Author: Angela

I write so my family will always have letters from home.

Our Toy Stories

Yesterday I discovered that Mark has the scene memorized from Toy Story 3 when Andy gives his toys away. That scene always makes me cry.

Richard doesn’t have especially fond memories of toys and he can’t figure out what all the boo-hooing is about.

I loved my toys. My siblings loved their toys. I visit Spring Lake and find Sarah’s dolls stored carefully in the closet. Joe’s basement is full of vintage GI Joe stuff. It was my finest hour when I found some Lego sets that Matt had as a kid at a yard sale and when I called to find out what to buy, he repeated again and again, “Buy them.” Susan’s ponies are carefully stored in boxes and I think Paul’s family owns every toy ever made. I have my Strawberry Shortcake dolls in a special box in my closet. They, having been rescued a few years ago from storage, require a little extra love. I pull them out now and then to comb their hair and sniff them.

I think our connection to our toys is sentimental and practical. Our childhood was a happy time. Our toys and games were a part of that. We saved our money to buy some of our toys so they represented our efforts and our self-control. They were gifts from grandparents and rewards for jobs well done. In effect, they are a record of our childhood.

The dollies pictured above are in Paige’s room. Every now and then I go in to see what she’s sewn for them. Their clothes are mostly handmade. It’s a whimsical escape for a girl who has a heavy school schedule.

 

 

Some art projects

This is Timothy’s painted tissue paper collage, “Ocean, Sand, Grass,” inspired by Eric Carle.

A long time ago I did a post about a Bayeaux Tapestry project. I realized I never followed up with the completed projects.

by Tim

Here is the next project which exceeded the time we set aside for it. I decided that Daniel can finish it if he wants to. The point was to gain an appreciation for the magnitude of the tapestry and learn the history and I think we achieved that.

 

Mark didn’t want to be left out. The boys were being allowed to stab fabric with sharp metal objects. This was what he had always wanted to do!

by Mark, age 4

 

Keeping them busy

The public schools are out today for teacher prep. I’m sorely tempted to take a teacher prep day, but that would mean the boys would have all day to fight instead of just the afternoon, so you know what that means: SCHOOL TIME!

I love those boys. They need action and excitement and outdoor play. Last week we found ourselves at the park…in the afternoon…and we didn’t get heat stroke! Hooray! There is hope for an autumn!

 

 

Wide Brimmed Hat

This is my new big hat. This is also what I look like when I am watching Cub Scouts scaling slippery rocks on the mountain.

This is Daniel and his friend. They’ve been friends for 6 years but it’s rare to get them together.

This is one of 600 photos Paige posed for because she’s so beautiful and well worth photographing.

This is Timothy on a hike with the Cub Scouts.

This is my Markie. He likes to snuggle anywhere.

This was our picnic and Richard who carried everything up and down the hill.

Next we’ll have some grits

I’ve been reading late into the night. I decided to give a contemporary literature another try. I read The Help (Am I the last one on earth to do this?) and it drew me in with its female friendships and I will admit, the gossip. However, I realized by page 100 that I was reading nothing new: married women are portrayed as fools; men of both races are incompetent; mother-daughter relationships are mainly confrontational; single women are ultimately more free and happy. (I’m not defending spouse abuse.) To me, this book felt very raw and emotionally manipulative.  This was supposedly a civil rights book, but it was nearly lost in its feminist propaganda. I’m more a fan of Phyllis Schlafly than Gloria Steinem. Please, I’m not accepting dissenting opinions on this. I know better than to open the Pandora’s box labeled, “Define and Defend your views on Feminism.”

I had a hard time finding “truth” in this book because the author demonized one race and idealized the other. I kept waiting for a functional white family. People aren’t so easily categorized and nowhere in this UNIVERSE do 24-year olds hold this much power in society. But her black characters were delightful. As a white chick, the lingo didn’t feel fake to me.

This book was highly influential in our menu planning this week. We had fried chicken… twice. I made potato salad and biscuits, too. Thank you.

Stunning picture

Thanks, Susan for sharing so many family photos with us. I really loved the ones of Violet and Joe. Looking at this picture makes me want to have my photograph taken more often in the hopes that somebody will remember me as young and not just an oldie.

When was the last time you had your photo taken with your sweetheart?

When was the last time you sat outside together like this?

Sigh. We’re due for some of that.

Siblings

 

Angie and Joe

The sibling wars are going strong here.  I think we’re in need of outdoor play. We live the equivalent of a snowed-in winter during the heat of summer. We’re not active enough. Some of us are grumpy because of illness and some of us are experiencing growing pains.

Despite the sibling wars, I am very grateful for the sibling factor in our lives. Mark has a brother to keep him company after I kiss him good night. The boys have someone with whom they can throw dirt clods in the backyard (desert entertainment), and built-in participants for dead man on the trampoline. Mark has a peaceful retreat in Paige’s room and Lego Hero Factory wars are more fun with a lot of robots.

I am grateful for my own siblings and the good memories of them inviting my Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake dolls to join their GI Joe games. I am grateful for echoes of little boy voices acting out David and Goliath, memories of a little brother in a coon skin cap singing Davey Crockett,  and images of little sisters strapped to the baby seat on the back of my bike so I could take them places.

Having siblings helped me to develop loyalty and a very deep love, despite the fighting that happens when little people live together.

Birding in Madera Canyon

Our friend Nina took us on another birding adventure to improve our skills. Timothy and Paige have studied birds recently in science, but each goes about it a different way. Paige enjoys sketching them. Timothy takes time to learn anatomy, range, behavior, and markings. He is distinguishing himself as quite a little birder.

He is good at finding and identifying birds. Wow.

We saw many hummingbirds as we sat on the porch of a small bed and breakfast in Madera Canyon.

We’re deep in contemplation and relaxation. We’re also feeling relief from the intense heat down in the valley.

Naughty but adorable squirrel.

I think this is a Lesser Goldfinch. I’ll have to ask Timothy.

House Finch.

Daniel took all of these pictures. He enjoys photography. Timothy and Mark carry binoculars; Paige carries her sketch book; Daniel carries the camera.

Mark found *another* walking stick for his collection. It was a good day!