Live Free

wildflower days

It's a beautiful time of the year in Texas right now. Ah...wildflower season. The roadsides and fields are bursting with colorful blooms. A couple of days ago, Beatrix and I visited The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. The photos above were taken there. It's a poor place to have your camera battery die 7 minutes into exploring, but that's what happen to me that day. Sweet Beatrix...she gets me and my attachment to the camera. She asked me, "What are you going to do, mama?" I just told her that I'd have to rely solely upon my memory today.  

The weather here has been so peculiar. It's cold and rainy right now. I'm still wearing wool socks and layers. The heater is on and this is how it has been for the last month or so with warm and (very) windy days tucked in between here and there. I love it, but I'm receiving a wonderful lesson on how much fun sunshine really is when it comes to photography. There have been so few shadows and sun rays to play with these days. Lots and lots of gray. 

Back to the subject of wildflowers and Texas...

We've been having fun learning to identify different wildflower specimens and even singing a few Texas songs. Which always makes me chuckle inside...I'm not from Texas, but Beatrix will grow up being so clearly from this state. It's funny where life takes ya.  

These are our two favorite Texas songs right now:

Bluebonnets

Bluebonnets, bluebonnets with your coat so blue.

Your bright eyes are shining through the silvery dew.

I know you're a dolly offered for the rain.

I know you'll come back again to Texas in the Spring.

 

I have to admit, I had a ball teaching this one to the kids today:

Deep in the Heart of Texas

The stars at night - are big and bright
Deep in the heart of texas.
The prairie sky - is wide and high
Deep in the heart of texas.
The sage in bloom - is like perfume
Deep in the heart of texas.
Reminds me of - the one I love
Deep in the heart of texas.
The cowboys cry - ki-yip-pie-yi
Deep in the heart of texas.
The rabbits rush - around the brush
Deep in the heart of texas.
The coyotes wail - along the trail
Deep in the heart of texas.
The doggies bawl - and bawl and bawl
Deep in the heart of texas.

There are also some really wonderful stories and folktales that Beatrix has enjoyed so much pertaining to the prehistory and history of Texas and our treasured wildflowers. 

Bluebonnet Babies is a wonderful little story about the lifecycle of the bluebonnet. It's a very gentle read and is very reminiscent of tales such as The Story of the Root Children by Sibylle Olfers. 

The Legend of the Bluebonnet is a captivating story about a Native American tribe working through the tragedy of a terrible drought. The land (and tribe) is saved by an orphaned member who has the ability to sacrafice her most prized possession in exchange for rain from which the bluebonnets grow and bloom. 

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers chronicles Lady Bird Johnson's life and how her passion for wildflowers became her great legacy. A Texas heroine for sure! The story book is beautifully illustrated and sends a great message about the importance of noticing, loving, and ultimately advocating for the preservation of the natural world. When I read this book to Beatrix and the other children, I skipped over a couple of pages pertaining to the death of her mother and her husband, President Lyndon Baines Johnson. 

The sun should come out tomorrow. I'm looking forward to checking in with the garden and taking a walk around town to see what is new and blooming. Spring is always such a fun time of the year. I love sharing my love of gardening and wildflowers with Beatrix. It warms my heart to see her interest grow with each new year.

 

 

 

to communicate

One day, when Bea was just a wee, little babe, my great friend and I were visiting and doting on our baby girls.  She, an experienced mother of three, said to me something that I never forgot. She told me how much she loved her children as babies.  Babies ARE lovely and precious and divine as can be. But she said the love and connection only deepened between her and her children as they grew.  And that nothing compared to being able to communicate verbally with her children.

Huh...I was skeptical.  Here I was, holding the most precious, the most gorgeous, the most perfect little being. And she was telling me that, for her, the best had yet to come.  

Intellectually, I could grasp what she was saying. Being a Montessori teacher, I had the opportunity to witness the growth of little children for the three years that they stayed in the primary environment. I knew the wonder.  I knew the potential. I knew that growth of human life was full of good stuff.  But I also knew that the ability to speak meant that they could talk. And that the talking would never stop. Sigh.  

No, 18 months ago, I was as in love as can be with my non-verbal, adorable, sweet, happy, smiley babe. "Better than this?" I questioned. I wasn't ready to believe it! Yet, these days, as I listen to Beatrix explode into spoken language - I hear Kristie's words in my head and I smile to myself.  This must be what she was talking about.  This is so incredibly good.  

I've been documenting a year of good things with Stephinie's flickr group and today as I was listening to her sing through her day, I couldn't help but feel so very happy for these sweet little moments.

Some of her favorite lines from songs that make my heart melt, melt, melt:

1.  wash, wash, wash your hands.

2. merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily.  

3. erika, erika, erika, erika. stella, stella, stella.  Proceeds to sing all her friends' names from school in her cute little toddler Beatrix accent.  

4.  ashes, ashes all fall down.

5. one, two buckle shoe. three five...

6. hokey pokey!   

 

Out and about

If you know me well, then you know my 'out and about's' are of the predictable and mundane sort. Let's see, the grocery store, post office, bank, grocery store, grocery store, grocery store... On the weekend, I might tackle one or two thrift stores.  Yes, and that's about it!  

But this weekend, my oh my, I put myself out there. The weather was sunny and bright on Saturday. And so I just had the greatest craving to drive alone and stretch my legs, and think uninterrupted thoughts without having to answer "wa ya doin'?" five hundred times.  And I also wanted to see some pretty fabric and yarn.  So off I went to two of my favorite little shops in Austin.  I bought a couple of yards of fabric because the little one will need some "I can do it all by myself" items for the spring and summer months which will be here before you know it.  She is, of course, all about the care of self these days.  More on that (and toddler clothing ideas) later....

I didn't get anymore yarn. Nope. Not until this is done. Alright, let's not go there.  

We were sort of caught up on chores around the house, or at least, we didn't feel like facing them on Sunday. So we took a drive.  Which is something Byron and I use to love to do "before we had children."

Aside: I always get perturbed by people who complain about or compare their life to before and after they "had children."  But here I am saying it too because Bea is not the "let's take a drive kind of child"!  At least I don't say it very often though.  Really, we like having the little Bea around a whole lot. We were quite a bore before we knew her! 

What was I saying? On Sunday we took a drive out to one of our favorite small towns close to Austin. Besides a couple of antique stores, their main street looks like so many other American small towns. Beautiful, yet vacant, brick buildings with for sale or for lease signs adorning their windows. All just waiting to be revitalized. It's always, always fun to do a little antiquing in between herding and buffering a toddler from collectibles and breakables. Good times! Really, it was! My spirit can't be broken! 

And that, my friends, was my weekend. By Sunday afternoon I was exhausted from all the out and abouting I did. And now I should be happy and content at home for another couple of months! 

 

365:17 the morning after...

This is the morning after. 

After many days of steady rain (which we needed, but still) dreary, cold weather, stomach bugs, flu..contagious ickies everywhere. 

The sun came out and warmed our day. 

Up went the windows. First thing in the morning sweep, mop, and tidy up left the day wide open to enjoy. Hello Mr. Sun. Hello sweet, early, spring breeze. Yes, all feels right again. 

Now I'm just crossing my fingers, that I'm not the next victim of these winter illnesses.  

It can't, because by golly, I've got a hat to finish.  Among other things...

365:16

I took a knitting classes this past fall at our local yarn store. For a month, one night a week, I met with other women who were also looking for an experience that complimented their "learning to knit via you.tube" moments.  I had a blast each week, learning a bit of knitting techniques but more importantly just enjoying some time to myself.  

Yet, in all honesty, I've felt like a complete knitting student slacker. We had three projects to complete and though I've nearly completed all three, none ever actually got off the needles without Bea's unassisted involvement. Lesson learned: if my knitting basket is within reach of the toddler in residence, then projects become fair game to all.  

This week, my goal is to finish this oh so simple hat for Beatrix. It's my second (maybe third) time starting it. Yes, I can't believe what I fess up to on this blog! I'm determined to finish it for no other reason than earning justification for new yarn and a new project. I've cast on a few extra stitches to make it a little bit bigger than the original hat I knitted so that Bea can use it next winter too (hopefully).  

So off I go to knit and watch some of the what's left of the Golden Globe awards. 

365:15

Saturday morning at our favorite feed store - always an adventure!

 

 

365:14

Always a pleasure to play host to my brother.  

365:13

These girls have been so good for me! They humor me and all my silliness of make believe!

Chickens: Yes, yes Nichole, we suppose it's just dandy for you to pretend you are a "for real" farm girl. Look, we'll greet you at your door and run and fly to you when you make your way to us in the morning. If you sit or stand still long enough, we'll peck at your shoes or perch ourselves upon your knee. You can gaze into our eyes, and wonder just what's happening in our little chicken brains. Rest assured.. not much. In case you were wondering about your early morning "farm girl look", of course, you look the part (but what do we know?) as you tend to us in your pajama pants, flannel robe, and Birkenstocks. We will be diligent to scratch and dust bathe in all sorts of mischievous nooks and crannies that will leave you shaking your head in exaggerated disbelief. Really, we know that once you turn your back away from us, you will be wearing a goofy grin and tickled that shoes and chicken poop are words so frequently strung together in the sentences of your daily conversation with the ones you love. You'll even feel all the more grounded and connected to nature and the seasons.  While cooking dinner in the evenings, you can now peer out into the backyard, and be reminded - enlightened, if you will - daily, without fail, of one of the few certainties in life: chickens really do go to bed minutes before darkness settles in for the night. And we always know just when that moment is occurring. 

Nichole: Yep, y'all are just what I needed. Thanks ladies for helping to make big dreams come true! 

365:11

Wide open space. Never thought I'd love it as much as I do.  

365:10 Great outdoors

I adore exploring the great outdoors with Beatrix. Whether we are in our backyard chasing chickens or at the nearby nature trails admiring the eccentric fowl, gathering sticks,pepples, and feathers nothing turns that frown upside better than fresh air and mother nature.  

I want her to know and love the outdoors not only when it's 80 degrees and sunny, but when it's humid, hot, and sticky or cold and damp. Already, her passion for water is alive and well.  "Splash" she says at the sight of puddles and streams!  I can't help but smile with approval. I'm proud that at not even two years old, she knows how to make a good splash from a puddle of water. Rain is miraculous occurrence that  deserves songs and dances for as long as it graces us with its presence. And - that when tossed into water a stone can do wonders for the ears and eyes - oh my - gurgles and ripples - who can get enough of that?

A couple of evenings ago, I was revisiting a book I love, Last Child in the Woods. I read a passage from one of the last chapters, one which resonates with me so deeply "The Spiritual Necessity of Nature for the Young."  The author describes a meeting he had with a rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Protestant Minister, and an imam to discuss parenting. The rabbi defined spirituality as being constantly amazed. I like that.  

I can only hope that Bea has many of those - moments of amazement - in her days. And I hope that these moments of amazement stay with her throughout her life, each one compiling and connecting to the other, grounding her, supporting her, as she becomes the person she is meant to be. And I like to think that taking her out for a winter hike on a cold and damp morning allows for such moments. One of the greatest joys to parenthood is to be present for these moments of amazement. In our adult mindsets, these moments can sometimes appear to arrive at inconvenient times or times that can just be easily overlooked.   But really, if we can step back, pretend, remember, imagaine we know childhood, then just sometimes we can catch a glimmer of the world through their lens. Boy, oh boy, this universe really is amazing and wonderous and mysterious and all knowing.  What a trip!