Dual Duel

What is it about boys and swords? From the very first, we did not allow "weapon toys" in our home. Didn't find them necessary or creative. We also wanted to send a message that violence wasn't something we wanted to teach or tolerate in our home.

Sesame Street and Barney were the only TV shows allowed for the longest time - strictly doled out, nothing "inappropriate". I do not recall sabre battles between Big Bird and Ernie. Baby Bop never wielded a rapier in my memory.

And yet, from an early age my son would pick up a stick, jam a bucket on his head and morph into Sir Lancelot. Or we'd find him with a cape around his neck, flourishing a flashlight and warning us to stay away from his light sabre. As he grew older, he read incessantly about medieval weapons and was quite helpful with crossword puzzles involving five letter words referring to a weapon used in 5Th century hand-to-hand combat. Boy Scout camp found him and his buddies quiet only when whittling sticks to surgical precision so they could battle. This from the gentlest child I know. He's never been in a fist fight, used force to get his way, or threatened anything with a blade. (Albeit, his tongue can be construed as a weapon at times.)


So, I come home the other day to this in my yard:



These will be some of the great minds of their generation-
the future of America.
They will be crafting decisions that will affect our world and determine the course of our lives.

Some will leave for college next year, but applications remain blank today. (Hopefully the only weapon they will be wielding will be the mighty pen.)

Tomorrow they will continue their futile job search in an economy that has every one holding tight to minimum wage jobs.

Disregarded is the weather.Heat? Heat? What heat?


Today they're just being kids.

No sex...that we are aware of.

No drugs...I think WE would know.

No rock-n-roll...Oh wait, scratch that one. Lots of rock and roll.

(2 out of 3's not bad when it comes to happy healthy children. Besides, I like their music.)

I envy their playfulness and sense of whimsy. Life will catch up to them all too soon. Innocence once lost can never be regained.

So, en garde!

And watch out, these "swords" are a bit flimsy - but GREAT fun!

Are the Stars Out Tonight?

Summer has officially arrived in Minnesota.

Pay no attention to the overwhelming scent of peonies wafting through every inch of my living space.

Never mind the 98 degree heat accompanied by North Carolinian levels of humidity (which has turned my hair into a mass of unrestrainable curls).

Please, take ever damn mosquito in the land of 10,000 lakes and send them to Arizona where they will be a novelty.

Nothing says 'summer' like the glow of the first firefly!

If you examine lightning bugs closely, there is nothing particularly appealing about them. In fact, they are rather unattractive creatures bearing a remarkable resemblance to roaches-ewww.
( So, it's best they come out after dark. ) A member of the beetle family, they are able to produce cold light-which in and of itself is AWESOME!!
Nocturnal in nature, they emit light as a way of locating a mate or prey.
(Aside) Hm-m-m-m...so if you are an insect responding to this beacon you are going to either:
a) get it on or
b)get eaten
Guess you want sex pretty badly if you are willing to bet your life on a luminescent glow.

But as long as you don't peer too closely at them, there is something utterly magical about the way they twinkle at dusk. Glitter for a summer's evening. What child isn't drawn to the chase? Waiting to pursue the next glimmer. Grasping at the lengthening darkness in the hope of snatching a star from the sky and stuffing it into a Mason jar. And what mother hasn't emptied said jar of slightly droopy (but well-satisfied) insects the next morning?



Summer, I salute you !

Retire the bottle of Bailey's and break out the Bombay Sapphire.
Pull out the lawn chairs.
Grab a Mason jar.
Extinguish all artificial light.
Prepare to be amazed.

Fly Away Home

Just finished dropping off my daughter at camp. Seems like it should get easier every year, but somehow I feel our time together growing short and I resent relinquishing any of it. But as the old adage says, the two things a parent should give their children are roots and wings. So fly away my little bird.
By the way, she was the one who christened me with my user name, which I feel is so appropriate....

As I am a constant source of embarrassment to her, I continually mortify her every day (she's 15, what can I say..I should be so much smarter in about 5 years). After one particularly humiliating conversation, she turned to me, shook her head, and said "Mom, you are one odd chicken".
Silence ensued.
I burst out laughing.
"I think you're confusing your fowl", inserted my know-it-all son. "Don't you mean 'odd duck'?"
"No. No, I like odd chicken-it suits me," I affirmed.
And so, my new identity was born. (Humiliating her even further as she can't believe I would actually use it online!!...or garden in my swimsuit, or listen to Fallout Boy, or dare to joke around with her latest flame.)

However, this morning as she stumbled downstairs and onto the couch, she suddenly crawled into my lap. "I'm going to miss you," she said. "Two weeks is a long time."

Don't I know it!
Guess I'm not such an embarrassment as I thought.
Au revoir mon petit oiseau. Enjoy your wings, for I know your roots are firmly planted.
Happy Father's Day Daddy. Thank you for showing me what a parent should be.

Dream a Little Dream

Five years in the making....

finally I finished the pond. If I must say, I am quite pleased with myself...it's just as I'd envisioned it! Even better, actually, as I never anticipated how much wildlife the sound of falling water will attract. The birds are delighted as are all the little pixies in the neighborhood. Budding scientists across the street are anxious to bring tadpoles and crawdads to add to the ecosystem. I'm just thankful to enjoy evenings listening to our nesting wrens singing melody, accompanied by the soothing background vibes of water on sandstone.

Looks inviting, no?!

Today I am thankful for 10 things:

-A peek at some sunshine this morning, however shortlived.
-The much needed rain we have had FINALLY...spinach next week, Yum,Yum.
-The color green.
-My good friend's phone call this morning relaying her frustrations with TexASS. I love Minnesota.
-The word "jaunty" - not many people use it anymore.
-My dog who is too old to demand a walk every evening, as my legs prefer to be up tonight.
-Our quiet side porch.
-A good bottle of wine.
-Bats from my belfry gobbling down my mosquitos...which I am NOT thankful for.
-The sound of giggling girlfriends wafting down on the evening breeze as their attempts to make a life altering-video are being shared with all my neighbors via our always open windows. Who needs Youtube?