Running Stitch

As Mama’s I think we are often cast in the role of enforcer of rules (brush your teeth, no candy for breakfast, no playing in the road, stop! no jumping off the roof). I often feel that I’m good with plans and follow through but that maybe sometimes I’m not that fun, so I looked at this week’s wrap up and thought, how can I make this fun?

I decided a quest! To the outer regions, to document and tally the many holdings of King Scott. We sallied forth and came quickly upon the Badlands, home of the Bamboo king. The Knights and Lady fought valiantly against the Ancient Knotweed. Sadly the battle ended when Sir Wah was wounded by his brother’s sword. We trudged on, we took notes on the few animals we saw (the shields came in handy) that were braving the rain (What Rain?!?)

And finally arrived at the outer boundaries of King Scott’s Kingdom where we stopped for a bite of scone and to wait out the beavers, who never made an appearance (even though we did see them last week). And then the voyage home.

Possibly the longest voyage of their lives, made longer by all the snail and slug sightings (quite probably the same ones seen on the way up the road). We wrapped it up by collapsing sans wet clothes on the couch and watching Shrek, on his on voyage.

It was a pretty good day.

Knights of the Round Table- Monty Python

We spent the damp, dank, wet, rainy Memorial Weekend mostly indoors with some forays out between downpours. All in all a satisfactory Memorial Day Weekend, minus the sun. I have to admit that I”m getting to a grumpy place with the weather. It’s all fine and dandy for the plants, and when the sun does shine, however briefly the brilliance of the colors is breathtaking. But as we speed towards summer, it would be nice to have a few less damp days and a few more dry ones.

Naturally there is plenty going on inside the Burrow, and in Dad’s workshop. Dad can get caught up in a project faster than the average bear and he whipped out several swords, shields and the below crossbow over the weekend.

Perfect for today’s walk in the woods with our favorite Veteran (dad) and for whacking the errant bamboo as we talked about battles and soldiers. We don’t need no stinkin’ sun……but it would be nice.

*Ain’t No Sunshine when She’s gone-Bill Withers

Inspired by SouleMama’s Moments.

The Hair.

The Cut

*Gone Daddy Gone-Violent Femmes

Recently I’ve taken to ending my nights here. In this room. Watching this boy sleep.

He tumbles as actively into sleep as he does everything else. He is moving, moving, moving then twisting, then……out. He likes me to ‘do your knitting by me while I sleep” each night. “Mama, I knew you would be wif me, doing your knitting”. The talking, oh the talkingness of him as his brain whirls round and round before slumber. And sometimes I wonder, what must it be like to have children who are quiet? To wonder what is going on in their brains, instead of receiving a constant blow by blow of each thought. “mama I was finking…..do you know what I was finking?”

I know what I was thinking…I was thinking how this is the room it all started in. The room where his father and I slept when we first bought this piece of life. When we were knee deep in dreams and remodeling and up to our necks in not knowing much about it all. How there used to be a tan carpet with H’s burned into it in this room and a splattered blue wall with fish.

But now there is just this boy, and his mama. And her knitting.

*Once there was a little old Ant- Frank Sinatra (but mostly my dad)

Some days there are moments of quiet that I’m still not quite used to. Where I think suddenly “what?! where are they?!” Only to turn around and find them, reading.

Reading, my most favorite thing. The thing word itself evokes childhood memories of summers at the library. Scaling the tree in my Grandmother’s front yard and sitting high above the roof line reading Nancy Drew and Noel Streatfield’s the Shoe series.

Reading: it makes me think of Rainy days on a couch under a blanket, of beach chairs at the shore while waves crashed and of long, long family drives with unending minutes to treasure inside whatever I was reading at the moment.

More recently it has meant, short books about big red dogs, and alligators named lyle. Favorite stories before bedtime and Magic Treehouse Adventures. But, suddenly I find them alone with a book. One can read the other is desperate to know what those words say. I find them in the tub at The Library and in a recently vacated by the cat, sun patch in the chair. Reading.

*What’s the Buzz-Jesus Christ Superstar

Inspired by SouleMama’s Moments.

The anniversary of Mt St. Helens did not pass unnoticed at The Burrow, lest you forget last year’s festivities.
Our Spokane buddies being of a like minded ilk were game for a backyard Volcano.

Then we played in the front yard in our pjs. Short pjs. No flannel or fleece in Spokane. The place they keep the sun. The moon, the rocket ships and the stars.

Back on Earth, we studied geology in the driveway. Our trip to Spokane was just right. Just the right amount of time with friends, just the right amount of time to explore. The Freedom our new life has lent is lovely, taking life at a bit slower pace then we did before, works for us. Three months into Homeschooling and I don’t have an ulcer yet, I think that is pretty good.

It certainly affords us the time to visit and really enjoy. To focus and connect. I was nervous at first that things would be ‘wrong’ but I feel more confident each day and everything feels so much more right. I don’t know what the future holds for us (who does) but the present holds contentment. And that is good.

*Santiago by Armik

Sorry, the sun is out, it’s very confusing and bright. See you tomorrow.

*The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas -They Might be Giants

He made more money than I did.

He climbed higher than I did.

Dad was gone and we were out of popcorn so I made hotdogs wrapped in dough…they were pretty good.

And we made the first ice cream of the season with the last of the frozen strawberries from last year.