Monday, March 19, 2007
The Prestige
Wow. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that had me buzzing and wanting to talk about it to sort it out immediately after seeing it. It felt a little long at times, but boy, the payoff is HUGE. I am considering watching it again tonight to revel in the nuances that I am convinced are there for the enjoying...
Snow play and seashells
Kinder woke with a belly ache, but he has soldiered on.
After breakfast and some carpet sweeping we bundled up and ventured outside to the back yard. What a gorgeous snowscape. Bright, bright sun, forties, crisp air. We marveled over some animal tracks including a mysterious single deer track. The kids played with with their Ben 10 toys briefly, but then it was snow biking for First and cuddling for Kinder who wore out quickly and wanted to go back inside.
On our way back in First spent some time in the snow fort he built yesterday with Cap. Kinder and I rocked on the front porch while I had visions of summertime lunches sititng on the porch, looking out on Chestnut Street. First wanted to saw a window into the fort and then wanted to move some furniture in. Some snow bookshelves, he said.
We came inside and sorted and identified some of the many seashells I brought back from Florida. Olive shells, moon shells, worm shells, Venus sunrays... Kinder's got the quick eye for this sort of thing, I noticed. Then we drew our favorite shells. Auger for me, top shell for First and giant heart cockle for Kinder. I read them a poem by Federico García Lorca from Caroline Kennedy's book, "A Family of Poems". (The paintings are by Jon J. Muth whose work I love.)
Seashell (To Natalia Jiménez)
Someone brought me a seashell.
Singing inside
is a sea from a map.
My heart
fills up with water
and little tiny fish,
silvery, shadowy.
Someone brought me a seashell.
After breakfast and some carpet sweeping we bundled up and ventured outside to the back yard. What a gorgeous snowscape. Bright, bright sun, forties, crisp air. We marveled over some animal tracks including a mysterious single deer track. The kids played with with their Ben 10 toys briefly, but then it was snow biking for First and cuddling for Kinder who wore out quickly and wanted to go back inside.
On our way back in First spent some time in the snow fort he built yesterday with Cap. Kinder and I rocked on the front porch while I had visions of summertime lunches sititng on the porch, looking out on Chestnut Street. First wanted to saw a window into the fort and then wanted to move some furniture in. Some snow bookshelves, he said.
We came inside and sorted and identified some of the many seashells I brought back from Florida. Olive shells, moon shells, worm shells, Venus sunrays... Kinder's got the quick eye for this sort of thing, I noticed. Then we drew our favorite shells. Auger for me, top shell for First and giant heart cockle for Kinder. I read them a poem by Federico García Lorca from Caroline Kennedy's book, "A Family of Poems". (The paintings are by Jon J. Muth whose work I love.)
Seashell (To Natalia Jiménez)
Someone brought me a seashell.
Singing inside
is a sea from a map.
My heart
fills up with water
and little tiny fish,
silvery, shadowy.
Someone brought me a seashell.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Soup
I made some soup this morning. I've resumed making chicken stock about once a month, using the recipe in Nourishing Traditions. Liquid gold, the stuff is.
Today I had an aging cauliflower and some potatoes and carrots that were similarly past their prime. The last onion and four mondo cloves of garlic started the melange. I was a little sad that we were out of fresh ginger. The kids and I, particularly Kinder, are stuffy and sniffly.
I've discovered that I am good at making soup (my other specialty being eggs). I enjoy making it and eating it. And I especially like smelling it as the aroma fills the apartment.
As I sipped some for lunch, a rare lunch alone as the kids played intensely with Lukas and Owen, I thought about my soup and realized that more than anything else that I cook, soup has a hold on me. I take my soup personally. I'm like a proud parent and am protective about how my soup is perceived, how it is enjoyed, and by whom.
Today I had an aging cauliflower and some potatoes and carrots that were similarly past their prime. The last onion and four mondo cloves of garlic started the melange. I was a little sad that we were out of fresh ginger. The kids and I, particularly Kinder, are stuffy and sniffly.
I've discovered that I am good at making soup (my other specialty being eggs). I enjoy making it and eating it. And I especially like smelling it as the aroma fills the apartment.
As I sipped some for lunch, a rare lunch alone as the kids played intensely with Lukas and Owen, I thought about my soup and realized that more than anything else that I cook, soup has a hold on me. I take my soup personally. I'm like a proud parent and am protective about how my soup is perceived, how it is enjoyed, and by whom.
Idiocracy
It was funny. Not an excellent movie, but a perfect movie for a steady stream of giggles when you're too tired to do much of anything else.
Dax Shepard did a great job of making a charcter who is essentially, truly, stupid, somehow interesting, in a humane way.
Dax Shepard did a great job of making a charcter who is essentially, truly, stupid, somehow interesting, in a humane way.
Back in the saddle
I took a vacation, solo, to St. Petersburg to visit Wendy and her family. Stefan's parents were also visiting from Germany and it was a lot of fun and great to meet them. Highlights were playing with Sophia (Olivia, accesories, and Ian; you must pay the rent) and going out to Shell Island on Julie's boat. It was meditative and heavenly to be able to go up and down the beach looking for shells, the clear, relatively warm, gentle salt water licking at my ankles.
I read The History of Love while I was away and loved it. I started The Seven Year Old Wonder Book while there and am on the fence about it. It's a popular book to read to your soon-to-be seven/seven year old in some Waldorf circles. I'm going to read some more before I decided whether to read it with First. I picked up The Time Traveller's Wife for the plane ride home and am reading it now, enjoying it (this is a book that has been recommended to me by Jamie and someone else, I can't remember who).
I looked at the cd of photos that Stefan burned for me last night. A wonderful collection and memento. However, I was embarrassed by how heavy I looked, over and over again. I asked for and got many hugs from Cap afterwards. It's so strange that I don't feel like a "fat" person or see myself as one. But, there was no denying it in those pics.
We stopped in for dinner with Lisa, Sara (Lisa's mom) and Ellie on our way home from the airport. Momoko (my cousin) joined us. It was a nice visit. Sara is warm and effusive. Lisa and Ellie are a wonder to see. Baxter might have taken the cake though. He has very naturally taken on the role of brother and protector with Ellie. It's incredible to think that it hasn't even been a year since he joined Takai and Lisa.
Before I left for Florida, I spent two days working on organizing the kids' work area, which we also call the homeschooling area. It's comprised of the dining table and three shelves. One shelf is full of puzzles and games, another is full of all the stuff that comes in handy to make stuff :-), and the third is sectioned and labeled by subject, and full of learning materials.
Curious George is over and I ended up talking to Sandy on the phone for a few minutes. So I end here for now.
I read The History of Love while I was away and loved it. I started The Seven Year Old Wonder Book while there and am on the fence about it. It's a popular book to read to your soon-to-be seven/seven year old in some Waldorf circles. I'm going to read some more before I decided whether to read it with First. I picked up The Time Traveller's Wife for the plane ride home and am reading it now, enjoying it (this is a book that has been recommended to me by Jamie and someone else, I can't remember who).
I looked at the cd of photos that Stefan burned for me last night. A wonderful collection and memento. However, I was embarrassed by how heavy I looked, over and over again. I asked for and got many hugs from Cap afterwards. It's so strange that I don't feel like a "fat" person or see myself as one. But, there was no denying it in those pics.
We stopped in for dinner with Lisa, Sara (Lisa's mom) and Ellie on our way home from the airport. Momoko (my cousin) joined us. It was a nice visit. Sara is warm and effusive. Lisa and Ellie are a wonder to see. Baxter might have taken the cake though. He has very naturally taken on the role of brother and protector with Ellie. It's incredible to think that it hasn't even been a year since he joined Takai and Lisa.
Before I left for Florida, I spent two days working on organizing the kids' work area, which we also call the homeschooling area. It's comprised of the dining table and three shelves. One shelf is full of puzzles and games, another is full of all the stuff that comes in handy to make stuff :-), and the third is sectioned and labeled by subject, and full of learning materials.
Curious George is over and I ended up talking to Sandy on the phone for a few minutes. So I end here for now.
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