we go out walking

Yes, we're still at it. Walking. We're not out as much as I'd like, but I'm making an effort to keep up with it because it keeps me healthy both physically and emotionally. Cardo has even admitted that all this walking helps him. Pic? Well, she's along for the ride, but she's not yet asked why we're the boring people who do not much more than walking. Ah, Pic, how we love you so.

So, enough waxing on? A look at a recent walk? All righty, then.


Before we set off, I noticed this group of acorn tops. I imagine a group of feasting faeries fled just before I arrived.


Mamma gets a ride!


Birds on a wire (or two).


A gathering.


Not exactly clear, no, but the lights were lit! A Christmas house -- a year-round Christmas house! Oh, so funny.

there once was a woman...

...who was supposed to be responding to a stack of papers, but who was very distracted by this:


"The Pajama Game - There Once Was a Man"

I love the yodely-twang of this. (Yes, I'm making up words now.) It's so goofy.

This movie, in general kind of makes me laugh. The women who work in the pajama factory are wearing heels. These leading lovers take about four moments to each realize they love the other. Oh, so much fun and I'm only thirty minutes in (I had to pull that video from youtube although I haven't reached that part of the movie yet.)

I'm also fond of "Steam Heat," and probably some other songs I also haven't gotten to yet.


"The Pajama Game - Steam Heat"

do you have the time...

Have been reading about this

Green Day's "Basket Case" [embedding has been disabled]

and this

Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends" [embedding has been disabled]

recently.

Blast from the past.

necessary simplicity

A couple of weeks ago, I set myself up for a ridiculously busy week. I hope that I have learned from it: next time around (next year?) plan better...duh. I made it through that week, but I was incredibly exhausted. All last week, I still felt like I was recovering. I just felt like I couldn't catch up. This week has had a much more promising start (let's hope that continues throughout the week, please).

I have needed a lot of simplicity in a lot of areas of my life because I've gone and overwhelmed myself in just enough ways. This morning, I woke up at a decent hour and then I closed my eyes again. The next time I looked at the clock, it was two hours later. Who knows how long Cardo and Pic had been up by then. I took my time making and eating breakfast (Pic requested cold cereal and I made myself cream of wheat, one of my ultimate comfort foods). Then, I started to get set up for the day. Pic wanted to go outside and play with her hula hoop. I've grown weary (already) of having to continuously tell her, "Mamma made an iffy decision a couple of months ago and you constantly have to wait, sorry," so we moved our operation outside. Well, first I got dressed at some late hour in the day. Pic got to hoop, run around in the grass and climb a tree. I got to read and prepare for the coming week. I even got to play with the hula hoop for a while.



When we returned home, we had a very, very simple dinner. Pic had cheese and grapes and I had mini bagels with cream cheese and tomatoes.



I needed this day to be full of this quiet and simplicity. And, I need many more days of listening to and responding to Pic's and my needs. And, I need to learn to work out some satisfactory balance in my life. And, I need to learn my limits and accept them (unless I really feel like pushing them).

And, I need sleep.

I hope you are finding peaceful, simple moments in your own lives. G'night.

today in five acts

* going about my (tiny) paycheck-earning business

* tea with a friend

* park time with homeschooling friends (frogs and snails and squirrels, oh my!)

* futbol (our friends' son's team won!)

* ice cream

from the mouth of the babe...

I think I've managed to shift Pic's understanding of the world. The thing is: I thought she already knew that cartoons weren't real. Oops.

A couple of days ago, she told me, "I wish I could visit the Chipmunks." I explained to her that they were drawings and I felt I could see this information sink in. She looked perplexed and slightly intrigued. This is the kind of information she stores away for later, waiting to bring it up again for further confirmation. This is the kind of information she hold onto until she can apply it to other situations.

Last night, we were reading a Berenstain Bears book together and Pic asked me if Mama Bear was "made up." "They're all pretend," Pic continued, "because bears don't usually talk and wear clothes." No, not usually.

We've had a few more conversations about this. At the same time I like to experience this learning process with Pic, I feel a bit strangely sad -- I feel I've taken something from her. I tried to frame it positively, though, assuring Pic that these characters are parts of someone's imagination and represent something she also can do.


"The Chipmunks - Girls of Rock and Roll [FULL] [HIGH QUALITY]"
(Wow. The Chipmunks and Chipettes are wonderfully confident and passionate!)

aaaah-tumn

We've almost reached the autumnal equinox. While I have been trying to not wish away time, to wish for the summer to end and the leaves to turn fiery, I've kind of been doing just that. There's something (so much) about autumn that I just love.

Sunday, Pic and I headed out for a walk. I had on my windbreaker and she had on a hoodie. Our hair danced around our heads in the brisk breeze. Although it was only about five in the afternoon (evening?), the sun was already so low in the sky. I wanted to walk forever.

I've been going through a bit of a rough phase for a while. The kind that has me counting down (many, many) days. The kind that kind of has me wishing away time. Next year, I think, Next year, I'll do things differently. I'll listen to my instincts and to what I know about my family and our rhythm. I'll let go more easily. Check back with me in a year and see how I've done.

In the meantime, Pic and I are hoping to start a new tradition or two to celebrate the autumnal equinox. I hope this isn't just one of those plans we never follow through on. So, here's to autumn and here's to new traditions. (Hmm, does that phrase even work? Here's to something that'll be new to us now, but that we hope will be considered tradition years from now? Chissa?)

Right now, I'm off to respond to my body and get some rest already.