Generique*
Ah, lovely days off. Today has been one of achievement. Wade painted and painted and painted and all of the remaining complex woodwork is now a beautiful shade of ‘cottonball’. The inside of the house is dusted, mopped, and vacuumed. The gigantor lavendar bush next to the front door is trimmed and pruned into a manageable little shrub. It’s amazing how much larger the front yard looks.
I haven’t finished watching the movie, The Secret, — have you watched it yet? — but I have been mulling over the ‘law of atttraction’ and ask->believe->receive. We have neighbors that are very inconsiderate. They have a dog that they rarely pick up after and to say that has soured our relationship is an understatement. I really fixate on this situation because the odor dimishes our enjoyment of our outdoor space. The part of our side yard that is in common with theirs is abandoned. Weeds and grass sprout high. A few years ago we had an 8-foot lattice fence put in to create more distance. At that time we planted jasmine and honeysuckle to fight the stench problem. Wade started to bring the flagstone walkway down that side of the house. But then we just stopped and it is the saddest part of yard right now. But I have requested conscientious, considerate, engaging, gardening, musical instrument (like violin, not drum;) playing neighbors. To that end I have also envisioned the side yard as it will look, so that we can appeal to those types of neighbors. So now I am waiting. I think that energy is what fueled today’s clean up of the front yard. We will also be buying our last King Palm to complete the front yard triad.
Lucas napped during the bulk of our all out attack of the chores. So once we were done, we bundled up and walked down to ‘coffee park’. There were the most kids there that I have ever seen in that spot. Some surmised that it was related to the Veterans’ Day holiday. I dunno, but there were at least 20 youngsters under the age of 6, climbing, screaming, jumping and running in that tiny little tot lot. It was quite a lot of unbridled energy and their play reminded me of a tumble of puppies. Lucas partcipated at the edges. It seems that for now, much like the kids under two, he is content to watch or play in a small mound of sand, singing and kicking to himself.
We stayed until the sun was making its final descent into the horizon — it was a firey end to the day. Then we headed over to a restaurant that is just fabulous. Lucas had the children’s chicken finger plate, Wade had beef bolognase, and I enjoyed some crab cakes and soup. As we finished up, Mom showed up and then a few minutes later so did Dad. Mom had the buffalo mozarella salad and Dad had a glass of Merlot. Then someone mentioned Von’s to Lucas (as a joke) and he was ready to head over there in a flash.
At Von’s they have done something nefarious in order to assure the devotion of their youngest customers. They have a shopping cart with a little plastic car mounted in front. Dad will often take Lucas with him to run errands and through this they have developed a ritual wherein Dad always gets that cart and Lucas is now fixated on riding in this cart. To the point, that when Lucas and Wade went grocery shopping earlier in the week, Lucas told Wade ‘No Wholefoods, Vons!’ because to him grocery shopping is defined by riding in that durn car.
So Mom and Dad headed over to Von’s while Wade and I headed home. Once Mom and Dad arrived, bringing a bottle of yummy port, we sat around and talked. Someone was blowing up a balloon for Lucas and he danced around, tossing the balloon in the air again and again until bedtime came. So I grabbed him and quickly placed him in deshabillé and carried him off for his bath. While I bathed him I could hear Mom’s, Dad’s, and Wade’s voices intertwining. It was sweet moment, bathing my wee one, listening to the progress of their communication, knowing that Lucas will have a far different relationship with his grandparents than I have with mine. I dried him off, dressed him, and he kissed everyone g’night and headed straight for bed with Nanna.
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*inspired by M. Davis
gardening changed my life | Organic Mutant Says:
[...] One thing (of many) that years of eating organic has taught me is that pesticides are overused. We never use pesticides in our yard. We rely on the natural balance of insect predators and prey to keep our garden beautiful. Thus far it has worked, but it does take some effort of our own to keep things from getting unsightly. This year of composting has shown me is that bugs are good. So when I see all the diversity of the bug life, it reinforces my commitment to not using pesticides. Years ago when being awakened early on Saturday morning to work in the yard “before it gets hot” if you had told me that I would have a garden of my own someday and enjoy working in it, I would have thought you insane, but i have to say that now as Lucas gets older I feel a sense of anticipation at introducing him to the wonders of gardening. It is a pleasure that is relatively inexpensive, creates value and beauty, and connects you to the natural world even in an urban environment. Gardening in all its forms is an active endeavor that although not highly respected is vital for our survival. One goal for this year is to try my hand at vegetable gardening in order to lessen my impact on the environment and to give Lucas the opportunity to labor for his own benefit. [...]
Posted on April 26th, 2007 at 4:30 pm