Edges of Knowing

Though I play at the edges of knowing,
truly I know
our part is not knowing,
but looking, and touching, and loving - Mary Oliver

There was the community egg hunt in the muddy meadow...

and a bouncy house

and so much blooming...

and the birthday party with much magic

and the witch socks that I donned for his merriment
and the Easter brunch with friends

and a table for two

















and two buds dying eggs

and three boys playing tops

and that magical bunny who made my boy so happy...

and a sweet little wind up chick that tickled his heart...


and all those colorful felty eggs stuffed with treats and hidden about the house.

"Mama", he said, "Easter is all about the egg and the egg is all about birth".





And my heart melted in perfect time with the chocolate on my tongue.

Gravity Sprinkled Upward

It's one of those magical places wise people
like to talk about.
One of the things they say about it, that is true,

is that, once you've been there,
you're there forever.
Listen, everyone has a chance.
Is it spring, is it morning?

Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then— open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away. — Mary Oliver

(Such Singing in the Wild Branches)


This was a beautiful weekend for our family. We took a trip to the mountains for a celebratory Spring hike. Something happens when you're looking down from 3,385 feet in the air, something shifts, you gain new perspective and feel such a sense of peace.

Satch in his usual fashion turned over logs and stones to discover their mysteries. He was smitten with this millipede. At least, we think it was a millipede because it had mighty short legs and a whole lot of 'em. 

We found some small bones and claws and nearby, 2 very weathered owl pellets which we took home for dissection.

It was also the weekend of the Perigee Moon. We celebrated with a moonrise picnic of cheese and crackers and glow sticks, of course.

 

Neighbors and friends joined us, sharing Moon Pies and conversation as we watched the Perigee Moon glow orange, then white as it rose higher.

In the morning Satch went straightaway to dissecting his owl pellets while his dad and I sipped our coffee. The pellets had clearly been exposed to the elements for quite some time we so decided it would probably be safe. Nevertheless, there was careful washing of hands and equipment afterward. Satch was excited by his haul of small bones. Some info on owl pellets here.

We are feeling very inspired by TWO new books that we had the honor to review!

Seasons by award winning author/artist, Anne Crausaz. This book explores the 4 seasons through 5 senses. I love the illustrations and color and the underlying message of fully experiencing the unique beauty of each season.

Around One Log by Anthony D. Fredericks is a rhymic story that explores the ecology of a rotting log and the community of creatures that make their home there. The story celebrates the interconnectedness of life on our planet. There is a section of field notes that contain facts about the animal characters in the story as well as a section filled with nature activities and projects.

These two lovely books make perfect springtime reading!


On Sunday we'll be attending a Native American Drumming Circle in honor of Springtime. I can't think of a better way to celebrate a season of re-birth and new beginnings. Oh Spring, thank you for another chance to break free from all that inhibits our growth.

Seasonal Book Basket: Spring

A warm day and a walk to the vernal pool...


To celebrate the arrival of Spring we began migrating appropriate books to our seasonal book basket. Along the way, we had the opportunity to review and discover some new favorites:

A wonderful story about how a young moose finds his way home after wandering into a nearby village. Little ones experience what animal instincts may feel like.


We're completely smitten with this book about the wonders of animal migration. The lyrical text will captivate the wee ones and the factual blurbs will fascinate "big kids". I especially love the map on the last page which gives one a sense of just how far some animals travel.


Under One Rock explores the interconnectedness of all living things, told in a similar cumulative format as the Mother Goose classic, This is the House that Jack Built...only what could be better than bugs and slugs!

All that mud around the vernal pool had us thinking about animal tracks, so we revisited this old favorite that we found at a used book sale. Later, we did some stamping with our animal track stamps.

*More faves from our Spring Book Basket here!

The Hour of Toad!

"Toad talked big about all he was going to do in the days to come, while stars grew fuller and larger all around them, and a yellow moon, appearing suddenly and silently from nowhere in particular, came to keep them company and listen to their talk. " - Kenneth Grahame


Satchel has had two tadpoles guests whom he named, Sponge Bob and Sandy! This is their story...please stick with me, you'll love the ending!

Last year, Satchel's aunt "Lola" gave him this Tadpole catcher and pond book which sparked a mad hunt for tadpoles and a fascination with frog/toad metamorphosis. Unable to find any tadpoles, we used it to catch, observe and release minnows at our local nature center. Then, magically, a friend whom I made through Freecycle rescued some tadpoles from a puddle and phoned to ask if we would like to adopt some. We went straight away to get a tank.

We settled on this little Tetra kit because it was small, self-contained and inexpensive. Satch put together the filter by himself (he's a clever little chap) and helped rinse and prepare the new home for our new friends.


Info raising tadpoles here.

We waited and watched and had several readings of Fish is Fish (a story of a fish and a frog). We used our Life Cycle stamps and played with these toys during bath time....

AND approximately one week later our tads turned into toads and....

we released them!



Afterward, to make the bittersweet parting a bit cheesier, we celebrated with pizza. I said a toast, "Hoppy Toad Day to Sponge Bob & Sandy" and Satch added, "Hope you have a good life" and we both drank to that. I promised that we would do it again next Spring.

Riding Out the Storm

"But this much I have learned,
if not enough else—
to live with my eyes open" - Mary Oliver (In the Storm)

Last week a wacky storm blew through suddenly. Robert called from work and said, "Take Satch down to the basement, there is a tornado warning". My heart started pounding because he is a bit of a weather buff and soon after his statement it began to rain sideways. I clipped the phone to my pants, grabbed Satch and carried him to the basement where he immediately began examining all the cardboard boxes that either needed to be unpacked or broken down. I ran upstairs to get snacks, water, toys, books, diaper bag, blanket and our two cats. The cats set out to explore the cellar while Satch and I hunkered down in an interior storage closet which I quickly set up in a playful manner. I told Satch we were going to pretend it's an office like Dada's and he yelled, "Dat be fun!"

While we waited for the warning to be lifted, we played with this learning laptop by V-Tech. A little monkey presented us with a letter and we had to find it's match on the keyboard. It features a wide variety of games which include language, math and music. As you know, I'm not a big fan of electronic toys, but I do believe in balance and moderation as, like it or not, we live in a high tech world of gadgets and gizmos.

We did some drawing in another gorgeous Taro Gomi book entitled, "Squiggles". The Taro Gomi books are EXACTLY the kind of coloring books I wish I had when I was a kid. Highly imaginative, HUGE, and the paper is excellent quality.

AND we read two new books:

Wild Fibonacci! The whole Fibonacci thing just blows my mind and what a wonderful way to introduce this mysterious code of nature to children.

Frog Girl is a beautiful book with a beautiful message - respect for nature, interconnectedness, and caring for the creatures of our earth.

When the warning was lifted we went back upstairs. Satch napped, and I made it a goal to finish organizing that basement into a kid-friendly stormy day play area. One of the closets will be for storm related pantry items so that we don't have to scramble to gather things in the rare event of another tornado warning. The deeper storage closet will remain empty except for a bucket of crayons, a toy, some books and a blanket - should we ever need to play "office" again.

The Tide

The tide of cardboard is beginning to ebb and we're beginning to see the hardwood shore. No longer wading in a waist high sea of moving boxes, we are now knee deep and feeling more grounded. In the meantime, I was able to upload a few photos from Grandma's (Nomah) visit and trip to Satchel's favorite haunt....the farm

Nine little piglets were born to mama Lucy which was perfect timing for this DELIGHTFUL AND CHARMING book, "The Story of Cherry the Pig"!


Now I must return to the unpacking and the soon-to-be waking boy.

Nesty Nest Nest

Yesterday morning Satch yelled, "Mama Mama come see....Robins and Blue Jays, Mama!" (My heart leaped to know that the arrival of these birds made him happy too) The Robins have arrived and we couldn't be happier....Spring is on the way!

It's no secret that I love nests...the whole idea of nests....home, warmth...a place for singing, learning to fly, weathering a storm. Satch seems to like them too and he took a photo (below) with his camera of a nest we have on our kitchen table. (I made the felted Robin's Eggs inside)

I was thrilled to have this beautifully illustrated book entitled, "Burrows, Nests & Lairs: Animal Architects", handy so that he could explore some amazing homes built by our fellow creatures.

Seasonal Book Basket: Spring Fever!

"from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it's
spring" - e.e. cummings

(More wonders and beauty here!)

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring....I love Spring! And this season always makes me think of seedlings, and all the critters that start emerging...and puddles and little toy boats to sail in them. Here is a list of our MUCH loved spring reads....books that celebrate the season and nature.

One word can sum up the beauty of these two books - Exquisite! You'll be hearing from illustrator, Sylvia Long in November's Mom to Mom Interview! -

(Click on the book covers for more info)

We just love these endangered species books by Jonathan London. The illustrations by Jon Van Zyle truly capture the characteristics of the animals.


Toy Boat is a great book for when the world is puddle-wonderful. Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated! Make your own toy boat and head out to the nearest puddle. Instructions here, here, here and for the daring...here. You'll be hearing from the author mama, Randall de Seve, in September's Mom to Mom interview!

Frog Belly Rat Bone is one of Satchel's favorites. The textured cover lends itself to an altered art book. The illustrations are very imaginative. Give this books as a gift with a package of seed bombs (or make your own) and the message of this book will come to life. We forced daffodil bulbs on the windowsill!

Spring is mud-luscious... so there are bound to be some animal tracks. Wild Tracks! includes life size images of animal tracks so you and your wees can identify which animal found the mud before you.

We're learning lots about our feathered friends with this book and we're driving our cats bonkers with the enclosed cd. Satch can easily identify several birds, both by sound and sight!
Sing, Nightingale, Sing!

As the author of Kid's Easy-to-Create Wildlife Habitats, Emily Stetson, points out in this wonderful book...it's free, easy and fun and your small efforts can make a huge difference to a variety of creatures!

The Kids' Nature Book encourages children to explore nature with 365 activities and experiences for indoors or outdoors. There is literally something for every day of the year.


And now that things are looking a bit greener outside, perhaps you mamas are thinking about going a bit greener yourself. If so, Living the Good Life is a very entertaining account of one family's efforts towards 6 months of sustainable living.


Happy Spring!!!