawling under the blanket to hide.
One of the shelves on my new book case has children's books. Some are ones I've kept from my own kids, and some are ones I've gotten along the way. A few are ones SIE's parents put in a box for a yard sale and I scarfed them up before they knew it. He pulled out one from the shelf that he hadn't seen since he was a baby. It's a color learning book that has a simple story and a dial you can turn to change the color of different animal's eyes. I think it's called "Purple Eyes". We read it twice; then I heard him reading it to himself a couple more times during the day.
A nice thing about SIE is that he feels comfortable opening drawers and getting things out. He was playing with Hammy (whose name has been changed to Hammer) and decided to draw a portrait of her and put it in her cage. So now Hammy has a life size drawing propped up beside her wheel.
I think he has photographic vision, because he can tell you where everything was the last time he saw it even if we didn't play with or talk about it. Last time he was at my house he saw a monkey cup on the counter by the sink. I didn't know he saw it; I was saving it for him. When he came this morning, he told his mom about it, then used it to drink melted lime popsicles and water all day long. He had 3 lime popsicles today! And lots of other food. I think he was making up for last week.
While we played indoors, the dogs ran in and out tracking in muddy footprints and wet fur. The weather is crazy - bright sun, very cold, snowing big snowflakes in the AM, and hailing briefly in the afternoon. The dogs fought over who got toweled off first whenever they'd come in and never really seemed to notice how wet and muddy they were. Izzy found an old bone under a tree and acted like it was wonderful to make the other dogs jealous. Frankie and Blue spent their time creeping up on each other - they look like two panthers crouching in the grass stealthily creeping toward a kill - or like a show down at the OK Corral. SIE got a big kick out of cleaning up their muddy prints with paper towels, then showing me how dirty the towel got. We'd both say, "Oo-oo-oo ew, Yuck!" Then he'd crack up laughing over and over again.
What can I say - he's a character!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Getting It Together
I'm really behind in writing and feeling really wiped out right now. But I keep thinking of you all and want to catch you up on all that's going on here.
Nesting: It's definitely harder to build your own nest than it is to do the nesting required when you return home from a few days away (see entry from Nov. 9) I think it has to do with books! It's been since Orchard Street that I had a real bookshelf. I've put my books in sideways milk crates for ages now. And somehow I've known right where each book is and never thought about this before. Moving here I decided to get a real bookshelf and use the milk crates in the basement or garage or somewhere. After looking around I bought a build-it-yourself bookcase. SIE helped me. It has become more of a bedroom catch all than a proper bookcase. My new bed takes up too much room to have a bed side table, so this is substituting. I tried moving it out of the bedroom, but had to move it back after a few days....so I got another buildityourself of a little different style. I really tried to put my books in it, but couldn't figure out where to put what. Books:See, it's not even that I have a whole lot of books. I think they fit into only five catagories - nursing texts, religious, children's, nature and garden guides, and the current novels I'm working on.
So today I drove back to the store and bought two large b-i-y shelves. They were heavy. I don't think I'm old, but they were heavy enough to wipe me out after bringing them in the house and building only one. At least now I'm certain I'll have enough room for them and once I get the books on the shelves I'll be able to clear my desk and I think the major nesting stress will be over. Yay!
Sick kids:SIE got sick last week. He went to his first gymnastics class, then came over to my house and fell asleep. He hardly ever takes a nap; that was a clue. It seemed to be a 24 hour flu. Then his momma got it, then his papa. Then on Easter there was a dramatic relapse which involved throwing up on one of the dogs as dinner was put on the table. Kaliedoscope girl worked all weekend, then had a relapse on her day off. So far, I've been able to help out and stay germ-free. Today, getting tired while building the shelves, I started feeling a little nervous that the plague may be coming. But after resting I feel better.
City vs Farm: It definitely is an advantage being in the city now. Gas prices are up to $3.45/gal and I've only had to get one fill up this month. That's as opposed to at least once and often twice per week when I was driving up to the farm. The weather here is surely milder, even though it's been chilly. I'm almost certain there's snow on the ground up there. And here, the flowering trees are blooming despite the chill. The Japanese Pavilion downtown is full of cherry blossoms. I can see them from the bridge. They are glorious. I hope to get down and walk among them before they start to fall - even then it will be nice.
Critters and Birds:Every day I look out the window expecting to see a deer. I'm trying to appreciate all the urban critters. So far there are squirrels, a long-haired black and white cat who looks like Perdinkle, and tonight I saw a dark Siamese, like Misty. The birds are mostly crows, with a few sea gulls,and a small flock of starlings. There's a resident gray's jay, who got upset and squaked a lot when we moved things in the yard or let Blue out. He seems to be OK with us now. I'll take his picture soon. He likes to sit on the fence post and watch us. Outside my bedroom window there's a willowy bush. It might be some kind of mulberry. There's little dried up seeds that look like mulberries. It's real frilly and pretty. There's a pair of sparrows living in it or near it. I'll figure out what type of sparrow they are - they're a little different. The female has a tail that perks like a wren's, and one of them can sing like a cantor.
The night sky is a lot different here that on the farm. It always looks like a full moon's out there. It never gets very dark, but we can see stars. And the night there was a full moon, it cast a light shadow on the kitchen floor.
Sounds:There are trains. When I was growing up in Cleveland I loved listening to the trains and the fog horns on the lake at night. They had a soft lulling sound. The trains here are loud and long and frequent. I had no idea there were so many trains. I've tried to count them all, but loose count around noon with at least eight. The tracks are just a few blocks from here and I guess since the trains cross residential streets they have to blow a warning. I wonder if they'll become like the sirens in OTR and just become part of my background noise.
The Beachysare well. Soon is keeping them busy. But they're all quite happy. No problem nesting for them!
Nesting: It's definitely harder to build your own nest than it is to do the nesting required when you return home from a few days away (see entry from Nov. 9) I think it has to do with books! It's been since Orchard Street that I had a real bookshelf. I've put my books in sideways milk crates for ages now. And somehow I've known right where each book is and never thought about this before. Moving here I decided to get a real bookshelf and use the milk crates in the basement or garage or somewhere. After looking around I bought a build-it-yourself bookcase. SIE helped me. It has become more of a bedroom catch all than a proper bookcase. My new bed takes up too much room to have a bed side table, so this is substituting. I tried moving it out of the bedroom, but had to move it back after a few days....so I got another buildityourself of a little different style. I really tried to put my books in it, but couldn't figure out where to put what. Books:See, it's not even that I have a whole lot of books. I think they fit into only five catagories - nursing texts, religious, children's, nature and garden guides, and the current novels I'm working on.
So today I drove back to the store and bought two large b-i-y shelves. They were heavy. I don't think I'm old, but they were heavy enough to wipe me out after bringing them in the house and building only one. At least now I'm certain I'll have enough room for them and once I get the books on the shelves I'll be able to clear my desk and I think the major nesting stress will be over. Yay!
Sick kids:SIE got sick last week. He went to his first gymnastics class, then came over to my house and fell asleep. He hardly ever takes a nap; that was a clue. It seemed to be a 24 hour flu. Then his momma got it, then his papa. Then on Easter there was a dramatic relapse which involved throwing up on one of the dogs as dinner was put on the table. Kaliedoscope girl worked all weekend, then had a relapse on her day off. So far, I've been able to help out and stay germ-free. Today, getting tired while building the shelves, I started feeling a little nervous that the plague may be coming. But after resting I feel better.
City vs Farm: It definitely is an advantage being in the city now. Gas prices are up to $3.45/gal and I've only had to get one fill up this month. That's as opposed to at least once and often twice per week when I was driving up to the farm. The weather here is surely milder, even though it's been chilly. I'm almost certain there's snow on the ground up there. And here, the flowering trees are blooming despite the chill. The Japanese Pavilion downtown is full of cherry blossoms. I can see them from the bridge. They are glorious. I hope to get down and walk among them before they start to fall - even then it will be nice.
Critters and Birds:Every day I look out the window expecting to see a deer. I'm trying to appreciate all the urban critters. So far there are squirrels, a long-haired black and white cat who looks like Perdinkle, and tonight I saw a dark Siamese, like Misty. The birds are mostly crows, with a few sea gulls,and a small flock of starlings. There's a resident gray's jay, who got upset and squaked a lot when we moved things in the yard or let Blue out. He seems to be OK with us now. I'll take his picture soon. He likes to sit on the fence post and watch us. Outside my bedroom window there's a willowy bush. It might be some kind of mulberry. There's little dried up seeds that look like mulberries. It's real frilly and pretty. There's a pair of sparrows living in it or near it. I'll figure out what type of sparrow they are - they're a little different. The female has a tail that perks like a wren's, and one of them can sing like a cantor.
The night sky is a lot different here that on the farm. It always looks like a full moon's out there. It never gets very dark, but we can see stars. And the night there was a full moon, it cast a light shadow on the kitchen floor.
Sounds:There are trains. When I was growing up in Cleveland I loved listening to the trains and the fog horns on the lake at night. They had a soft lulling sound. The trains here are loud and long and frequent. I had no idea there were so many trains. I've tried to count them all, but loose count around noon with at least eight. The tracks are just a few blocks from here and I guess since the trains cross residential streets they have to blow a warning. I wonder if they'll become like the sirens in OTR and just become part of my background noise.
The Beachysare well. Soon is keeping them busy. But they're all quite happy. No problem nesting for them!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Like a Whale Breaching The Ocean Surface
I feel like a huge gray whale coming up for air. Or maybe like a giant sea turtle. It's been so long since I wrote. The move has been a bit more overwhelming than I know how to handle. Especially the furnishing part. Wouldn't you know it. Something I've often dreamed about - the chance to furnish a home - is very intimidating. I know it will all come together, but it just seems so much simpler to live with less.
I can only shop for a little bit before my mind gets too full of colors and sizes and prices. Then I think something crazy must happen in my spacial perception. I've had to change my ideas around a bunch
But, ta da, I now have two "new" couches! One is a new soft love-seat that will convert to a guest bed. Blue likes it. I'll have to cover its seat so she doesn't mark it up! I sat there this morning to say my prayers and she curled up next to me to have her bellie rubbed, and I realized her feet were still wet from outdoors. (She still hasn't gotten the knack of wiping her feet and closing the door behind her!)
The other couch, from the same warehouse, cost $25.00! It looks like the kind of big, plastic covered sofa you'd find in a doctor's office or nursing home. The guys that delivered it think it was from a hotel lobby. Except for it's cover, it's in really good condition. While I was measuring it so I can buy fabric to make a cover, I found a key and a diamond ring! It's a very tiny diamond - smaller than the ones my girls wore when their noses were pierced! The band is my ring size and looks gold. I can't read the inscription inside. Maybe it's real. Anyway, what a fun surprise.
Besides "moving in" I've spent a couple occassions babysitting for SIE and one of his classmates. Mr. Beachy remarked that we should call our new house "The Gramada Inn". The children had a great time converting a large refrigerator box into a beauteous cardboard house complete with chimney. That's incase Santa or The Big Bad Wolf come along, I'm told.
Luckily, I came up for air on such a wonderful day. The weather is blustery and grey, very much like Ireland. I was able to locate my copy of "The Confessions of St. Patrick" among my books that are still packed in milk crates. I remembered his prayer when I awoke this morning and give it to you ******* I rise today in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Christ be with me.
Christ before me.
Christ Behind me.
Christ above me.
Christ below me.
Christ on my right.
Christ on my left.
Christ within me, be my shield.
I can only shop for a little bit before my mind gets too full of colors and sizes and prices. Then I think something crazy must happen in my spacial perception. I've had to change my ideas around a bunch
But, ta da, I now have two "new" couches! One is a new soft love-seat that will convert to a guest bed. Blue likes it. I'll have to cover its seat so she doesn't mark it up! I sat there this morning to say my prayers and she curled up next to me to have her bellie rubbed, and I realized her feet were still wet from outdoors. (She still hasn't gotten the knack of wiping her feet and closing the door behind her!)
The other couch, from the same warehouse, cost $25.00! It looks like the kind of big, plastic covered sofa you'd find in a doctor's office or nursing home. The guys that delivered it think it was from a hotel lobby. Except for it's cover, it's in really good condition. While I was measuring it so I can buy fabric to make a cover, I found a key and a diamond ring! It's a very tiny diamond - smaller than the ones my girls wore when their noses were pierced! The band is my ring size and looks gold. I can't read the inscription inside. Maybe it's real. Anyway, what a fun surprise.
Besides "moving in" I've spent a couple occassions babysitting for SIE and one of his classmates. Mr. Beachy remarked that we should call our new house "The Gramada Inn". The children had a great time converting a large refrigerator box into a beauteous cardboard house complete with chimney. That's incase Santa or The Big Bad Wolf come along, I'm told.
Luckily, I came up for air on such a wonderful day. The weather is blustery and grey, very much like Ireland. I was able to locate my copy of "The Confessions of St. Patrick" among my books that are still packed in milk crates. I remembered his prayer when I awoke this morning and give it to you ******* I rise today in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Christ be with me.
Christ before me.
Christ Behind me.
Christ above me.
Christ below me.
Christ on my right.
Christ on my left.
Christ within me, be my shield.
In Which Miss Ingu Wraps the Beachy's in Green
Before I could even whisper my prayers this morning I heard the sound of a teensy baby crying. I could hardly believe my ears! I followed the sound and, faith and begorrah! The Beachy's have a baby!!! Peaches was beaming. And I can't even describe how delighted Mr. Beachy is. The baby girl was born early this morning before first light. Who knew! It turns out Peaches had a brief, clandestine tryst with a woods faerie last summer in the part of our old woods where we'd seen the owl. I can imagine it was never mentioned because of the shame of it all. But the shame has turned into the most wonderful blessing. Our new house is alive with joy. The baby's name is Soon. I'm not sure what the name means: both Beachys laughed and said it was because the baby came so soon. They weren't expecting her till Spring and weren't prepared at all. We found some green towels that have been well-used and are very soft. Soon is precious beyond belief!
To catch you up: the Beachys have made their home in a cupboard off the mudroom. They have their own exit behind a willowy bush that grows near my bedroom window. I'm glad they found a place so close by. Mr. Beachy is planning on clearing a patio underneath the blue spruce which grows near the back of the yard. He's quite delighted with the space and thinks it will be ready for summer nights. Both Beachys remarked about how comfortable their new quarters are. It seems the garden area is something Mr. Beachy really missed whille out on the farm. He loves how I lined up all the bonsai trees along the garage where the morning sun can greet them. And he laughed saying he hopes the sun comes out so I can mow the lawn....he doesn't want Soon to get lost in the grass!
Last week Mr. Beachy and Blue helped me pull as much of the raspberries as we could from the small space at the west side of the garage. He's so much more nimble that I am even though he's quite elderly. We planted hollyhock, sweet pea, and morning glory seeds in the empty space. It's hard to tell if there will be enough light back there for anything to grow. We did find some bleeding heart sprouts coming up between the rasberries, and even though I'm not a fan of bleeding hearts, we decided to leave them and watch them grow.
Well, I'm off now to find some corned beef and cabbage. Peaches thinks the broth will be very soothing, so I'm happy to bring her some.
To catch you up: the Beachys have made their home in a cupboard off the mudroom. They have their own exit behind a willowy bush that grows near my bedroom window. I'm glad they found a place so close by. Mr. Beachy is planning on clearing a patio underneath the blue spruce which grows near the back of the yard. He's quite delighted with the space and thinks it will be ready for summer nights. Both Beachys remarked about how comfortable their new quarters are. It seems the garden area is something Mr. Beachy really missed whille out on the farm. He loves how I lined up all the bonsai trees along the garage where the morning sun can greet them. And he laughed saying he hopes the sun comes out so I can mow the lawn....he doesn't want Soon to get lost in the grass!
Last week Mr. Beachy and Blue helped me pull as much of the raspberries as we could from the small space at the west side of the garage. He's so much more nimble that I am even though he's quite elderly. We planted hollyhock, sweet pea, and morning glory seeds in the empty space. It's hard to tell if there will be enough light back there for anything to grow. We did find some bleeding heart sprouts coming up between the rasberries, and even though I'm not a fan of bleeding hearts, we decided to leave them and watch them grow.
Well, I'm off now to find some corned beef and cabbage. Peaches thinks the broth will be very soothing, so I'm happy to bring her some.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
A Moment to Write
It's strange you can forget how disorienting it is to move! Where to put everything! And I thought I didn't have that much. Anyway, I just wanted to say, I'm plugging away at getting things arranged. And I have a new bed! Pretty cool. I've been sleeping on the floor (on a futon) for so long, I'm afraid I'll fall out! But it's very pretty and large enough to snuggle with SIE and Blue, too. I've already lost the keys to the garage, which is where I moved all my tools. I knew that I used the tool cabinet a lot, but now I know how much! As soon as I can break the locks, that tool cabinet is coming inside. It's supposed to be warmer soon, so I'm off today to buy a lawn mower. The rasberry "weeds" are growing like crazy between the garage and the fence....if they aren't cut back soon, I'll have to wait till next year. Haven't seen the Beachy's since the move. I hope they didn't get locked in the garage! I'll write again when my home internet is up. Love to you all.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
In Which Miss Ingu Posts an Over-Due Update
Well, I still haven't found that fat lady, but I have a new key in my pocket! The past several days have been spent packing belongings into the jeep and moving them across the river into the dearest little house. Remember how I never found a name for this farm? For some reason, right away the name for this house came to me. I'll call it Little Nazareth. Maybe "Naz" for short
On Saturday Hapapapa and a friend came to move the big stuff. And I have one more trip to go tomorrow. So tonight's my last night here and it feels just right.
The Beachy's had me over for tea last week. The weather's been crazy with frost in the morning and 60 degrees by noon. We had tea outside overlooking the pasture near their little tree stump house. Peachy made some delicious tea and berry cakes. I'm not sure how she preserved the blackberries, but they were perfect.
We talked about the farm and laughed about all the adventures we've had. They refused my offer to help with the move. It was all I could do to persuade them. It ended up that I moved all their belongings in one trip and they are now on Hickory Street settling in. I just told them it would hurt my feelings to think of them carrying all their bundles down the highway. And it would have taken days for them to arrive! How much nicer for us all that they are safetly there and getting everything ready for Blue and me. Well you have to do that with these little people. They're just too proper and humble to ask for anything that would seem like help.
Since I couldn't find the fat lady, I decided to sing my own song. I think it's a response to the idea that all of nature is praising the Lord just by existing. It's a little bit stolen from Daniel 3:56-88, which is a Canticle used in The Liturgy of the Hours Morning Prayer every other Sunday Morning. All you creatures praise the Lord. Birds on the wing or hiding in thickets, sing praise to our Lord, sing praise. Frost and chill, praise the Lord. Showers and dew, bless His Name. Breath of wind that warms the field, praise the Lord. Sounds of tumbling creek and trees that crack in the wind, Sunlight glimmering along wooded paths, Deer that hide among the brush, all ye creatures large and small, praise the Lord, our God. Colors of sky - blue, pink, and gray - praise the Lord in your own way. Colors of field and pasture and hills, reflect His glory. Give thanks.
It's a good song for walks.
Will write from the other side of the river as soon as my internet connection is up. Love to you, my dear ones.
On Saturday Hapapapa and a friend came to move the big stuff. And I have one more trip to go tomorrow. So tonight's my last night here and it feels just right.
The Beachy's had me over for tea last week. The weather's been crazy with frost in the morning and 60 degrees by noon. We had tea outside overlooking the pasture near their little tree stump house. Peachy made some delicious tea and berry cakes. I'm not sure how she preserved the blackberries, but they were perfect.
We talked about the farm and laughed about all the adventures we've had. They refused my offer to help with the move. It was all I could do to persuade them. It ended up that I moved all their belongings in one trip and they are now on Hickory Street settling in. I just told them it would hurt my feelings to think of them carrying all their bundles down the highway. And it would have taken days for them to arrive! How much nicer for us all that they are safetly there and getting everything ready for Blue and me. Well you have to do that with these little people. They're just too proper and humble to ask for anything that would seem like help.
Since I couldn't find the fat lady, I decided to sing my own song. I think it's a response to the idea that all of nature is praising the Lord just by existing. It's a little bit stolen from Daniel 3:56-88, which is a Canticle used in The Liturgy of the Hours Morning Prayer every other Sunday Morning. All you creatures praise the Lord. Birds on the wing or hiding in thickets, sing praise to our Lord, sing praise. Frost and chill, praise the Lord. Showers and dew, bless His Name. Breath of wind that warms the field, praise the Lord. Sounds of tumbling creek and trees that crack in the wind, Sunlight glimmering along wooded paths, Deer that hide among the brush, all ye creatures large and small, praise the Lord, our God. Colors of sky - blue, pink, and gray - praise the Lord in your own way. Colors of field and pasture and hills, reflect His glory. Give thanks.
It's a good song for walks.
Will write from the other side of the river as soon as my internet connection is up. Love to you, my dear ones.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Bird Songs
One of the things about our country walks is the changes that light makes on the paths. The view changes every time we go out. Sometimes overcast and gray-blue, sometimes sunlight streaming through the woods and lighting up places you've never noticed before.
The sound of birds' songs also changes. It's the eeriest thing to go for a walk in the woods and not hear one single chirp. But it happens often. All is silent. It's one for the est files.
Other times it's quiet, but not silent. You might run into a wren trying to throw us off of the path to her nest; or another bird, invisible, up in the trees that calls out as if it was his particular job to notify nature that we are present.
Sometimes there is so much bird song that it's like a symphony of different instruments tuning up. I think the first noise is the scree of an eagle or a hawk leaving their nest and crossing the fields to a different hunting ground. Then a few little birds pipe up. Then it's as if every bird realizes the threat of being eaten by a raptor is gone for a while and they join in like the munchkins singing, "Ding, dong, the witch is dead."
There are some bird songs that I've come to recognize - like that pileated woodpecker, who is around quite often now. And the chip of chickadees is familiar. I think my favorite is still the robin's voice. There's a flock of them now down at the thicket where our driveway begins. And there's lots of geese and ducks migrating and making noise you can hear long before their vee-shape flight pattern appears.
And then there's those mystery birds that I have gotten used to hearing, but never identified. There is The Auk, a huge bird that screams out a loud "auk, auk" as it flies over the woods. And there's The Telephone Birdwho lives in the thicket and sounds so much like a telephone ringing that I've run to answer my own phone forgetting he's around. There's a bird that "meows" just like a kitten. I've never seen him. I have seen in some bird books the calls are sounded out - but that's such an individual thing that I have to hear them first, before I can read them.
On another note (pun intended)today my head song has been Woody Guthrie's "Git Along Little Doggies".Whoopie-Ky-Yie-Yo, Git along Little Doggies, It's your misfortune and none of my own. Whoopie Ky-Yie-Yo, Git along Little Doggies, and know that Wyoming will be your new home.
The sound of birds' songs also changes. It's the eeriest thing to go for a walk in the woods and not hear one single chirp. But it happens often. All is silent. It's one for the est files.
Other times it's quiet, but not silent. You might run into a wren trying to throw us off of the path to her nest; or another bird, invisible, up in the trees that calls out as if it was his particular job to notify nature that we are present.
Sometimes there is so much bird song that it's like a symphony of different instruments tuning up. I think the first noise is the scree of an eagle or a hawk leaving their nest and crossing the fields to a different hunting ground. Then a few little birds pipe up. Then it's as if every bird realizes the threat of being eaten by a raptor is gone for a while and they join in like the munchkins singing, "Ding, dong, the witch is dead."
There are some bird songs that I've come to recognize - like that pileated woodpecker, who is around quite often now. And the chip of chickadees is familiar. I think my favorite is still the robin's voice. There's a flock of them now down at the thicket where our driveway begins. And there's lots of geese and ducks migrating and making noise you can hear long before their vee-shape flight pattern appears.
And then there's those mystery birds that I have gotten used to hearing, but never identified. There is The Auk, a huge bird that screams out a loud "auk, auk" as it flies over the woods. And there's The Telephone Birdwho lives in the thicket and sounds so much like a telephone ringing that I've run to answer my own phone forgetting he's around. There's a bird that "meows" just like a kitten. I've never seen him. I have seen in some bird books the calls are sounded out - but that's such an individual thing that I have to hear them first, before I can read them.
On another note (pun intended)today my head song has been Woody Guthrie's "Git Along Little Doggies".Whoopie-Ky-Yie-Yo, Git along Little Doggies, It's your misfortune and none of my own. Whoopie Ky-Yie-Yo, Git along Little Doggies, and know that Wyoming will be your new home.
Bones
A few months back on a drizzly day, a little before the sun went down, Blue and I were out walking down behind the blackberry hedge when I found some bones. It looked like pieces of a small animal skull and some ribs and vertebrae. We dug around until it got too dark, then brought our wet selves back to the shed to wash our finds. After they dried we tried to piece them together and found that we did have about 3/4 of the skull.
Occassionally we would pass this site on our walks and once or twice we'd spy another bone. It was kind of like an archeological dig. It was interesting to see the small bones work their way to the surface and to see what colors they were. And it was amazing to actually find anything.
So late yesterday afternoon I decided I better go down there and really excavate, or I'll regret not having all the bones that belong together. I took my little shovel and, while Blue patiently sniffed around the area, I turned over the soil and found a few more bones. I think any that I don't have now have disentigrated or been carried away by critters. When I get to my new home, I'll glue them together.
While I was down there I picked up a few interesting rocks, too. I think that's a family trait - saving rocks that call to us. One of the rocks was wavy like the edge of a sea shell. I washed it off and I think I've found an ancient artifact. It looks like a piece of pottery formed by a child's fingers. The ripples look sort of like fluted pie crust and the form of fingers is there. The material is red clay, like the soil in which we were digging. And it is "painted" black. The contrast of the Paint and the clay remind me of the petroglyphs in Nevada.
Another treasure to add to my collection.
Occassionally we would pass this site on our walks and once or twice we'd spy another bone. It was kind of like an archeological dig. It was interesting to see the small bones work their way to the surface and to see what colors they were. And it was amazing to actually find anything.
So late yesterday afternoon I decided I better go down there and really excavate, or I'll regret not having all the bones that belong together. I took my little shovel and, while Blue patiently sniffed around the area, I turned over the soil and found a few more bones. I think any that I don't have now have disentigrated or been carried away by critters. When I get to my new home, I'll glue them together.
While I was down there I picked up a few interesting rocks, too. I think that's a family trait - saving rocks that call to us. One of the rocks was wavy like the edge of a sea shell. I washed it off and I think I've found an ancient artifact. It looks like a piece of pottery formed by a child's fingers. The ripples look sort of like fluted pie crust and the form of fingers is there. The material is red clay, like the soil in which we were digging. And it is "painted" black. The contrast of the Paint and the clay remind me of the petroglyphs in Nevada.
Another treasure to add to my collection.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
In Which Miss Ingu Thinks About Four Year Olds
It's true. Sie turned four today. I can remember my fourth birthday and that I had already formed a philosophy of life by then - that's probably why I think of this as such a landmark. I can't believe he's four.....But he is and he acts just like the best four year old you can imagine.His parents had friends over for a birthday party and it was as good a party as the Annual Chinese Gift Exchange Party. They only expected a handful of kids, but ended up with 13, I think, plus their parents. A lot of his classmates came - the adoring little girls and rambunctious little boys. I made a pinata for the occassion. I used to make them for my girls, but it was espectially appropriate for him because he attends a Spanish bilingual school. There were cupcakes and juice boxes and presents and so much fun that at the end of the party, Sie laid down on the floor and sighed with a sweet smile on his face.
Monday, February 11, 2008
In Which Miss Ingu Welcomes the Vagabonds Home
They're home! Home from Honduras. Went to the airport for their midnight arrival on Sat/Sun. Each face was beeming. Glowing with a great trip behind them. I'd expected weary and ragged-out faces. It was very exciting to greet them and take them home. Wish I'd taken a picture of them. SEI chattered away and told me about parrotsandmonkeysandlittlelizardsandglass-bottomboatrides. Sunday I got to see photos and hear more stories in between playing games and building tents with SEI. Hapapapa and SEI showed me a huge conch shell they found on the beach and brought back for kaliedoscope's own. And much as I've resisted having chicken decorations, they brought me a really sweet little ceramic hen on a nest that I really like and is perfect for a new kitchen window sill. Welcome back to tu casa, mis amigos!
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