sleepin' in the midday sun

Bliss

To be a child in the summer is what my growing-up memories are filled with. Now I have growing-up memories of my own children to add to that memory file, and many of them are filled with summer sun and adventure.
It was hot yesterday. We pulled the green plastic circle sprinkle into the middle of the crispy, browning lawn and went to work at the business of cooling off. Within an hour, we had created puddles of mud and dying grass across the yard. We had danced like fairies and crawled like kittens and challenged each other to stand in the "perfect center", daring the icy cold stream of water to touch our bottoms. We were still warm, but we didn't care. It was summer and the sprinkler was on, and soon - right about dinner time - the tinkling bells of the ice cream truck would remind us what was really important on this hot summer day. Then, we would grab wet hands and loose change and gallop through the gate to seize the frozen delight and meet the neighbors who had heard the sirens call of summer.

sweaty 'toots

It's hot today! It's 8PM and it is still 84 degrees. We are going "hard core" and not putting our air conditioners in the windows. We live for so long to hear the sounds of the birds and wind, and then we stuff a machine in the window that roars and blows frigid air into our home - it smells funny and sounds terrible and I can't hear myself think. So instead, we sweat.

princess

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Yaya. She does the sun dance. She looks just like the sun. She dances with the sun. The sun dances, too. They are happy. They are tired. They are hot."
by Yaya

fairies and godmothers

Greta is Via's godmother. Her real name is Auntie Tata. She is a one of the most wonderful woman in the entire world, and such an important part of our family. We are very lucky to have her in our lives. Tata is going to Norway at the end of July, then she is going to Kansas City for 3 months. We are going to miss her very much.

pirates

They are taking over, these terrible little pirates. Paddling through the house, seizing children and dogs, pillaging the popcorn, leaving chaos in their wake. True to their Norse Viking roots, these fierce scallywags take no prisoners and leave only footprints. I fear now only for a flaming burial at sea.

rocks & rivers

The great northern pines cover this earth – a forest primordial - everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
And, in the middle of nowhere are rocks – big and wet and slippery rocks.
And around these rocks flows water – clear and gentle and quiet water.

Long ago, these trees and these rocks and this water were secrets – nothing – nowhere.

The waters tumbled over those rocks and fed the stream that fed the lake that fed the river that fed the ocean that fed the people, and no one knew it was there.

But we knew it was there.

We splashed in its beginnings.
We fished in its footprint and fed all of our children.
We sent prayers to the spirits and thanks to our ancestors,
We celebrated its’ existence.

Then he came and you came and they found the water.
The great explorers came and conquered the savage lands.
You found the rocks.
You heard the quiet.
You fed your children, with thanks to no one but your very own God.
You pretend that we are not here.
We are your great secret – the invisible people in the forest.

Long ago, these trees and these rocks and this water and our prayers to the spirits where quiet secrets that fed the earth.
And this earth fed us in return.

Today, crowds of feet cross through these water – infant and ancestor.
Scores of people feed their children from these rivers and lakes.
Some people send prayers of thanks to their gods.

And we are still here, like the rocks in the water– silent in the great northern pines that cover this earth – a forest primordial – everywhere and nowhere at the same time.