november eleven: beautiful

Truth to tell, I was so wound up this morning with so many thoughts and ideas that I decided it prudent to head downstairs for a little Om-ing. :)
Always a nice beginning, that. The babes werena up yet, of course.

I'm not sure what it is...
it might be that the trees are so dazzling me that I'm desperate to absorb their brilliance and color magic in any way I can. The colors that surely seem like the colours of my heart, the tumbling and bumbling of their leaves in the winds, the sounds of the sweeping and stirring and crunching, those trees seem to me to be swaying the very earth into a different space and time. I love it all. Anything to keep that quintessence with me.
It might be that so many friends are writing about visiting colonial type farms... making butter, watching and weaving, putting together buildings with mud and bricks....
It might be that the warm and cold and then sunshine and then wind and then dark and then warm again has shouted at me loudly enough that I'm finally understanding that earth, as I know and love it, will only be available to me for a short time, now. We experience winter in all its glory, here. And it comes.

I'm not certain.
But I know that the feelings that these things stir in me are the navigators of my heart and spirit, right now.


And so.

In my inbox this morning was a note from the JumpStart folks, saying that there was a new spot for 8-10 year-olds, so I made mention of that to Trev.
He was interested, of course.


Maddie and I went to forage for raspberries for our morning's oatmeal... we got the very last four.


sigh. That's that, I think.

We've had some cans in the freezer for a couple of days for lantern making, so we got those out and set to work.


Both of them really like this project.
I asked Trev if he needed help, but no.
"This is just like paleontology, Mom. I'm an expert."
Funny enough, after he was done with the tin, he started in on the ice


and then more ice.


I told him about an idea I saw over at A Homegrown Life, and he was very interested.

(Thanks Crunchy Christian Mom.)

There was an exploration of the neighborhood (with a model x-wing, today instead of light sabers)

and life


and a discussion about Writing (as in Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic).
I talked with Trev (it's amazing how actually communicating will resolve so many questions and issues - I highly recommend it) that in my Mama's Opinion I suspected that he actually was ready and wanting to write (unlike being totally disinterested as before), but that the problem I was seeing was that he was experiencing way too much frustration, as what comes out of his hand is so different than what is in his head. He likes to see it perfect, and anything less is unacceptable and to be avoided.
He enthusiastically agreed.
So I told him that I had requested a book from the library that had lots of writing games, and that I'd look through it and find some that I thought he'd enjoy.
Works for him.

We were planning a walking venture to neighborhood shops, and that is surely a fine time for a boy to get out his bank and count out a pocketful of nickels for Whatever He May Need. (His idea and doing, not his Mama's.)

We were off.

And then back. :)
With some impossibly-beautiful pomegranates

(those same breathtaking colors as before)
full tummies
and some fabulousness that will be used for some homemade hot chocolate.
Storm comes tonight. Need to be prepared.

We've chosen our felt, and we're ready to begin our Moccasins.

We'll tell you all about that very soon.



Life is amazing.

And beautiful.


And so very juicy.

We'll see you tomorrow.