Farm Party

I love it when something is so beautifully happy that I feel inspired by it in my own life. The last birthday party we went to was like that.


A gentle day in the sunshine at a private hobby farm in honor of the pint-sized birthday girl. Nothing fancy....no goodie bags of plastic crap, no giant sugary birthday cake, no fancy clothes to keep clean.


Just strawberries and cream from her mama's garden, milking a goat into a tin pail, and turns rising the horse together with a small band of best friends.


Lots of simple, rich pleasures....just the way it ought to be.



Do you think I could get my friends to come to a party like that for my half-birthday????Nobody has farm day celebrations in December when my real birthday happens.



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Shakespeare + Outdoors = Atmospheric Perfection

Enjoyed a very fine production of Shakespeare's As You Like It tonight. Whoever invented the tradition of free, outdoor civic performances of Shakespeare was a kind of genius. Of course this particular show was really excellently executed and cast (which helps immeasurably) but still...the outdoors +. W. Shakespeare is top notch. In the first place you can watch barefoot. Point taken, right?



At one point there was a mockingbird singing really beautifully over the head of an actor making an elegant speech in the greenwood, the sun set in the background as the plot intensified, periodically the wind would carry the scent of the blooming honeysuckle across the audience and at one point I leaned my head back and saw a pair of egrets lazily gliding overhead during a lull in the action. So lovely. The way Shakespeare should be experienced.



And also, as a side note...As You Like It is a beautiful, feminist comedy and romance. Will earned points with me for it.


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An American Pastime

Summer is here! We hit 90 degrees today and I watered the veggie garden twice to keep it from wilting. There is iced tea on tap and weekly watermelon purchasing happening to boot. All of spring has gone except for the dogwood blossoms which are lingering with extra vigor this year. Even my roses have finished blooming and now the garden is all lilies and daisies and anytime soon now the purple coneflower will join in.

Our first "extracurricular" type activity has just ended as baseball wrapped up this past week. So much fun sitting on the mini-bleachers with the other moms through blazing sun and even a little rain and watching smash hits and foul balls alike as our boys learned the basics of the game together.

 I never expected to feel so very fond of a sport but Little League has my heart. So much of it has to do with Ru's intense love for the game...any game really, but he sure latched on to baseball. He loved learning from the neighborhood dads who coach, loved the hard work of studying stances and getting the particulars of procedures nailed down, and he felt so incredibly spiffy and official in a real, live uniform.

 I just put the pants and socks in the Goodwill bag but he's keeping his jersey in his sentimental box and still wearing his team cap around the house. I wonder if it will the first of many uniforms I stain treat over the years. I think we are headed to the sports department for good, this one is an athlete.