Planter boxes full of hope
Hello there. I was just checking out the weather in all of the places in America that I have loved ones. On average, it seems that our highest possible temperature for the day is about equal to your lowest possible temperature. It is now the very early morning for you, your chilliest part of the day. It is the evening for us, a bit chillier here than there, I’m sure. Although I was shocked to see the lows in Montana, wow. It seems to get colder there in the summer than in the Midwest.
After our return from camping on Monday, Jacinta excitedly went to preschool the next day with her foot healed, ready to run and jump. Her preschool program is centered outside. Most activities are out of doors, one wonderful aspect of living in a climate such as this. It is a funny sight to see all the teachers in coats, hats, scarves and gloves while they watch over and play with the children. The problem there is all the shade. The sun is really warm but they need to protect the children from UV so it is very shady, and thus, cold. I suppose the children are warmer because they run and play, whereas the teachers stand around and watch. I have to remind myself of this at times when I want to bundle up the girls. Jacinta had a lovely time at preschool. They celebrated her friend Lilly’s birthday and even had chocolate cake. Jacinta enjoys herself without us now, but makes sure she brings bits of preschool home to share: paintings and special food. She did not finish her cake, but asked the teachers to wrap it up so she could take it home and share it with me. Oh how lucky and loved I am.
Genevieve and I usually have a few silent and peaceful hours when Jacinta is at preschool. We played outside for a while then she toddled around while I began to clean up the wreckage from camping. She took a two and a half hour nap too! Keith took she and Jedda (dog) to town to go to the vet, leaving me in solitude to clean. Sometimes I feel so rundown that this solitude is awesome, but last week’s camping energized me. I appreciated the silence though, of course I did!
I am starting to understand the full effects of Genevieve’s incredible empathy. At the vet, she mirrored the dog’s fear and cried for Jedda as she was getting her shots. It is probably common for siblings to cry when the other is hurt. But I am thrown off when Evie hits Jacinta when she is hurt and crying in my arms. Evie wants a cuddle because Jacinta wants a cuddle. I don’t think it is jealousy, but perhaps mirroring sentiment. Jacinta needs me, so Evie needs me. Jacinta cries, so Evie does too. Jacinta gets possessive when Evie comes near and gives her a grumpy look and clings hard to me. So Evie feels the anger and negativity and pulls Jacinta’s hair. Jacinta gets angry, so Genevieve mirrors her anger and whacks her. Hmm…can you call this empathy…or sibling rivalry…or just learning how to feel? I suppose it doesn’t matter what you call it, they are just growing up.
Luckily, I too am still learning important lessons as I grow up. I recently learned a good lesson from a woman who never sat down or went outside when I visited but cleaned up messes, cooked and made tea the whole time I was at her house. I hadn’t finished my cup of tea before she swiped it and cleaned the cup. Lesson learned: leave the kitchen, forget the mess, stop fussing over visitors, go outside, enjoy the sun and play. With this in mind, Wednesday we had some friends over, went outside and had a nice play day. We followed the kids around, explored the forest on the river bank and did a loop around the dam. The children climbed trees, swung on vines, played with sticks (ouch), walked in muck, balanced on logs, and discovered a massive cow skull and all of its bones. They were not at all disgusted, but very interested in what bones were and how big they were. Later on that day Keith showed the girls a surprise he had discovered while watering the fruit trees: the first strawberry of the season! Our outdoor day continued as Keith made a big bonfire upon which we cooked our dinner: scorched potatoes, fish and Johnny cakes. The girl went to sleep easy that night. Good thing because I needed to make costumes for playgroup. Keith is always there to help with costumes, very creative, capable, and optimistic that we can make something nice out of junk. We had a lovely time making Jacinta’s moose head and Evie’s lai.
Jacinta woke up singing Thursday morning. “This is a pretty exciting day mommy!” We had been anticipating Matt’s return for 10 days and also getting ready for our “M day” playgroup. We were all to dress up as something starting with an M and bring food to share that started with the letter M. While I made Macadamia cookies that morning, Genevieve whined from the moment she noticed the batter until it was out of sight. I let her taste it a few times, it was no use. She has an incredible sweet tooth and wanted the whole bowl. (She wakes up in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning asking for dates.) Jacinta was a cute little Moose all dressed in brown with red antlers. Genevieve put on her grass skirt and knew instantly that a “Maui girl” should dance. Evie’s lai made of fresh flowers didn’t even make it to playgroup, but we all had a lovely time and left in time to make it to Matt’s plane.
Jacinta counted down the minutes until we saw daddy and was eager to see the plane land. The 50 minute trip there was enjoyable. Evie had a well-deserved nap while Jacinta and I chatted. We talked about how much we loved the small Coffs Harbour airport. She spoke off all the airports she knew, saying that Coffs and Chicago were her favorites. “I like all airports though Mommy, because they all have those things that go round and round with the luggage on them.”
We saw the plane roll in. Jacinta asked what I thought Matt might be wearing. I didn’t have a guess but she said, “I think he’ll be wearing his long sleeved yellow shirt.” Almost last off the plane, Matt marched down the steps in his yellow shirt. Funny thing to guess, she proudly told him she had guessed it after she had run across the room to greet him at the door. I’m sure the image of his beautiful little girls running across the airport yelling, “Daddy!” to jump into his arms will stay around for a long while. He said he had seen us waiting behind the glass from his airplane window, thanks to the sun bouncing off Genevieve’s little tuft of hair on top of her head.
Oh, the excitement was all too much. Matt dealt well with his jetlag, fatigue, relief, and joy. He had gifts for us all, some he had found and others from friends. He brought back my list of demands, mail orders, dried cherries, toothpaste and all. Most importantly (besides his healthy body), he brought back a box of books, books with his name on the front as the editor. I was impatient to see them and they were at the bottom of a tightly packed bag. He needed to fill me in on the last two weeks anyway, so I had to wait to see the beloved book. Even with all the technology in the world, if you have no time to communicate, nothing gets passed on. Matt’s schedule was packed, this trip had no wiggle room. I heard tidbits, but nothing much, nothing about his time with loved friends and family, nothing about his book, how he felt or how the conference had gone. Now I finally heard all the fun details, how people were doing, how his talk at the conference went, and how much people appreciated his work. Such an amazing ten days, a whirlwind, so many emotions and so much toing and froing. Now home, Matt was feeling satisfied, tired, loved and inspired. I felt a bit more complete knowing how it had all gone, such an important time in Matt’s life, and I finally saw the book, beautiful.
So Matt has returned from the American summer, home now to finish off the last month of our Aussie winter. Last night was perhaps our “coldest” night so far. We shivered in bed for a few moments and vowed we’d put a heater in the girls’ room tonight. We slept cozy though, and woke up to the biggest frost yet this winter. The sun quickly erased the evidence of winter and warmed us once we went outside.
Matt was out straight away building a new compost, the crawling under the house trying to fix something. Since he returned on Thursday he has been excitedly jumping from task to task, doing things that have been grating on his mind for the last few busy months of the book. Yesterday Matt and Keith cut down a bunch of tall birch trees that were shading the garden a bit. These were very tall, straight trees which make good posts and terrace supports. Matt already used a few of them to prop up the shed and cut a few for the sandbox to be. The clutter is also getting to him, so he wants to build new ways to organize and get rid of things. He used to wander dreamily through stores selling organizers, now he tries to build his way out of our accumulation.
We are all enjoying life with Matt again. Things are back to normal. Bed time and mornings are easy again. Loud screams from tickle torture have returned. I did tickle them on Matt’s behalf in his absence, gently though, not like a dad does. Each time I tickled Evie she smiled and said “daddy?” Matt took the girls out shopping and to the ocean on Friday. Jacinta had asked where salt came from so they collected some salt water and let it evaporate on top of the fireplace.
I excitedly dove back into the garden while they girls were out. The apple, plum, blueberry and nectarine trees are all in flower so it feels like spring. These trees are giving me hope, energy, and excitement to garden again and beautify some of the trashy messes we have lying around outside. It could be the trees, Genevieve’s age, Jacinta’s growing comfort with her body, Matt’s completion of his book, or even the masses of spinach I am eating that are giving me the burst of energy. Whatever the reason, I have spent a few hours out in the garden for the last three days, both with the girls and without. I planted all of the seeds that were about to expire: four planter boxes full of hope. We shall see if anything comes up. If I expect nothing, any seed that sprouts will surprise me. I weeded a few beds in the orchard and cleaned up a junky corner of pots and old wood. Jacinta found “the yummiest carrot ever” so she is now inspired to plant her own little bed of Thumbellina carrots. I look forward to spending more time out there with the girls. I just need to remember to water consistently, this is one of my biggest problems in life: sticking to things. Jacinta nearly has a breakdown if you pull her away from a task she has not yet finished.
I could learn a lesson from my little girl.
Saturday was Matt and my tenth anniversary. We have two anniversaries each year, one celebrating the American wedding and one celebrating our Australian wedding. Knowing we would be away from the girls next weekend for our exciting night out, we took them out to dinner for this one. With none of our favorite places open at four o’clock, we went to the most basic take away shop and ate in. We had a nice time, and I again learned that they do not do seafood well. It was a nice afternoon for a stroll anyway. The girls were quite excited to see horse poo on the bridge. This means a horse walked over the bridge (something we’ve never seen before). They also enjoyed throwing pebbles into the river. We got home at dark, which seems to be less of a drama now that they have spent so much time in the dark camping.
Sunday we had another peaceful day, spending time outside with the kids and Mary and Keith. Our veranda gets morning sun, so it is the place to be on a cold morning. Jedda (dog) always finds the warmest spot and suns herself. Mary’s parakeets also come out ( in their cage) to soak up some rays. We spent the afternoon at Lilly’s birthday party with most of our friends feasting, chatting and watching the kids play.
It is hard to believe we were married ten years ago and how different life was then. We look back and smile at the memories we have together in so many different places and in the company of so many amazing people, people who have taught us so much. The awesome part is that the present is just as awesome as all of those years accumulated and even better, we have added two more humans to the “we” to share in our joy and pain.
Have a lovely week. Enjoy your “we.”
Peace,
Shana
After our return from camping on Monday, Jacinta excitedly went to preschool the next day with her foot healed, ready to run and jump. Her preschool program is centered outside. Most activities are out of doors, one wonderful aspect of living in a climate such as this. It is a funny sight to see all the teachers in coats, hats, scarves and gloves while they watch over and play with the children. The problem there is all the shade. The sun is really warm but they need to protect the children from UV so it is very shady, and thus, cold. I suppose the children are warmer because they run and play, whereas the teachers stand around and watch. I have to remind myself of this at times when I want to bundle up the girls. Jacinta had a lovely time at preschool. They celebrated her friend Lilly’s birthday and even had chocolate cake. Jacinta enjoys herself without us now, but makes sure she brings bits of preschool home to share: paintings and special food. She did not finish her cake, but asked the teachers to wrap it up so she could take it home and share it with me. Oh how lucky and loved I am.
Genevieve and I usually have a few silent and peaceful hours when Jacinta is at preschool. We played outside for a while then she toddled around while I began to clean up the wreckage from camping. She took a two and a half hour nap too! Keith took she and Jedda (dog) to town to go to the vet, leaving me in solitude to clean. Sometimes I feel so rundown that this solitude is awesome, but last week’s camping energized me. I appreciated the silence though, of course I did!
I am starting to understand the full effects of Genevieve’s incredible empathy. At the vet, she mirrored the dog’s fear and cried for Jedda as she was getting her shots. It is probably common for siblings to cry when the other is hurt. But I am thrown off when Evie hits Jacinta when she is hurt and crying in my arms. Evie wants a cuddle because Jacinta wants a cuddle. I don’t think it is jealousy, but perhaps mirroring sentiment. Jacinta needs me, so Evie needs me. Jacinta cries, so Evie does too. Jacinta gets possessive when Evie comes near and gives her a grumpy look and clings hard to me. So Evie feels the anger and negativity and pulls Jacinta’s hair. Jacinta gets angry, so Genevieve mirrors her anger and whacks her. Hmm…can you call this empathy…or sibling rivalry…or just learning how to feel? I suppose it doesn’t matter what you call it, they are just growing up.
Luckily, I too am still learning important lessons as I grow up. I recently learned a good lesson from a woman who never sat down or went outside when I visited but cleaned up messes, cooked and made tea the whole time I was at her house. I hadn’t finished my cup of tea before she swiped it and cleaned the cup. Lesson learned: leave the kitchen, forget the mess, stop fussing over visitors, go outside, enjoy the sun and play. With this in mind, Wednesday we had some friends over, went outside and had a nice play day. We followed the kids around, explored the forest on the river bank and did a loop around the dam. The children climbed trees, swung on vines, played with sticks (ouch), walked in muck, balanced on logs, and discovered a massive cow skull and all of its bones. They were not at all disgusted, but very interested in what bones were and how big they were. Later on that day Keith showed the girls a surprise he had discovered while watering the fruit trees: the first strawberry of the season! Our outdoor day continued as Keith made a big bonfire upon which we cooked our dinner: scorched potatoes, fish and Johnny cakes. The girl went to sleep easy that night. Good thing because I needed to make costumes for playgroup. Keith is always there to help with costumes, very creative, capable, and optimistic that we can make something nice out of junk. We had a lovely time making Jacinta’s moose head and Evie’s lai.
Jacinta woke up singing Thursday morning. “This is a pretty exciting day mommy!” We had been anticipating Matt’s return for 10 days and also getting ready for our “M day” playgroup. We were all to dress up as something starting with an M and bring food to share that started with the letter M. While I made Macadamia cookies that morning, Genevieve whined from the moment she noticed the batter until it was out of sight. I let her taste it a few times, it was no use. She has an incredible sweet tooth and wanted the whole bowl. (She wakes up in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning asking for dates.) Jacinta was a cute little Moose all dressed in brown with red antlers. Genevieve put on her grass skirt and knew instantly that a “Maui girl” should dance. Evie’s lai made of fresh flowers didn’t even make it to playgroup, but we all had a lovely time and left in time to make it to Matt’s plane.
Jacinta counted down the minutes until we saw daddy and was eager to see the plane land. The 50 minute trip there was enjoyable. Evie had a well-deserved nap while Jacinta and I chatted. We talked about how much we loved the small Coffs Harbour airport. She spoke off all the airports she knew, saying that Coffs and Chicago were her favorites. “I like all airports though Mommy, because they all have those things that go round and round with the luggage on them.”
We saw the plane roll in. Jacinta asked what I thought Matt might be wearing. I didn’t have a guess but she said, “I think he’ll be wearing his long sleeved yellow shirt.” Almost last off the plane, Matt marched down the steps in his yellow shirt. Funny thing to guess, she proudly told him she had guessed it after she had run across the room to greet him at the door. I’m sure the image of his beautiful little girls running across the airport yelling, “Daddy!” to jump into his arms will stay around for a long while. He said he had seen us waiting behind the glass from his airplane window, thanks to the sun bouncing off Genevieve’s little tuft of hair on top of her head.
Oh, the excitement was all too much. Matt dealt well with his jetlag, fatigue, relief, and joy. He had gifts for us all, some he had found and others from friends. He brought back my list of demands, mail orders, dried cherries, toothpaste and all. Most importantly (besides his healthy body), he brought back a box of books, books with his name on the front as the editor. I was impatient to see them and they were at the bottom of a tightly packed bag. He needed to fill me in on the last two weeks anyway, so I had to wait to see the beloved book. Even with all the technology in the world, if you have no time to communicate, nothing gets passed on. Matt’s schedule was packed, this trip had no wiggle room. I heard tidbits, but nothing much, nothing about his time with loved friends and family, nothing about his book, how he felt or how the conference had gone. Now I finally heard all the fun details, how people were doing, how his talk at the conference went, and how much people appreciated his work. Such an amazing ten days, a whirlwind, so many emotions and so much toing and froing. Now home, Matt was feeling satisfied, tired, loved and inspired. I felt a bit more complete knowing how it had all gone, such an important time in Matt’s life, and I finally saw the book, beautiful.
So Matt has returned from the American summer, home now to finish off the last month of our Aussie winter. Last night was perhaps our “coldest” night so far. We shivered in bed for a few moments and vowed we’d put a heater in the girls’ room tonight. We slept cozy though, and woke up to the biggest frost yet this winter. The sun quickly erased the evidence of winter and warmed us once we went outside.
Matt was out straight away building a new compost, the crawling under the house trying to fix something. Since he returned on Thursday he has been excitedly jumping from task to task, doing things that have been grating on his mind for the last few busy months of the book. Yesterday Matt and Keith cut down a bunch of tall birch trees that were shading the garden a bit. These were very tall, straight trees which make good posts and terrace supports. Matt already used a few of them to prop up the shed and cut a few for the sandbox to be. The clutter is also getting to him, so he wants to build new ways to organize and get rid of things. He used to wander dreamily through stores selling organizers, now he tries to build his way out of our accumulation.
We are all enjoying life with Matt again. Things are back to normal. Bed time and mornings are easy again. Loud screams from tickle torture have returned. I did tickle them on Matt’s behalf in his absence, gently though, not like a dad does. Each time I tickled Evie she smiled and said “daddy?” Matt took the girls out shopping and to the ocean on Friday. Jacinta had asked where salt came from so they collected some salt water and let it evaporate on top of the fireplace.
I excitedly dove back into the garden while they girls were out. The apple, plum, blueberry and nectarine trees are all in flower so it feels like spring. These trees are giving me hope, energy, and excitement to garden again and beautify some of the trashy messes we have lying around outside. It could be the trees, Genevieve’s age, Jacinta’s growing comfort with her body, Matt’s completion of his book, or even the masses of spinach I am eating that are giving me the burst of energy. Whatever the reason, I have spent a few hours out in the garden for the last three days, both with the girls and without. I planted all of the seeds that were about to expire: four planter boxes full of hope. We shall see if anything comes up. If I expect nothing, any seed that sprouts will surprise me. I weeded a few beds in the orchard and cleaned up a junky corner of pots and old wood. Jacinta found “the yummiest carrot ever” so she is now inspired to plant her own little bed of Thumbellina carrots. I look forward to spending more time out there with the girls. I just need to remember to water consistently, this is one of my biggest problems in life: sticking to things. Jacinta nearly has a breakdown if you pull her away from a task she has not yet finished.
I could learn a lesson from my little girl.
Saturday was Matt and my tenth anniversary. We have two anniversaries each year, one celebrating the American wedding and one celebrating our Australian wedding. Knowing we would be away from the girls next weekend for our exciting night out, we took them out to dinner for this one. With none of our favorite places open at four o’clock, we went to the most basic take away shop and ate in. We had a nice time, and I again learned that they do not do seafood well. It was a nice afternoon for a stroll anyway. The girls were quite excited to see horse poo on the bridge. This means a horse walked over the bridge (something we’ve never seen before). They also enjoyed throwing pebbles into the river. We got home at dark, which seems to be less of a drama now that they have spent so much time in the dark camping.
Sunday we had another peaceful day, spending time outside with the kids and Mary and Keith. Our veranda gets morning sun, so it is the place to be on a cold morning. Jedda (dog) always finds the warmest spot and suns herself. Mary’s parakeets also come out ( in their cage) to soak up some rays. We spent the afternoon at Lilly’s birthday party with most of our friends feasting, chatting and watching the kids play.
It is hard to believe we were married ten years ago and how different life was then. We look back and smile at the memories we have together in so many different places and in the company of so many amazing people, people who have taught us so much. The awesome part is that the present is just as awesome as all of those years accumulated and even better, we have added two more humans to the “we” to share in our joy and pain.
Have a lovely week. Enjoy your “we.”
Peace,
Shana
posted by Matt & Shana & Jacinta & Genevieve Henry at
11:21 PM
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