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sunshine
And when you’re gone it’s all I notice. I stand in the beams of you. Absorbing you deep and steady and wishing I had a cup a suitcase an anything to store you, stash you. Collect the golden depths of you.
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add it up.
This isn’t the first time I’ve allowed the numbers to speak for me. 2,224 miles registered on our odometer from our last excursion. 10 days we spent away from our home. 15 chickens suffered a massacre apparently at the mouths of our 2 dogs whilst we were in another state. 7 loads of laundry washed in one day. 0 items worthy of consumption to be found in our cabinets or fridge.
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this post is a little ridiculous.
Can we shift gears today? Stick it in neutral and discuss some really basically unimportant topic? It’s something I’m pretty certain I’ve never before addressed in a real life conversation, let alone a blog post. The topic is just this …. mascara. Right. Yes. Mascara. You see, I do not qualify as a girly-girl. My mom never really wore make up. I never really wore make up. When I was about sixteen I experimented with this trendy new clear eye lash lengthening product that looked like clear nail gloss for your lashes. One morning in high school I slathered the gooey stuff across my lashes. By afternoon I was wiping…
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to wear compassion as a cloak.
My lovely friend sent this scripture passage to me recently. I have needed these words so frequently. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3:12-14 Another friend pointed out how kind it is of God to allow us to put on traits like compassion and kindness and meekness and patience. Because He knows those characteristics are not natural to people like me. I need help to put on a…
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On the Road: Highlights Retreat Center
Last week our family was on a journey. But you kind of know that already, thanks to several posts about Piper’s funny on the road quotes and a couple of reviews of Gettysburg (thumbs up) and Hershey World (thumbs down). Our ultimate destination was central New York but we stopped here and there on our way north. After our fabulous and relaxing stay at our cousins’ home, our next overnight was a rendezvous with a friend and business partner near Honesdale PA. Tim is a talented illustrator with a prolific portfolio. One of his several claims to fame is as a Hidden Pictures artist with Highlights magazine. He’s created…
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On the Road: Hershey’s Chocolate World: A Public Service Announcement
I like to think this blog is occasionally helpful. Today’s post should certainly qualify as such, potentially saving you time and energy and money. All valuable things, can we agree? After Gettysburg but before our next stop, the highway practically delivered our suburban right to the doorstep of Hershey, Pennsylvania. When Riley was an only child, our itsy bitsy family of three (!) made a business trek to New Hampshire to acquire new equipment for the television studio where Kevin worked. On that journey we had visited this famed town of chocolate. To our recollection it had been a pleasurable stop and we anticipated the same for a second go-round.…
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And the Piper Finn jokes keep rolling ….
The GPS and its annoyingly monotone voice have been guiding our journey as modern-day travelers. Piper likes to see the purple-ish path outlining our drive and she keeps her eyes peeled for the checkered flag of our destination. And she likes to fulfill her familial role as the Town Crier, so when we begin to be remotely near our destination she cries out to all who are listening (and to those who are not) – “Hey guys. We have reached our destiny.”
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Taking the Piper Show on the road.
Traveling with kids is generally amusing. It’s always about perspective. Piper Finn has been especially entertaining the last few days. Upon entering the handicap accessible bathroom at one night’s lodging her eyes grew very wide – “What?” she proclaimed with a shout and a pointing finger. “A chair in the shower? You can sit down in the shower? That’s awesome!”
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On the Road: Gettysburg
You could easily spend an entire day there. But we just had an hour or two. And it was snowing. And 30 degrees. But the national park and museum were literally only minutes from the highway and we’ve been studying the Civil War in history this year along with our Prairie Primer so it just seemed irresponsible to not stop for a glimpse. We entered the wide hall area at the museum where you have to decide whether you want to buy tickets, arrange a bus tour, donate blood, watch a movie, take a guided auto tour, purchase museum tickets, adopt a dog. Okay, two of those weren’t real choices…
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They’re worth it
Worth driving for: Cousins enjoying one another’s company. Little girls baking bread together. Laughter. Catching up. Stories of the farm and growing up. Trampoline chaos. Board games. Soccer games. Food served endlessly. It is a lovely bit of magic to be related to such wonderfully fun human beings.
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mixing it up.
Musically speaking, what’s happening in our home? Otto Fox was trooping through the kitchen yesterday, boots on, matchbox car in hand. He began singing enthusiastically to himself: “Do you want to build a snowman? NO THANKS! I’m talking to the man in the mirror!”
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charmed.
It was on the calendar for a month at least. Craft-y day with the ladies. That’s the title I gave the day. But before you can make crafts efficiently you have to fuel your body – right? Goodness – we did. Breakfast on the patio on a breezy comfortable Saturday morning with buddies. Freshly made potato hash overflowing with goodies like mushrooms and topped with fried eggs. Fuh-get-about -it. Homemade scones. Small enough to feel just fine to serve yourself more than one. And yogurt topped with blueberries and honey roasted sliced almonds. Delicious. During the morning we chose little colored beads and strips of leather and created a really…
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now starring …
Do you remember a boy named Bergen who was painfully shy in public? This kid who doesn’t even desire to read his poetry out loud to his classmates at the safety of his friend’s dining room table? Yes. That fella. Imagine this. Our co-op has been working on a simple play entitled How Birds Fly for the past term. At the beginning of the theatre class I asked all of the kids questions to gage their comfort level in being on stage for the performance. Every child except Bergen wanted a role – some wanted only minor speaking parts – but everyone wanted to participate on stage. I allowed the…
