rain, finally!
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Category Archives: the great outdoors
Go fly a kite
blueberry bonanza
Happy August, lovelies! We started the morning out with an early blueberry bonanza to beat the heat. Apparently, I just can’t eat enough fresh blueberries because we picked some last week too, but my supply was already getting a bit low. They’re just soooo good right now. I’ve been eating them by the happy handful every day. And no, I haven’t turned into a Smurf yet. Yet!
Truth be told, the little birdie isn’t a great blueberry picker at this age – maybe next summer. She loses interest in picking after about, oh, 60 seconds. But she loves to run up and down the rows, check in with her friends (err, boss them around), and occasionally, pop a big, plum-sized one in her mouth. Pure northern Michigan summer!
She also had a great time with her good friend, Cora. And they didn’t even fight over anything today! Girls are so funny: one minute they’re pulling each other’s hair out over a toy and the next, they’re hugging and laughing. Or holding hands…
How are you celebrating the arrival of August and beating the heat in the midst of these dog days? Any great blueberry recipes I just HAVE to try? Send ’em my way. Until then, we just eat them straight out of the bowl! mmmmm.
Cyberspace friends, thank you so much for your thoughtful, thought-provoking, understanding and encouraging thoughts regarding my anxiety over the arrival of little birdie #2. Your support and advice means a lot. Thank YOU.
dog days
keeping up with the boys
The little birdie’s older boy cousins are in the area for about a month and she has been working hard at keeping up with them. I love that she doesn’t realize that she’s smaller and younger AND a girl. She just wants to do what they’re doing: “Wren’s turn NOW!” I also love that being a boy or a girl means nothing yet and doesn’t determine what you should be doing or saying or wearing or role-playing. It’s just good ole kiddo summer fun: playing in the water, fishing, eating watermelon, lying in the hammock. Aah, to be a kid again…
the iris farm
Did I tell you we now have a two year old living with us, who sometimes turns into the Tasmanian Devil when tired/hungry/over-stimulated/doesn’t get what she wants? Oof. We really needed to get out of the house yesterday for a change of attitude and perspective. And a trip to the iris farm worked. For about an hour of the day, yesssss! She decided to leave her grumpy pants at home and we had a great time. She had another melt-down in the garage when we got home, but then promptly slept for two hours after that, so that but-I-WANT-to-drive-the-car-NOW, Mama!!! meltdown can be forgiven. But obviously not yet forgotten. Sigh.
Yesterday, I wished that I too could’ve been 35″ tall so I could wade through a forest of irises. Then sit and pull them toward me, letting the smell fill up my entire face.
What did you do this weekend, lovelies? This is the first official week of summer vacation here in northern Michigan and it’s a near-perfect day. Looking forward to playing at the park this afternoon with my little birdie. And eating a popsicle. Or two.
didn’t take her long
I love how kids are able to (quickly!) size up a situation and take it to the next level. We could learn a lot from this shameless bravado, no?
‘dama’s Snow Bunny
Wren just adores her ‘dama Judy. They do such fun things together every week, like going for walks to Morsels, Wren’s favorite place, and making a snow bunny! We’ve already lost a lot of snow from earlier in the week, but there was plenty of wet snow left for making a snow bunny. Isn’t it adorable? I didn’t feel much like sculpting anything else with snow this year. I just wanted to sit inside, read books and eat popcorn. Thank goodness for ‘dama Judy! We feel very blessed that we have family who live nearby and take such an active interest in the little birdie’s development as a snow sculptor.
taste of summer
Happy spring, err, summer? Wasn’t last weekend amazing (and strange)? We snuck down to Chicago to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday (surprise!) and were greeted with a taste of summer. Yes, it even got hot enough that we started to complain… almost 90, humid and sunny! It felt great to be outside all day in t-shirts, gulping lemonade and grilling burgers. The telltale sign that it really was still spring? Forsythia.
Me thinks it’s going to be a wonderful summer. As long as I have enough popsicles in the freezer…
moss
Yup, we’re still wearing winter hats here in da frozen north country, but mostly only in the mornings. Only a few big snow piles in the northern shadowy reaches remain. The squirrels have been eating the crocus as soon as they begin to get real showy. Arrghh. What’s it like in your neighborhood, lovelies?
We spent almost all of yesterday’s play time outside, which included a long meandering walk through the neighborhood going wherever the little birdie wanted to go. Do you ever do this with your kids? Just let go and let them lead YOU on a walk? We end up discovering fun places like drainage ditches, “bowls,” as Wren calls them, with patches of sprightly green moss. One of yesterday’s new words! Moss.
We even grilled out AND ate dinner outside at the picnic table. I think the little birdie even had a little pink in her complexion this morning. So it only hit 50 yesterday, but we’ve got some major spring fever around here, can you tell? No flip flops yet, but I’m not wearing any socks today. Just in case.
Waking up to the smell of skunk was even a bit thrilling. Spring really has sprung!