seasoned

i reeled in mid-summer on the clothes line today...

as i opened the back door, i was startled by a peripheral bursting forth of wings and beaks and squawks; a family of robins, fledging their young.

the ones that got away hung close-by, watching the little leave-ling teetertotter atop my linens. it was scrubby and spotty, so i was unsure of its' ability to fly...

it fumbled on the line, so slowlyslowly i drew the line in toward the railing, creaking the young bird toward a less forbidding landing.

i pulled it so close that i could practically count the last few downy feathers on its' breast when whirrrrrrr it was off, with adolescent daring, fleeting over the very flagstones i had worried would finish the wee thing off.

splash

let them eat cake

i just found the most lovely little internet radio station...

nothing at all to do with the video, just a cozy background to my evening.

(spent kissing sleeping children, eschewing t.v., washing floors, handsewing a bunny doll, and noting this day...)

http://www.live365.com/stations/tothedeath

the cocteau twins, really?!!

bunny photos to follow, i'm sure.

do we have birds?

apologies, but you need to re-orient your head for this video.

the girl as a very down-to-earth blueblood.

a voice from a far room..."do we have birds?"

"hmmm?"

"do we have birds in our garden?"

"i suppose so"

"what do they eat?"

"seeds, bugs, worms..."

"do we have those things?"

"yes...oh, i get it...do we need a scarecrow?"

"we really do. and a scarecat"

we started with the scarecrow queen;

her cat intimidating minions will certainly require a separate project.

pooch

the first day of summer

another lost archive:

finally, the actual anniversary of esther's birth.
(after over a week of intermittent cakes, gatherings and presents, she woke this morning wondering how we would mark her birthday this day...)

we walked through the italian week festivities with kate and georgia. 

 esther won a kitty for herself playing balloon darts (what an arm!) then insisted on returning to win one for her brother.  win she did, his is the blue one.

rides, games, and carnies, the scent of cotton candy, hot asphalt and russian olive trees, and our small girl grows bigger and i cannot be more proud.  

neither can he.

four

we celebrated esther's fourth birthday with
facepainting, pizza, games and cake under a great oak tree in the arbouretum.
a day that had alternately promised to be either baking hot and sunny, or pouring rain, was neither/nor.
(although we did all eye the watercolour-grey clouds in consideration of a quick escape.)
thank you, friends, for venturing out into the unpredictable.

(incidentally, we recently learned that thomas was placed in the morning class, and and oliver in the afternoon class for junior kindergarten. likely for the best.)

and i stand amazed at how four little candles throw such light.
happy birthday, my girl.