Poetry Friday: Leaf Verse

We are to that time of year that is hard for me to enjoy. We're past the glowing throes of autumn when the world is a blazing whirl of color and crisp days...we've had our first frost and snow and jackets are now mandatory. Now its on to hearth-fires and handicraft marathons, days when we snuggle under blankets and read stacks of storybooks and when we can't so I curse the windshield while I try to unearth it from its layers of ice with that little scratchy tool buried in the trunk of the van.

I want to be so cozy about it, I'm trying to will myself into that space by trying to enjoy even the annual destruction of the foliage.

Late Autumn Theatrical

There is a host of seasonal Post-it notes,

Flittering in our street corner maple-top.

They are pale, wasted ghosts of leaves,

Performing some great arboreal Hamlet,

Thinner than themselves, inscribed “November”

On every shuddering vein and tip.

We are at the climax now, the part where

There is a great stage-death, en masse

One million staggering, fainting falls then

Performing on the chill, even lawn

They twitch at the heels, gag and roll

Crisp into rigor mortis and compost dramatically.

Such an impressive show will doubtless

Inspire an encore and we will have the whole

Thing over again beginning with the bit about the

Hope of sap rising and the miraculous green buds

Whirling open their newborn chartreuse feathers.

Check out lots of other Poetry Friday participants and their selections here.

Making Things Season

We're starting to really think about Christmas around here. Not that we're decorating or anything like that, but we're starting to think about making things. Its that time of year.

 We will mix up cookie dough and put it in the freezer anytime we get a free moment from now till the 25th and this weekend I hope to sit down and make up lists of make-able gift ideas for all the people I can. We buy gifts too, but I like to reinforce every year the idea that our hands are still useful, creative and elegant instruments that are quite capable of making something well-loved...even in our modern age.

Yes, you can just get on Amazon and buy everything you need. (I've done it! And there's a certain freedom there too.) but there's something really soul feeding about making a lovely thing for someone you care for and seeing them unwrap it carefully on Christmas morning. This year we have a mortgage in our budget pool so that means there's even more incentive to get out of the mall box and start dreaming up gifts here at home.

 We have finally run out of this wonderful large packing paper that our movers used around our goods, so that means the boys are a little restless for something creative to do with their hands. Just in time...I could use a few more tiny creative hands.

I'm even starting to think about taking up my knitting needles again.  I guess cold fingers will do that to you. *grin* Remembering the success of my hat knitting venture from last year and thinking sort of bravely of making a little sweater for Nib. So scary! Argh! Somebody tell me I can do it.

I also found instructions online for finger knitting by accident and was enchanted with the idea of teaching Ru because he pesters me endlessly about "teaching him to knit" although I've tried and obviously, wielding the needles are a bit much for him at the age of 4. This might be the perfect solution.

Am also starting to think very deeply about gifts for the boys for Christmas. I have decided to do three gifts for each of them...which may be objects, experiences or some other idea. I want to come up with a gift for each boy's: mind, body and spirit.

And look at that jolly baby! If its even reasonable to call him a baby. You can't see in that picture but he's managed to cut through his two front teeth at 5 months of age. He's still sleeping beautifully, grinning ear to ear and astounding me with his easy-going calm. He's a very good natured little person. I can't wait to see what he's all about as he unfolds more and more.

Spotlight on the Playroom

Whole lot of paint on my fingers and toes lately as we start to really get into Remodeling Land.

Little mini-tour of an evolving room in our house today. I have shown you bits of the playroom before, but today you'll get a little glimpse into its hopeful future too. Right now, we are mostly calling it "the playroom" by default because it is the place where all the toys and many of the kids books live, but it will also be the room where we will homeschool.

The walls are all faux-wood paneling in a dark brown which makes the room feel very close and cave-ish. But, that is changing! We are now halfway through painting the walls with a gallon of flat white paint that, believe it or not, I found in the basement. (How fabulous is that?) The beauty of knowing that everything will be eventually getting painted and that the floors will eventually be refinished is that kids can paint too! No worries about "messing it up" really. The boys think that's the best thing ever.

Finished walls...just trim left.

Art hanging finally! Love that purply watercolor on the right...Dee's work.

Kid measuring chart, a cool housewarming gift from the next-door neighbor

Where I've stopped at the moment...and you can see our new stand globe, the recently hung curtains and our two free chairs that will belly-up to the table I'm still looking for.

I got a gallon of soft periwinkle blue ('Blueberry Buckle') for $5 in the reject paint section and slapping that on some or all of the walls will be the next step. I think once we've opened the space and made it more breathable with the white its going to be fun to add a little character and homey love with a touch of color.

Found this old metal tray and the two wooden crates below it at a free neighborhood swap. Am planning to have Dee help me organize the rest of the Matchbox cars in it.

Other ideas on the way include:

• A thrifted heavy, very large baroque style frame, painted gold mounted on the wall, around a chalkboard, right at kid level. Something like what this woman did.
• This giant zebra rug, made with just glue, scissors and felt
• A big, sturdy table of some kind that I am hoping to find for free on Craig's List or else curbside
• Some of these nature posters
• A cheap cd player/tape player for listening to books on tape or music together
• A frame like this, and a rotatable set of "The Great" artist's works to put inside
• A simple, big  wall clock with hands and numbers
• And...one or both of these very cool cupboards which the sellers left down in the basement