October 17th

Opal challenged me to be quiet on our walk to LaTourette. So we were. It felt like a quiet day to me...hazy drizzle in the morning...all but Ezra and Azrael taking naps (to my great surprise)...it was wonderful to have Ezra visit us. We miss her. And she and Azrael enjoyed the calm one-on-one of quiet together activities.

A few words of explanation:

• there was a visiting family in case you wonder about the random kid going up the loft slide

• our neighbor, the one with the dogs and mini-farm, gave us a doll, an action figure and duck eggs. I'll have to think of a way to thank him.

• Daniel likes to make food art, today by smearing ketchup on his cantaloupe. A very messy affair.

• We listened to two whole stories with almost no squirming at rest time!

• We noticed beauty in wet spider webs

• We judge trees according to their 'nakedness'- how many leaves they have left

• And today Azrael stood there on a block hoping to wave to the visiting mother and daughter, however without having explained this tradition in any way

• the old guy is my dad. It's his first deadday. I miss him, and carry him with me always.

• and I'll leave you with the image I saw when I come down to 'check on things' while I am preparing lunch: the now 3-year old Eloise crawling on the table, in the middle of three coloring girls, throwing all the markers in every direction laughing maniacally (many thanks to Ezra for cleaning them all up)

Wishing us a relaxing weekend.