Friday - 266th

A full day! So let's not get lost in the detail. No need to mention morning walk to feed the animals and the fact that the cheepers were hiding, possibly because an opossum has been prowling around here in recent days. And I can skip the details on how Tuxie caught a mouse and brought it to show off to others as they had to make do with regular cat food for breakfast.

Speaking of breakfast... Ed, if you're coming down then hurry up! 

 

 

The kids once again come to the farmhouse and this time they both seem to enjoy a brief moment in the brilliant sunshine that more than makes up for the coolness of the day.

Inside, it is nearly a repeat of yesterday: Snowdrop plunges into her pretend play, Sparrow takes out every bit of toy food (and there is a lot of it) many times. (In between, he'll be back with the duplos.)

 

We do read, alternating chapters of a book for the girl with less demanding books for the boy. 

 

 

And Sparrow asks to paint, which is a bit more fun to watch than having him do art with markers where no cap ever gets to go back onto the marker unless Gogs makes a fuss and then ultimately does it herself.

Snowdrop has her school meetings... 

 

 

... and we realize that it wont do to have the teacher announce at 11:30 that art equipment, found in the school box, would be needed for the 12:30 meeting. It appeared, for example, that the little girl would need glue. In the end, I found some glue sticks that were last used many years ago. Dry as anything. Ed watched youtubes on how to undry glue sticks.

It did not work. It was the second time in the scant meetings with her class that Snowdrop was left scrambling through no fault of anyone's really. Just circumstances. 

 

Still, good moods prevail. More than prevail!

And it tickles my heart at the end of our time together to hear Snowdrop say -- let's do a nature walk! And for Sparrow to repeat excitedly -- I love nature walk! (Sparrow loves a lot of things.) 

 

I'd always wanted someone else to love that spot among the pines here at the farmette. I found two aficionados, admiring with me the marvelousness of a path softened by pine needles and decorated by pine cones.

Later, toward evening actually, Ed and I take our walk in the county park. By the lake.

 

The colors are sublime. The sun is low, the world is quiet.

 

At the farmhouse? There are things that need to be put back, small cleaning jobs, some catch up stuff to do on the computer and as always in this month of short days, the light disappears ever so quickly. That's okay: the candle flickers, the tree lights throw color everywhere.