Blackberries

Yesterday the kids and I visited our local berry farm to do some pickin'. These are Triple Crown Blackberries and they are, indeed, as huge as they appear in the photos! Big, warm and sweet. Does anything taste more like summer than a fresh blackberry? 
The kids were delightful. Eager, messy and full of exclamations and comments and questions. Big D was the "spotter" - searching ahead down the long rows for perfect berries. Sis for some reason couldn't figure out how to both carry her little bowl and pick berries so she resorted to demanding that either I or brother get them for her. Out in the open, I could let them prattle along, generally smiling to myself at their childish sweetness. They weren't going to bother anyone with their incessant commentary. 
We took our bowls of berries home and while they napped, I baked a pie. Perhaps my very first blackberry pie. The general consensus is that it is yummy! And tastes good with vanilla ice cream. 

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, the domestic scene I have painted for you was followed by others, less serene . . . there was the drive downtown, parallel parking with the nonstop demands for dialogue from the back seat, two kids dangling off each arm while making my way across the busy city streets and begging, begging, begging to please stop! Stop talking for just a minute. Stop dragging on my hand while impersonating a frog. Stop asking and asking and not waiting for a response. Oh. My. Brain. 

But we all survived, ate pie and kept the vow to steer clear of TV for the week. Instead of finding my brain numbed out on stupid summer TV (no offense! Trust me. I do my fair share:) hubby and I had a delightful chat with one another. Went to bed at a reasonable time and slept soundly. A good day! 

Kid-tastic

This weekend found us attempting a little family art using lotsa shaving cream and food die. The idea was from Family Fun, a great little magazine full of craft and activity ideas. Project involved smoothing the shaving cream in a cookie tray, dotting and swirling with food color and then pressing white card stock on top . . . 
Now, there are a few kinks in the otherwise fabulous execution of the project -- the first being the use of a squeegee to "smooth" the shaving cream. It is my humble experience that shaving cream does not want to be smoothed so do the best you can! 
Shaving cream appeared everywhere in a most tenacious manner -- hands, legs, deck, Adirondack and finally disappeared with the help of the garden hose. No permanent damage was done though mama's hands were funny colored for a few hours. 
In other kid-tastic news: 

1. Yesterday we took the kids out to ride their bikes. Big D is still getting comfortable without training wheels so there is lots of whining and shrieking . . . at one point, I overhead hubby asking him what his problem was. Big D's response, "My socks are too tight." Ah, yes. But of course. 

2. Sis was out of bed for like the thousandth time last night and when hubby asked what her particular problem was, her response was that her headband had fallen under the bed. Emphasis hers and repeated as if that particular detail, all the way under the bed, needed especial attention. This particular dilemma was almost too much for hubby to comprehend. As I continued to eavesdrop while giggling on the couch, he said something to the effect of, "How did your headband fall off under the bed while you were laying on your pillow?" Yes, how  indeed. Problem solving involved hubby putting the headband on the dresser for safe keeping and redepositing the child into her bed.

Now, I'm observant enough to notice that the common thread in my silly children's behavior was their father . . . hmm. Perhaps I should ask what his problem is:) 

In not so fantastic news, our little love affair continues with Uncle Sam and his insistence that we actually owe him more money. Anyone else get love letters from the IRS? They're terrifying. Pray that you don't. The system assumes that you have deliberately defrauded the government of their rightful dues and they don't really owe you any sort of explanation or assistance in figuring out how to navigate the appeal process, etc. This sets very poorly with my right-minded self. So this week's task is to figure out what our next step ought to be . . . 

Flow

No, haven't finished the book but I've read enough to be inspired. The general gist of it is -- 

when left to our own devices, we fall victim to "entropy" or disorganization and angst. We are happiest when we are challenged and have some means to measure our progress towards a meaningful goal. It organizes our psyche and keeps the chaos at bay. The "flow" state is when we lose sense of ourselves, totally immersed in an activity that fully engages us. Flow activities can be challenging physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, cognitively. . . . We have all (at least I hope so!) experienced flow. For me, it has been in physical challenges/competition, in my work with children and families and in learning. 

Several things have really stood out for me in reading this book this weekend: 1. that research shows that most people experience a flow state more frequently at work than they do at leisure though most people will say that they'd like more leisure! So what do you make of that? Are we culturally set up to believe that work is "bad" and that leisure is "good" even when leisure is often not as fulfilling and rewarding. Perhaps the problem is with how we spend our leisure. The book makes the excellent point that leisure spent in spectator activities (think media) leave people feeling slightly depressed and restless. It is certainly true for me. There is no challenge, no meaning-making, no potential for growth in a great deal of our down time activities. 2. we need human connection and to experience "flow" in our relationships, we need to invest time, energy and value in them. We need to share common goals/challenges and find meaning in how we pursue them. 

It's all still percolating for me and I do still have a few concluding chapters to get through. But I have some resolutions to try out with you. This week, my hubby and I have decided to turn off the TV and instead fill our bits and pieces of leisure with more challenging pursuits. Perhaps that will result in increased blog entries:) We'll see how it goes. TV in the evenings has been my drug of choice for quite some time. Especially at the end of a work day and there doesn't seem to be anything left to give. I just numb out for an hour or two and then crawl to bed. But I don't feel rested from my viewing time and my beloved stacks of books, well, they're still stacked! My second resolution is to institute Flow Friday -- I want to dedicate whatever entries happen to show up on here on Fridays to pondering the practical ways I can turn my attention to parenting and living in a meaningful way. 

Bibliophile

In kindergarten, I failed to learn my alphabet in a timely fashion and there were those (aka my teacher and grandmother) who worried something wasn't quite right with my brain. They may have had some slim reason for concern as I had been quite ill the previous year and hospitalized with pneumonia. Nowadays, docs reassure over-anxious parents such as myself that high fevers do not actually delete brain cells . . . but moving on. The summer leading up to 1st grade found both of my teacher parents toiling with me and a set of phonics books. Their hard work and dedication (and my resilient brain cells) persevered and I learned to read. And they'd be the first to tell you that I haven't stopped reading since! 
I thought I'd take you through a tour of the current stacks of books littered about my house. Yes, fascinating, I'm sure. The above pic features one of the piles with actually completed books -- well, one at least. The Irving novel, A Son of the Circus. He's a favorite of mine and this bizarre novel is no exception. The others represent my slightly eclectic tastes these days -- a little Victorian Bronte, spiritual searching and of course, what therapist would be without a book on schizophrenia. 
This delightful stack is currently on my kitchen counter. Did I mention the other was on my dresser? It is. (And one by the bed and another in the closet and a third on yet another dresser. I may have a problem. Do you think there's a 12-step group for obsessive book collecting?). Clearly this stack is all about work "stuff" and rather than continue to bore you with those, I took some pictures of some of my most nostalgic oldies . . .  
Ah, Gene Stratton Porter. She authored the little gem on top of the stack -- Girl of the Limberlost. My grandmother (the same that thought my brain had gone to mush) discovered all three of these volumes in her garage and I hoarded them and read them and have placed them in positions of honor in my bookshelves for over two decades. I'm such a nerd. 
Old books are beautiful. I love the feel of worn pages and soft, used bindings. You kinda want to reach into the picture and thumb through these pages, don't you? You'd enjoy it. I promise! 

The reality is that currently, I keep stacks of books about to remind myself that I do actually intend to read them eventually. I'm afraid to put them away. 'Course truth be told, I'm out of shelf space . . . but if I had the space and I tucked them neatly away, I'd forget I wanted to read them! Probably the best thing would be to quit collecting them to begin with. I should be disciplined - complete one before beginning another. That's what I tell my kids about their toys. That doesn't work either!

This weekend's task, among other things, is to finish Flow. I'm nearly there and then I can tell you all about it;) You know you can hardly wait! 

In Search of Calm

Today promises to be hectic, full, with barely any breathing room. Starts at 7am and moves right along with 3 hours of meetings and 8 hours of back-to-back clients. I'm a little tired just thinking about what awaits me in a short while. So I thought I'd distract myself -- um, meditate -- on a few of this weekend's photos.
Sunday we were at a family farm to celebrate a 2nd cousin's soon-to-be marriage. I'd been hoping to stalk the wheat fields near our home at dusk one day last week but then they suddenly were gone! I'd missed my golden opportunity. Or at least I thought I had until we made the hour drive south and came across these beautiful fields. I love the warmth of the golden heads of wheat. 
And I really don't know what my deal is with barbwire! Perhaps the juxtaposition of something so dire looking against something so inviting. Or the contrast in color and texture. Anyway, I like it! A lot. 

I feel as if there is more that needs to be written. Things on my mind but the clock ticks. Perhaps tonight, or tomorrow. Cheers.

Splashing Good Time

I've finally gotten around to pulling up summer photos of water play pics from the deep-dark archives . . . These first two are from this summer's fountain visits. Big D clearly enjoys all manner of silly, jumping and charging through the water with reckless abandon. 
Little Sis has come into her own in the water this year. She doesn't seem to need Big D  in order to explore the fountains. She darts into the water, giggling with delight and then comes back to announce, "I got my whole face in the water, mama!" This summer marks the beginning of a whole new level of independence for both kids. This mama can sit on the periphery, snapping pics and offering the occasional word of encouragement (or correction). It's lovely!
Our first summer of fountain-exploration was when Big D was a wee mite of 1 year. We played in the water and savored his very first icecream cone on Father's Day '04. We took lots of pics and most include legs and fingers of parental persons, balancing the unsteady toddler. Many are just slightly soft in their focus. 
This photo is in Big D's 3rd year -- a baby sister had just arrived. He's enjoying the play and freedom while mama sits in the shade, likely nursing.
And this is just last summer! Kiddos are 2 and 5 years. What a difference in the last several years -- both in the children's growth and in the photography! 

It's hard to belief it's August already. We haven't even dipped our toes into some of our most favorite fountains. The summer is slipping away so quickly . . . I hate to see it go. Soon Big D will start 1st grade and we'll settle into a new school-time routine. I'm setting the challenge for myself to savor these last days of summer with the children. Play, laugh, create memories in the sun!

Breathing

It's early Sunday morning and we're going full swing at our house. Kids are up, we're up and the coffee is on. I'd like to spend the day clicking and editing and generally feeling all artsie-fartsie but alas, other responsibilities have come up. We're heading to the country for a pre-wedding reception for a 2nd cousin of hubby's. But it's a farm! Potential for fantastic photos and we'll hit a fountain on the way home. It'll be good. I'll breath and it'll be good:) 

In other news, I'm beginning to feel a little frustrated with my limited knowledge and experience when it comes to photography. Granted, I've only been clicking since January and I suppose I should have patience with myself . . . I'm not sure now what the next step should be. Do I think about a different lens? (been solely using my 55-200) Another class? Just more time behind the viewfinder? I'd like to get closer to my subjects when doing macro -- maybe I need to start there. I'm so very open to suggestions or thoughts on your own growth as a amateur (or otherwise) photographer.