Spring or Winter?

Spring snow happened in North Carolina yesterday.  It was amazing to see the huge flakes and hear the sound of my son jumping out of bed to announce this miracle.

It seems like we were just out in the back yard, digging a deep hole for a little fish pond and turning over a layer of soil for the vegetable garden.  It's frustrating to be going strong on a project only to have it stalled. I wonder if I have become a person of leisure to let a few snowflakes stop me from a rigorous outdoor project.  Instead of dressing warmer and going out anyway, I talked Richard into buying a box of wood for the fireplace and we sat inside on a quilt, cuddling for an entire day.   It was truly restorative for the soul.  But when I woke up I realized that all that laying around for no reason is not good for the body.
We should have practiced playing catch instead!

Today we will go out and enjoy the lovely dogwood trees in bloom.  Perhaps we'll take a snack and head for the woods.  We've been learning about truffles, how they grow on the roots of oak trees...and that some people are selling them for $800.00 a pound!  Perhaps its time to teach the dog a new trick!

Forest Kindergartens

    Yesterday, while scanning the bulletin board at our church, I was captivated by an article about the first Waldkindergarten in the United States.  Cedarsong Nature School, located in Vashon, Washington, accepts children ages 3 to 5 and is held entirely outdoors.  While gathered for three hours in the woods, the children are free to roam, make hideouts, sing, gather for snacks and play.  They learn about the medicinal value of plants, make unique nature journals, create musical instruments and tell stories.    The goal is for the children to learn through direct experience with nature.


   I would have loved for Elliot and Emily (when she was little) to have had this experience.  Alas, there is nothing like that here.  In fact, although our public elementary school sits on a piece of property with direct access to miles of wooded hiking trails, a lake and an outdoor ampitheater created specifically for the school, in the last year of our walks behind the school, we have not seen one class gathered there. 

   This is in complete contrast to Cedarsong, which says

"Our programs are designed to fully engage children and adults in exploring the natural world while encouraging their sense of wonder. Our aim is to inspire a deep appreciation for the natural world by providing hands-on experience and opportunities to feel comfortable in the outdoors, developing lifetime skills they take with them wherever they go. Through the ongoing study of natural and cultural history, our participants deepen their understanding of the world around them, building a heartfelt relationship with nature and community."      
    

Poodle Skirt and Accessories

A simple thought to inspire

Today I'm borrowing this one from Happy Momma

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. 

Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that.

 Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." 

-Harold Thurman Whitman

How will you discover what makes you come alive?

Impulses

     I admit it freely: I am not a big goal setter.  It was only in the last year that I started to regularly use a calendar.  As Bill Bryson says, "life is more fun if you can treat it like a series of impulses."  This, from a guy who is actually very successful, having written loads of popular books and traveled the world.   But I wonder, is it really possible to be impulsive while also being respected and financially secure?

     I am inspired by two main things:  avoiding serious discomfort and experiencing satisfaction. I don't even have to be happy all the time.  Reasonably satisfied is an okay way to glide through life.  Lately, I feel like I'm more on target with Buddhist notions about staying in the center.

    But is this a consequence of turning 40?  I will reach that milestone in a few weeks.  I would love to go out and spoil myself with a new spring wardrobe but have suddenly realized that my shape is not what it once was.  I am caught between wanting to have fresh new styles but hating the teenage junk that's on the racks.  And who will see me besides my family, the people at the library or the post office?  I have been so conservative with gas that I don't just jump in the car and take rides to new locations anymore.  I've become boring!  My idea of being impulsive these days is to dig a little fish pond in the back yard for Elliot.  And hope that I don't pay for it with a sore back.  North Carolina soil is hard, red clay.

    Thank goodness my daughter is coming home for spring break.  I need to remember what it feels like to be youthful and to experience impulsiveness again through her animated story telling.
        Today is day two of spring cleaning.  I think I turned a corner yesterday by getting through the kitchen pantry (which is also a store room) and my walk in closet...I donated everything that didn't fit and gave up hope of fitting into the skinny jeans!  Which was liberating.  I hope you enjoy your weekend and have lots of sunshine and spring joy~

Press the Moon Button

This character is named "Elliot"  He is surprised to find himself on the moon.

 Elliot finds that walking on the moon is difficult because of the bulky suit, the air tank, and the lack of "a lot of gravity".  He is surprised to discover that "there are no aliens, as usual."

When he returns home after a scary experience that involved a crack in his shield, he tells a reporter about his adventure.

This is a story about a boy who learns to ride a bike after years of practicing.  He ends up riding all the way to a city where he discovers a skyscraper.  Upon entering this tall building, he walks into an elevator.  In the elevator, there is a sign that says
"Press the Moon Button"
The rest of the story tells of what happens after the fateful moment when he presses the the button.

After Elliot started telling and writing this story, he kept thinking of things to add.  In then end, to my great surprise and delight, he ended up with well over 200 words.

Experimenting with my new (used) camera