Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Love Over Lilacs
So it seemed odd that right after I posted Love over Bagels, I encountered a blind man in the Arnold Arboretum. We were there because all the lilacs were in bloom, and there were lots of people going from one shrub to another and sniffing them in turn. The arboretum has hundreds of varieties of lilac on one hillside, and the amount of variation in the blooms is rather astonishing.
This man was with a friend of his (or perhaps a family member) and as he sniffed each shrub he would ask his companion to describe the flower to him. I tried to imagine how his mind worked and whether with his heightened sense of smell he could actually catalog each flower separately in his mind by smell, accompanied with descriptive words. I thought about his friend and whether it pained him to not be able to accurately describe the beauty of each flower so that his friend could see it in his mind.
Here are some quick pictures of our walk.
A few lilacs:
Lee with a magnificent Stewartia:
My first look at the Dove Tree (aka The Handkerchief Tree) in bloom:
Clara, a great walker at 18 months:
This man was with a friend of his (or perhaps a family member) and as he sniffed each shrub he would ask his companion to describe the flower to him. I tried to imagine how his mind worked and whether with his heightened sense of smell he could actually catalog each flower separately in his mind by smell, accompanied with descriptive words. I thought about his friend and whether it pained him to not be able to accurately describe the beauty of each flower so that his friend could see it in his mind.
Here are some quick pictures of our walk.
A few lilacs:
Lee with a magnificent Stewartia:
My first look at the Dove Tree (aka The Handkerchief Tree) in bloom:
Clara, a great walker at 18 months:
Memorial Day Weekend
We had a fabulous weekend opening up the house at the lake. The weather was atypically warm and sunny, and everyone seemed to be in a jolly mood. The house didn't seem nearly as dirty as it usually does (or more likely my standards are getting lower each year) and so we spent just a portion of Saturday and Sunday working and the rest of the time enjoying ourselves.
Lee and Liam spent hours playing together which was nice. I think she's getting old enough to be interesting to Liam (that and the fact that he has no one his age to play with!).
Campfires have become a common occurrence on Saturday nights, complete with S'Mores. It's funny because growing up we never had campfires. Dave decided a few years ago to build a fire pit, and it has been great fun.
Another highlight was piling everyone into the boat and going over to Ragged Island, which is now owned by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. We hiked around the island and then had a picnic lunch.
Clara couldn't stay awake. What better place to nap?
Liam was priding himself on going into the cold water and actually jumped from the boat into The Broads on the way home. Brrr.....
All in all a spectacular start to the summer.
Lee and Liam spent hours playing together which was nice. I think she's getting old enough to be interesting to Liam (that and the fact that he has no one his age to play with!).
Campfires have become a common occurrence on Saturday nights, complete with S'Mores. It's funny because growing up we never had campfires. Dave decided a few years ago to build a fire pit, and it has been great fun.
Another highlight was piling everyone into the boat and going over to Ragged Island, which is now owned by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. We hiked around the island and then had a picnic lunch.
Clara couldn't stay awake. What better place to nap?
Liam was priding himself on going into the cold water and actually jumped from the boat into The Broads on the way home. Brrr.....
All in all a spectacular start to the summer.
Davis Farmland
It seems I've taken some time off, which is just fine considering the size of my audience. I would just hate that pressure to post every day. So, some catch-up....
A few weeks ago we went to Davis Farmland. I had heard it was wonderful and that they had all sorts of baby animals that you could touch and pet. And to be fair, they did, but the place is really more of an amusement park with a farm theme than an actual farm. I should have known from their website.
It didn't help that Lee was scared of all the animals, even the baby goats that were the size of a lapdog.
And, when we ended up at their huge playground for a while, I felt a bit of "we drove almost an hour for this?"
It was also a little sad that this was what had to happen for a family farm to make a go of it. What I actually did like was that they have rare species of farm animals from all over the world. Here are my favorites, all of them very long-haired and hippie-ish.
A few weeks ago we went to Davis Farmland. I had heard it was wonderful and that they had all sorts of baby animals that you could touch and pet. And to be fair, they did, but the place is really more of an amusement park with a farm theme than an actual farm. I should have known from their website.
It didn't help that Lee was scared of all the animals, even the baby goats that were the size of a lapdog.
And, when we ended up at their huge playground for a while, I felt a bit of "we drove almost an hour for this?"
It was also a little sad that this was what had to happen for a family farm to make a go of it. What I actually did like was that they have rare species of farm animals from all over the world. Here are my favorites, all of them very long-haired and hippie-ish.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Love over Bagels
This morning I went into Brueggers to pick up some bagels and a sandwich for an early lunch. Clara and I sat down at a table. I soon noticed that at the table across from us was a middle-aged woman and an elderly man whom I took to be her father. The man was talking extremely loudly, and the woman wasn't saying a word. As I listened to this very one-sided conversation (the man more than made up for the woman's missing volume) I soon realized that he must have gone deaf relatively late in life, because she communicated to him by writing things down in a small notebook and passing them across the table. He would then read her writing, and then speak back to her.
The conversation involved just a father asking his daughter about the little details of her life. It was nothing very fascinating, and yet I couldn't help but listen because for one, Clara is not yet a very good conversationalist, and also, it was a bit of a puzzle to figure out what the woman had communicated to him from what he said. It was also interesting how painstaking it was for them to communicate in this manner.
Something about the entire interaction brought tears to my eyes. It made me think of family and different kinds of love. It made me imagine times I will share a meal with my mother and father as they age, and also a far-off day when Clara will have lunch with me in my old age. I hope she shows me as much patience.
The conversation involved just a father asking his daughter about the little details of her life. It was nothing very fascinating, and yet I couldn't help but listen because for one, Clara is not yet a very good conversationalist, and also, it was a bit of a puzzle to figure out what the woman had communicated to him from what he said. It was also interesting how painstaking it was for them to communicate in this manner.
Something about the entire interaction brought tears to my eyes. It made me think of family and different kinds of love. It made me imagine times I will share a meal with my mother and father as they age, and also a far-off day when Clara will have lunch with me in my old age. I hope she shows me as much patience.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tubes Update
I haven't posted anything since Clara's tubes were put in two weeks ago. I must say that we are thrilled with how she's doing. She's so much happier. She has slept through the night every single night since her surgery, she's drinking about 3-4 x the liquids she used to, she's had no fever, and she hardly fusses at all. She's happy to entertain herself, and she laughs and giggles and dances. Even the ear plugs don't seem so bad (we just have drugstore ones at the moment) - she splashes around in the bath and doesn't seem to notice them at all. All in all we wish we'd done it a few months ago. :)
Uses for the Jeep
We primarily use the Jeep to haul yard waste to the composting facility here in town. It's also great to contain (and entertain) the girls while we work in the yard.
Oh, and once in a while Bridges drives it to work or the train station or the airport.
Oh, and once in a while Bridges drives it to work or the train station or the airport.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
No Pun Intended
I can honestly say that the use of the word "freeze" in the popsicle post was completely unintentional. It must be the Smith family influence seeping into my subconscious.
Parker Meadow
A few days ago we went for a walk in Parker Meadow, one of our favorite small conservation areas nearby. It was a bit wet, but Clara managed to (mostly) stay on the boards over the mucky areas, and gamely followed Lee, who was sprinting on up ahead.
We saw lots of birds, ducks, a rabbit, and a big bullfrog.
These pictures are for Lee, who thinks dandelions are beautiful,
and Clara, who seems to agree.
We saw lots of birds, ducks, a rabbit, and a big bullfrog.
These pictures are for Lee, who thinks dandelions are beautiful,
and Clara, who seems to agree.
Freeze!
Today I brought home popsicle molds from Target. When I showed them to Lee, she said "Mommy, is it really almost summer? These are SO exciting!!!"
Sometimes I wish I could just freeze her at exactly this age.
Sometimes I wish I could just freeze her at exactly this age.
Monday, May 5, 2008
A Birthday in Boston
Lee had a drizzly fourth birthday. We took her into Boston, which is the third year we have done that for her birthday. It was early spring in the city (flowering trees and tulips), but we underestimated how cold it would be with the wind and the rain so we were all a bit chilly walking around.
The first stop was the Public Gardens,
where unfortunately the Swan Boats weren't running due to the rain, but we did visit the Make Way for Ducklings statues.
Then we walked over to the Boston Common where we saw the Statehouse and visited one of our favorite spots, the Tadpole Playground.
We then hopped on the Green Line and went to the Boston Public Library. We went in the McKim building, which I believe was under renovation for years. Bridges and I had never been inside and were amazed at how beautiful it is. The kids had a great time exploring, wandering up and down big staircases, looking at statues and carvings and paintings. Lee even found a heating vent on which to warm up.
Afterwards we took an elevator to the 52nd floor of the Prudential building and had lunch at the Top of the Hub. It was pretty cloudy, so we couldn't see into the distance, but Lee loved being way up high and looking down on places we had just been.
The first stop was the Public Gardens,
where unfortunately the Swan Boats weren't running due to the rain, but we did visit the Make Way for Ducklings statues.
Then we walked over to the Boston Common where we saw the Statehouse and visited one of our favorite spots, the Tadpole Playground.
We then hopped on the Green Line and went to the Boston Public Library. We went in the McKim building, which I believe was under renovation for years. Bridges and I had never been inside and were amazed at how beautiful it is. The kids had a great time exploring, wandering up and down big staircases, looking at statues and carvings and paintings. Lee even found a heating vent on which to warm up.
Afterwards we took an elevator to the 52nd floor of the Prudential building and had lunch at the Top of the Hub. It was pretty cloudy, so we couldn't see into the distance, but Lee loved being way up high and looking down on places we had just been.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Living My Own Life
We had dinner at some friends' last night, and there was another couple there whom we don't know all that well. He works long hours, and his wife is an internist who works four days a week but is often on call, so in reality she has a full-time job as well. Their two boys are 2-1/2 and just a year.
He was talking about how busy they are, and their work/family balance. They pay a nanny to be with their kids while they work. They also pay someone to clean their house. They often eat out or get take-out, and so someone else is cooking their food. He's very handy and loves to work around the house, but since that would be time taken away from the kids he now pays a handyman to do those things as well. "It's as if I'm paying someone else to live my life!" he said.
I left dinner feeling a bit boring because everyone else had a career and I don't, but also grateful that I'm actually living my own life.
He was talking about how busy they are, and their work/family balance. They pay a nanny to be with their kids while they work. They also pay someone to clean their house. They often eat out or get take-out, and so someone else is cooking their food. He's very handy and loves to work around the house, but since that would be time taken away from the kids he now pays a handyman to do those things as well. "It's as if I'm paying someone else to live my life!" he said.
I left dinner feeling a bit boring because everyone else had a career and I don't, but also grateful that I'm actually living my own life.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
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