For a special Ethiopian encounter

Happy late birthday, Mita and Getaye!

Low key as usual, for the twins' birthday we had pancakes.  They were soooo happy.  And for a gift, since my self-serving pear trees were out of stock, we bought them each a t-shirt to represent their birthplace and to support a family who is about to begin work there. 

Tati LACA!

Not-so-budding artists, but very promising cooks

"Sitting in these little chairs is way more fun than forced art time!"

I'm sad to admit that the only recognizable, and yet so primitive, forms are mine. 

I need some forced art time!

He usually makes falafel and pancakes... with lots of garlic in everything, for me!

Here are Mita and Getaye, working on their mixing technique.

A brief trip to the Serengeti

I took an evening walk the other day.  Upon turning the corner, I encountered a Maasai woman... walking just in front of me.  She was tall, a bit taller than I am.  She was wearing a flowing fabric, covering yet cool.  And she had the most beautiful head, her ears a bit more noticeable from no hair.  I walked silently and happily with her for a while, before turning again at the park, where I left her.

The second harvest

The first harvest made a salad last weekend.  Tasty.  Here is the second, on its trip from the earth to the bowl.

Carrots and turnips

Gardens have such a way with children, getting them to eat food that they'd ordinarily snub.  Mmm...

God's garden glory

The Dilly Volunteer Forest

Coily garlic blooms, sacrificed for larger bulbs

My favorite echinacea?  I call it "Spoons of Sorbet."

Candy Land!

So, GRITS and I have played our first board game together.  Thankfully, it was a huge success.  My only wish is that the game were Vegetable Land.  Thankfully, he doesn't know what candy is; so for now, it's alright.  I may have to make my own version soon, though.

Here he is, with his bursting-at-the-seams camera smile. 

Attack of the thieving chipmunk! or Cherries!

(I can't decide which title to use, so there are both.)

I must preface this entry by admitting, ironically, that I have always answered the question, "But will the animals eat such and such in my garden?" by saying, "Well, it is their world too.  We need to share." 

So, today, in a free moment, I went to my runner-up happy place: my bedroom window.  From there I can look onto the garden in which I'd almost always rather be.  But, what?  There was a chipmunk doing a tight-rope act on my espaliered cherry tree!

--Now, I've not gotten cherries from this tree yet, as it's only about four years old.  This year, however, I was convinced that I was going to have a few.  Even after most of them turned yellow and then brown at a very small size and then fell off, there was a handful of promise.--

I futilely made noises from the window and even threw (Ha!) the end of the carrot on which I was snacking at him.  Nothing.  So, I ran down the stairs and out the back door, chasing him away into the mint.  And what did I find?  Only ONE rather large, but not fully ripened, cherry left.  I looked into the mint and haughtily grabbed that sure-to-be-sour-even-though-it's-a-sweet-cherry and ate it.  Ha!  I got him! 

And then I walked back up the stairs, with my jaw tightening from the sourness, saddened by my greed.

Tadele's dream in the works

Here he is: Doctor Getaye! 

(Why is his head tilted to the side?  I think that he's arranging a surgery by his invisible mobile phone!)

Surprise Coreopsis

My sister gave me some flower bombs and a year later... a surprise, native Coreopsis.  (No, the foliage that you see isn't of the Coreopsis.  That's Tanacetum.  ...just in case any planty people read this and think that I'm nuts.)  Thanks, LACA!

Hanging out

Pajama-pasta picnic

Are we dining on the floor al fresco for enrichment purposes, because I'm such a fun person or because the trays for the kids' highchairs were buried beneath a giant pile of dirty dishes in the sink?  Hmm.... you'll never know!

Problem fixed

So, I said that I had a problem telling Mita, or anyone, that "Siempre regresarE."  Who knows?  Something could happen.  But, the solution just came to me, interestingly, in Arabic, "in sha' allah."  I'll just add that to the end of our hopefully calming parting mantra: "Siempre regresarE, si DiOs quiere." 

Being crafty

(Since Crafty McBoo has left us, I've had to step it up a notch.  We miss you, Boo!)

Here is my attempt to help Mita calm down about being away from me.  Now she can always see where I am.  Anytime I go somewhere, I'll take her to the MamA Map, we'll move my photo and I'll tell her, "Siempre regresarE."  (I do have a problem with that phrase, but it'll have to do for now.)  Hopefully this will help her. 

And then, the sounds and letters (a thorough sigh)...  About a year ago, GRITS knew all of his letters, but then life became very difficult and I ignored his literacy.  Just this week, we've begun anew: A.