august 26: nectar

oh, let's see... what today?

Early this morning I started a science project.
We've dissolved an egg's shell in the past in vinegar, so I was comfortable beginning it without the babes. This one just the shell is dissolved in vinegar and then bent and folded and crumpled then shaken and it will come to egg shape again. Can't wait to see that. It'll take several days to process.

We've been experimenting with melted crayons in art, lately. For about a week, off and on.
And again today.
Been using them on tracing paper, mostly, to see what comes of them. Trying to see what lovelies we can come up with. Gotta take advantage of that late summer sun, don't you know.

We've watched Strawberry Shortcake

and made pretty glass. They'll hold paintbrushes over the winter on our art shelf. Or maybe I'll set them in the window and use them for growing new green things from stems. Maybe we'll make a whole rainbow collection of them.

We've read. Today we read Kwan Yin's story. (Also spelled Kuan Yin.) And we read a couple of chapters of Little House, and a few other things.

We've worked on the pool

and napped

played in the playhouse

and played Ice Age on the 'puter.

Pbs kids has been on the tellie.
My babes are crazy about Martha Speaks, Word Girl, George, Arthur, Fetch with Ruff, and Wishbone particularly. Is that all the pbs shows???

How lazy and slow this all sounds.
Quiet, calm, and easy.
D'you s'pose it was Mama's magic peppermint potion this morning?
(that would be green tea with a few peppermint stalks thrown in for a bit of goodly mojo)Or maybe it was the raspberry jam and cream cheese crepes.....

The hummingbirds have been visiting often.
All kinds-- today I saw a minty-green one, for the first time this year.
Let's fill up the feeder, and see if we can get a lovely shot, shall we?

Now you know what we're about here.heh heh.

Meanwhile, I presented Trev with a challenge this afternoon.
I challenged him to write the alphabet without aid on the trampoline.
No doubt that sends shudders into some, a child entering ...dun-dun-duuuuuuun... Third Grade! not writing backwards and forwards and upside down and in Sanskrit and classic Greek his letters.... but he doesn't.
He reads.
He spells somewhat accurately.
He has an amazing vocabulary.
Words like pertinent, and wretched, and articulate.
The question of the day being then, today, not does he, but can he .
Because...
...well. Sometimes I wonder.
Oh. And yes, it turns out he can.

With a bonus love note attached to the end.

My home is grat.

Now 'tis true that I requested a tacked on sentence-- but 'twas his choice of words.
He makes me smile.

And so... it is a long summer's day.
Summer for us... those lucky enough to see the shine of the sun upon the tomatoes and peppers and melons, still.
Those of us who get to witness the roses still budding in the afternoon.
Those of us who get back our beaches, our museums, and our spectacular earthly playgrounds.
And now a confession -somewhat apologetically- those who live and learn in The World At Large do view such places as their own.
We figure we love them dearly and most often, and we do our best to love and honor them well-ly.

Our petrie dishes are primed and ready for despicious experimentation on the morrow.

The day's reporting is mostly done.

The Mama is considering the next novel she'll be picking up.

And the babes are awaiting a promised walk to the grocer's for an Anything Is Possible treat.

Prob'ly no rhyme or reason to be made out of this day

-such as plates being rubbed swiftly against the bedroom wall-
or the meandering, slow telling of it.

But it flowed,
and was easy,
and was mostly verra peaceful.

And we'll keep it, and count it.

See you tomorrow, then.