You can sense it at the farmette: the period of settling in. Winter is solidly in place. The days start late, the air is clean, crisp, the snow is covering all that we like to have covered now. Deer tracks criss cross the flower beds, the cheepers stay close to their roost.
We used to eat breakfast in the sun room on days like this, but this year, we've closed the door and kept the chill of that room away from the rest of the house. The sun still reaches us through the glass panes of the door...
...but our morning meal tends to be in the kitchen.
Over at my daughter's place, little Snowdrop is beginning her second week of life. She, too, is developing recognizable habits and preferences. Some, like this one...
...make life easy for the parents.
Others -- well, they make life interesting, in the way that babies always make life interesting.
Virgil, the cat, watches...
Little Snowdrop stretches...
...then looks around (a bit apprehensively)...
...then naps some more.
There are times when she is much less serene. But today she showed off her rhythms and habits and at least some of them fit right into this time of winter quiet.
It sounds like folks on the farmette are hibernating a bit. Looks to be the right weather for it and Snowdrop needs her sleep, anyhow.
ReplyDeleteIt occurs to me that I should probably put myself and my posts in context, as I don't bear the same name here on Nina's blog that I do elsewhere. Some might have recognized this name from my email address, but to others I should probably say that you know me best from Journalscape as TopsyTurvy.
Winter definitely sets a different pace for everyone. Going out in the evenings is less important. Staying close to home feels right.
DeleteAnd no, I for one did not know you were Journalscape's Topsy Turvy. Though I really do like snowfleurry. Sort of like Snowdrop, with a French twist!
You hit it on the nose, Nina! That's how I got the name of Snowfleurry. I'd always been Snowrose on the web, for many many years. But as the web grew bigger there were more Snowroses, so I had to find something a little different. Enter Snowfleurry, somewhat in honor of my having moved to Canada some years ago. I see it as soft and unique, with a bit of a French twist. ;)
DeleteWonderful pics, I can tell you could simply watch her all day long.
ReplyDeleteCute little jammies! I must say I am highly, privately, amused by my young folks' avoidance of anything pink. So like every other educated-class baby, ours is dressed in anything but pink - in perfect feminist conformity.
What's even funnier is that I was the SAME WAY THIRTY YEARS AGO. We didn't know the sex of our babies in advance, so everything was yellow and green. :0 Laughing at myself too.
So perhaps the real feminist statement would be to wear pink, because you can.
I see this color-worry much more on this side of the ocean. I think I wrote about this -- in Europe, you enter a children's clothing store and pink is everywhere. (And, too, you'll see the occasional boy in a pink shirt.) Snowdrop has lots of pink in her closet. And gray and blue and yellow, but there is no shying away from pink.There is no way that this girl, with two very mathematically inclined parents, has to worry about being defined by how she looks or dresses. That is -- not until middle school when peer pressure hits at girls especially hard.
DeleteI'm hoping by the time Snowdrop grows up, girls will be bringing their creativity into math and computers and engineering... everywhere! I know she'll have blocks and Legos... lots of stuffed koalas and elephants to snuggle too.
DeleteCertainly her very accomplished and confident young mother wears pink! It has to be a choice. and I can tell you, as a preschool teacher, the choice is pink, pink, Pink!
DeleteI've also had the occasional boy over the years trying on the lovely dress-up dresses. And why not! They are colorful, silky, voluminous and swirly. Boys too are interested in how it feels. And other kids don't say a word about it. Kids are so beautiful.
Charlotte -- you'd not be surprised that Snowdrop's first set of blocks has chemical elements... :)
DeleteJoyD -- that's inspiring! I wonder at what age a child first starts to criticize the appearance of her or his friend... I went to elementary school in NY and my recollection is that it wasn't until the girls entered the double digit ages. Preteen. But it could be that I just didn't see it earlier. Do you know? You're surrounded by kids!
Cool to know about the Element blocks... just wait until she stacks them in Periodic Table order 😀
DeleteBeing critical of appearance? I don't hear it in my room, but then we've worked so hard all year to inspire kindness and respect. We talk, whenever it comes up, about the truth that other people have different ideas than yours, and that doesn't mean yours are more valuable.
DeleteThey are proud of their clothes though, and I think all of them are allowed to choose what they wear.
We don't want to make too-too much over clothes, though. Adults can get caught in the same trap of caring overmuch about appearances (the game that Ed, bless him, refuses to play)
So every morning I refrain from complimenting dresses and bows, and instead remark on their smiles, their eagerness, their energy, their helpfulness, their good ideas etc!
We are SO READY TO GO every day! I suppose I'm addicted to that energy infusion from the kids. And that's the room I create for them. Today we had wonderful art projects and science experiments going on.
Yes, of course. We teach kids not to focus on dress or appearance as markers of status or beauty. What I was wondering is at what age that message is lost on some of them, so that they evaluate their peers by how they look rather than what's inside. I don't think it happens in your age group. I think it happens later -- maybe not until middle school. I was just wondering if you knew. I should ask Charlotte this as well, as she is/was also a teacher, though of older kids.
DeleteIn my experience with Grades 6-8, it's definitely there by Sixth Grade, maybe 5th even, peaks in Seventh, fades somewhat in 8th. I think kids settle into their own groups by 9th and aren't so concerned about what kids in other groups think.
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