My son yesterday: Deerflies are the cousin of itchy bugs.
Itchy bugs are what my children call mosquitoes.
Category Archives: children
Oh Canada
Le Biodome
How Do We Get to the Metro Station?
We took a trip up to Montreal the other day. It was just a day trip. That is a benefit to living here. We can zip and cross the border and be in a large city in a few hours. The idea was to expose our children to the city and to some things they just won’t see in their typical days. It took about three hours to get up there. The border crossing on the way there was cake. They are pretty laid back in Canada. A few questions, a peek at our ID (we all have passports now) and off we went to the great white north.
We went first to the Biodome. This place is pretty amazing. It hosts several ecosystems, complete with plants, animals and birds. Capybara, monkeys, beaver, penguins, lemurs–there is a lot to see. That would make the trip worthwhile in itself but we were not there long. The children lasted less than an hour inside. So we split for the city center. Signs are in French and getting on the Metro isn’t intuitive. We asked for directions and paid in US cash. We had meant to get Canadian dollars but never got around to it. They took it, as seems to always be the case. Since the US dollar is worth 1.15 Canadian right now, why not?
The Metro was probably the best part of the trip. Our kids had never ridden a subway before so they got a good slice of city public transportation–lots of people, a musician, the fun of figuring out which stop is yours. Once we got off at McGill, we wondered for a bit. Montreal off was showing off its urbanity and we walked through it a bit before stopping at a shop to buy candy and toothpaste. We covered the bases.
And then we headed back. We were in the car more than we were out of it, but we were happy with our trip. Seeing the bridge over the Saint Lawrence River, driving through tunnels, reading road signs in French, they all added to the experience. Unlike Customs on the way into Canada, where we waited about ten minutes and were greeted with a smile, we waited maybe 45 minutes to talk to Mr. Stern Face at US Customs. But he did let us pass unmolested.
The children were tuckered by the time we got home. And hungry. After a late dinner we headed right to bed. We dreamed of living in a big city, and woke up to celebrate the birthday of our own nation. It does have some major issues, and isn’t as progressive and free as Canada, but overall, this nation of ours is a great place to live for most people. If only we could get the health care thing down, we might be as hip as our northern neighbor. One can hope.
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Triptych
Triptych
After Han-shan
1.
This farmhouse—my home at field’s edge.
Sometimes cars pass on the dusty road.
The woods so quiet, turkeys roost at night.
In the river’s shadowed pools, trout rising.
My daughter and I pick pears from a lonely tree.
My wife tugs carrots from the garden.
And in my house what would you see?
Walls of shelves filled with books.
2.
My father and mother taught me to be content;
I need not envy how others make their living.
Click, click—my wife knits by the window.
Zoom, zoom—my son with his trucks.
Apple blossoms swirl around my raised arms.
Hands in pockets, I listen to warblers high in the oak.
Who might notice how I pass my days?
Well, the mail carrier stops each afternoon.
3.
Walking, I pause at the collapsing barn.
The barn, slowly folding, fills the still mind—
Mornings milking despite drifting snow,
Afternoons stacking the loft with hay.
Where sumac tumbles from the window hole,
And gray walls tremble from swallows’ shadows.
In the old cemetery, the bones of those who built this place—
Their names fading, but written in stone.
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Stuff I’ve Noticed Recently
I hung up a bunch of old CD’s recently over some garden beds, to keep out the birds. This morning I looked out the window to see a robin pecking at the dirt at the edge of one of those beds. Then it hopped right over the bed. It nearly got clocked by the spinning disk. It worked last time.
Our dishwasher has a whole slew of adjustable bars and rods, the better to efficiently stack all one’s dishware and cutlery. One of them seemed to have lost its adjustability recently. It flopped. I removed it today to find that it had rusted right through. The little rod was pointy, yet crumbly, with rust. I took out one half and wrestled with the second for a while before deciding to leave it for tomorrow. I figured a dishwasher is for lazy people anyway so I had good reason to be lazy with that task.
Our neighbors have a small pond, just over our property line. What its intended use what I can’t say. It doesn’t seem to get much human use at all–no swimming, no irrigation, no livestock watering. It just sits there, leaking onto our side, home for ducks and frogs. The bullfrogs are especially loud these days. The groan and croak at all hours, but seem to especially like the hours just after dark. All of us pretend to respond to them now and again. Cracks us right up.
For Father’s Day I got a book of crossword puzzles. I am pretty hooked on crossword puzzles and have been working my way through a book of 200 of them from the New York Times. This new book is a little different. One of the clues was this: Royal mistake maker. The answer? Dumbshit. Cracked me right up.
We have been watching old science fiction movies lately. You know, the classics. The Day the Earth Stood Still, for example. Last night we watched the original 1950’s version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It was pretty well done, eerie and even a little scary, but not gore-filled. All of these movies have the year listed on the sleeve from Netflix. Last night’s said 1956, but when the film opened it said 1955. The other films have had this same one year discrpancy. My guess is the the film posts the copyright date and Netflix notes the date the film actually was released. I guess they used to do things a little slower back then.
We went up the road this afternoon to pick up our share of produce. This was given to us as a gift again at Christmas. Great gift. As we walked out to the field to pick strawberries, the children found a mud puddle. Well, maybe puddle isn’t quite right. It was a mud puddle and had become a thick bowl of muddy paste. The children were wearing mud boots so of course they slopped about in it until their footwear was gray and wet. They had a blast. Then they sat in their dirty boots and ate all the strawberries we picked while I picked some daisies to bring home.
The cucumber beetles are starting to hatch. I have been slow to attend to them. I hope to get some Neem and see what that does. I have heard good things about it, that it makes the beetles go away. I want them to go away. I picked one off a pumpkin plant today and slayed it. They are beautiful little bugs. And I want them to live far away from here. I want some cucumbers this year, dammit.
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Slow Storm
All day rain has hinted that it might arrive. The sun shone early but even then clouds loomed in the west. I dried a load of clothes on the line and hung a second later in the day than I wanted. Nonetheless, the second batch got mostly dry before I gave up watching the sky and took it down. I needn’t have bothered, as the rain held off and the clothes on the line would have dried just fine before the rain started. Even now, hours later, the rain falls sporadically.
Thunder rumbles to the west and north. It, too, has been threatening arrival. Our house is nestled up to a knoll just to our west so we don’t always see weather arriving until it is close. This storm is a slow mover so we have known of its approach for hours. So far it’s all talk. The radar map shows some heavy rain over the hill, but it seems to be managing to avoid us. Was it something I said?
The children, of course, have some trepidation about a storm arriving when they are in bed. They find it hard to fall asleep, even though no storm is here and it may not arrive at all. They lie awake, wondering how hard it will hit, wondering what we will all do if the power fails, wondering what damage will result if the wind howls. Their imaginations exaggerate.
Rain would be good. I did not water the garden today, thinking rain would fall at some point. It seems to be taking a while to get around to it. Next Tuesday I plan to scout out a second Mountain Birdwatch route on Burnt Rock Mountain. I saw that the route was open and I enjoy my route on Ricker Peak so much that I figured I would try to fit in a second one. Problem is I need to find the points in the light so that when I hike up in the dark I will be able to find them when I survey the route for real. Rain tonight would be great, but on Tuesday it would be a bummer.
The light fades and rain trickles down. The clothes are in. The children will drift off soon enough. The day quiets. And the storm sidles its way across the Champlain Valley. Sooner or later it will settle in right here.
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New Toy
I am not really a fan of stuff, and one type of stuff that seems to always grow is toys. Our children have a gajillion toys. We buy them toys occasionally (hard to resist when you are Disney World, for example) but they also arrive as gifts from friends and family, and they also arrive as toys that are outgrown by cousins or friends.
Our children have received many toys that are really great. They have a huge collection of Lego and Duplo blocks, for example, that were given to them. We did not have to buy any for them to be able to create buildings and spaceships and cars and cities. My son’s favorite toys are wooden trains. Most of those were given to us as well. So we have received some good stuff and I am thankful for that, even if they don’t quite see the beneficence of their relations.
We have lots of crap as well, of course. Can you say birthday party gift bags? How many UPO’s have they generated? About a bazillion, I’d say. And the Mardi Gras parade this spring? Plastic bead necklaces up the whazoo. Too much, if you ask me. Even if you don’t ask me it’s too much.
Today, however, our children got the most excellent toy. My father-in-law had mentioned this teeter totter that his second set of kids had played with and loved, and that he was hoping to pass on. He came by today and left a shiny new plaything. The thing is, the one he dug out of his barn was broken, rusted, not in good shape. It wouldn’t be safe to use. So he made a new one. It is strong and beefy and operates smoothly. And it is no ordinary teeter totter.
Call it a seesaw if you will, but this doesn’t just pivot up and down. The pivot also allows the cross beam to swing in all directions. So it goes up and down, yes, but it also swings in circles. My children have been playing on it for about three hours, with breaks for dinner and spraying each other with the hose. They have been laughing most of the time as well. I love this thing. Not only is it just plain old fun, but they have to work together for it to be fun. They seem to have it down pretty well at this point. They are spinning fast.
I think my father-in-law ought to patent this thing and sell them. Seriously. It is fun just to watch them spin around and up and down. I am betting that this becomes the toy of the summer. They won’t play with it quite so much as the days go on. They will become accustomed to it and the newness will wear off. I am sure, however, that it will continue to be way fun for them. It is one item of stuff I feel will get plenty of mileage at this household.
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Herbs and Black Flies
I had a few minutes on my way home today to stop by the local nursery, Red Wagon Plants. If you like plants it is hard not to like a nursery. This place is a good one–lots to choose from, right around the corner, everything is healthy and bursting with greenness. And the folks there are friendly. I had been thinking about buying some herbs, plants this time. Starting from seed takes longer and I have to admit I have been ready to get cracking. So I picked out a few small plants.
The woman who swiped my debit card in exchange for these plants asked me with a laugh, “Are you a good cook or do you just shop like one?” It was a most excellent question. My answer: “I suppose that depends on who is doing the dining.” Eighteen bucks allowed me to truck home rosemary, thyme, chives, and two sage plants.
I planted the rosemary right away. We had a plant that made it through our first winter and then kicked it after winter number two. It put it in that same spot. It worked last time, right? Then I worked on the chives we already have. I use lots of them when we have them but I am always afraid of cutting too much. I split that clump and replanted the chunk I dug up. Then I planted the new one near it. The thyme, planted next door to the chives, will complement those visually when everything grows bigger.
I saved the sage for later. I had to make dinner. This was a good dinner, by the way–black beans with red peppers and onions, some of those chives, extra-sharp cheddar cheese (is there any point to using any other kind?) wrapped in tortillas and baked golden brown. It was not as fresh as it might have been but it was a winner. The sage scented the air in its four-inch pots while we ate on the deck.
Later in the day, after the sun ducked behind the knoll and shadows covered the garden, I took up the hose with my daughter and we watered. The black flies were out. I had conveniently forgotten how hard it is to stand with the hose and water the garden when the small biting insects are hungry for the blood flowing through my bare legs. The kid didn’t stick around too long. The price one pays for fresh food…
I watered the new herbs as well. The sage still waits for tomorrow. In a couple of days I will add to what I have planted so far. The garden needs to be filled with seeds–too much empty dirt at the moment. The onion and leek seedlings are waiting to stretch out in the sun. And the melons will need lots of time to produce fruit. Memorial Day weekend is the traditional time to plant hereabouts. I’ll be taking advantage of that extra day.
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Pumpkins Up, Frost on the Way
The kids planted pumpkins in their corner of the garden. A couple of days ago they busted through the soil. We were close to a frost last night. My daughter covered the tender sprouts with plastic potting buckets. She uncovered them this morning on the way to the bus. While temperatures stayed above 32 degrees last night, tonight it looks like frost for real. We have a freeze warning in effect since our average last frost date has passed.
I figure we are safe from frost around Memorial Day. Apparently our average date for that is sooner. Planting things like pumpkins this early is a risk. It means remembering to cover young plants. The only other plants coming up at the moment are peas and carrots. I’m not worried about them. The rest of the vegetables are still inside, or I planted them two days ago. They are safe.
My daughter covered the pumpkins again tonight. She and her brother will get some early squash out of those plants. Later this week the weather should turn. We might have temperatures in the 80’s. That ought to get the cucumbers considering leaving the womb. Hopefully they won’t have to worry about frost.
I planted a few things this past weekend–cucumbers, pumpkins, butternut squash, lettuce, summer squash–and I wanted to plant more. The freeze warning for last night kept my ambitions in check. Next weekend I will get on it. That will be Memorial Day weekend. I want to plant corn and basil but the soil just isn’t warm enough. That will have to wait until June.
We also cleared a spot for an herb garden. We cut down an evergreen shrub (I never learned what kind it was) that was just about dead from a fungus. I want to plant rosemary and sage and thyme and chives. And perhaps some other stuff. I can’t wait to get things in the ground. But I can’t do it all at once anyway. Not enough time and all that.
So the pumpkins are safe, as are the herbs plants I never purchased. I will go on a planting spree later this week. Later this summer I want to be able to paraphrase the Lorax: And then Oh Baby Oh how my garden did grow. Of course, I will say it anyway, but it sure would be nice to be able to mean.
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Wind and Rain
Apparently a tornado hit Vermont this past Saturday. That doesn’t happen all that often–once every couple of years or so. Of course, the next week there were reports of tornadoes in Florida. That is a little more common, I guess. Hopefully we won’t have any twisters around these parts for a couple of years. As odds go, we won’t.
Today wasn’t twister weather but it was windy. Way windy. More than one friend reported that the interstate was treacherous. Driving myself today I experienced the strong winds. It was two hands on the wheel driving for sure.
On the way to school it was a little less windy. I said to my son that it would be a good time to fly a kite. He then said that he would be flying kites with the other children at school. He was convinced that they would, even though they don’t have a good spot for that activity. After school he reported that no kites were flown, but the wind did knock him out of the sandbox and he “fell down hard right here” as he pointed to his hip. Plus wind blew sand in his eyes. He recovered nicely.
I made the mistake of leaving a mini propane bottle on the back deck this morning. It blew off the deck sometime today and landed on a rock. It got dented. That doesn’t seem safe. No harm done so far, however. Just in case we have an explosion, I moved it to the other side of the house. Safety first and all that.
It did rain today, quite hard at times. I did not water the garden because of the rain, but with the wind drying things out in between showers, the beds probably didn’t get much hydration. There is always tomorrow. I’m not going out there now. A tree might fall on me. That would be unfortunate. How would I read books to the children from outside, pinned under a tree? How would I finish the beer I started? How could I finish my crossword puzzle, what with rain spoiling the pages?
I’m telling you, this weather is rough. A guy needs to be careful with this wind and rain. The children and I spotted a bright orange oriole in the apple tree this morning. It was our first of the season. I hope it and it’s kin are careful out there. I wouldn’t want it to be our last sighting. That, too, would be unfortunate.
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Rained Out Again but Enjoying the Rain
My daughter has been participating on a T-ball team (sort of like baseball, except they have the option to bat off a T). So far she has had only two practices. Four have been scheduled. Two have been rained out, including tonight. The kids are supposed to have a game next Tuesday. That will be interesting. Most of the kids don’t know the rules; they do not know, for example, that touching the bases is part of the deal. But it’s really about having fun anyway.
Instead of going to T-ball, my children played in the rain instead. First, on the way home from my son’s school, they played with the windows. They put them down to clear off the rain, which worked for all of three seconds. Then they decided to put them down every time a car passed. They got pretty wet but they were laughing so hard I figured it was OK to let a little moisture into the vehicle.
By the time we got home they were all fired up to run around outside in swim suits. So they did. They got soggy and muddy, playing in puddles and sliding down the slide. They were soaked and dirty when they came in, just in time for a warm dinner. They really wanted hot chocolate, to get cozy as they put it. We waited until after dinner for the hot chocolate, then curled up by the fire with jammies.
Soon it will be time to head up for showers and bed. The rain will likely continue into the evening. I love going to bed when the rain falls. I even enjoyed walking out to meet the bus this morning, listening to the rain on the umbrella and smelling the new blossoms. Lilacs and apple blossoms are out now and the air smells sweet when the rain falls.
I don’t have to water the garden these days. I just have to sit and watch the rain fall on the soil. The children know that rain means the garden gets enough to drink, so they are happy when the skies gray and spill over. Plus, they get to romp in the puddles. So we had no T-ball practice today, but we all enjoyed what we got anyway. We’ll get back to the field next week.
Mercury on the Move 