Me and my shadows...

Like the wallpaper sticks to the wall
Like the seashore clings to the sea
Like you'll never get rid of your shadow
You'll never get rid of me

Let all the others fight and fuss
Whatever happens, we've got us.

 

I haven't been on my bike in quite some time, not for a real ride anyway.  Yeah, I go for an occassional ride through the neighborhood with the kids, but I haven't been on one of those long rides that make me feel like I've really accomplished something.

All three of my kiddos have taken their turn on the back of my bike.  The timing was quite perfect actually.  Just as one was getting too big for the seat on the back of my bike and onto their own pedal-powered ride, the next was ready to take their place.  My third, however, probably racked up the most mileage along the way.  She is the one with me in the photo above.  We were riding on a neighborhood trail around sunset when I snapped this shot.  

I have fond memories of riding with my shadows.  Many miles of songs that have been sung, ABCs that have been learned, trees and flowers that have been identified, animals that have been greeted, raindrops that have been felt.  All while pedaling away.

All three of my shadows are now too big for the back of my bike.  In fact, the bike seat is long gone with the last yard sale.  But even though they are not riding right behind me, I still remind myself that they are my shadows.  Good or bad, they are mirroring my movements.  I hope more good than bad.  It's difficult to tell sometimes as they get older, but tonight was reassuring.

My older daughter says, "I really love you, and I don't want anything this time!" 

My look tells her I'm not so sure. 

"No really," she says, "all my friends complain about their parents and I tell them all the time I really like my mine." 

Not bad for year thirteen - I'll take it!

Me and my shadow...
...Not a soul can bust this team in two
We stick together like glue

Google Gardener

I'm not sure of the attraction but I'm fascinated with photos of people's feet.  I really don't even like feet to be perfectly honest especially adult bare feet, kiddos are ok.  Of course all photos have a story to tell, but I think it's the mystery of only seeing the subject's feet that draws me in to the story of these shots.  The photo leaves the viewer guessing - what does the person look like?  is this person a man, woman, boy or girl?  I wonder what they are doing?  Sometimes those questions can be easily answered, other times not.  I won't leave you guessing on this one; here's the story behind this shot...

Almost seven years ago, my husband and I trekked our family across a couple of states for his new job.  It was a move that we were excited about and one that we thought was part of our family plan.  We left behind a nice home sitting on almost two acres.  Our new location greeted us with a townhome on .04 acres.  We told ourselves it was temporary and that we would love our new yard-maintenance free living.  Let's just say the honeymoon period didn't last long.  We missed our space.  I was never really much of gardener but now that I couldn't...  Well, we all know how that goes.

A little over two years ago, we moved from that townhome to a home with not just a yard, but a well manicured and thriving yard!  As I sit now in my sunroom with more windows than walls, I can see more types of trees and vegetation than I can count.  Recently, I have been moving some plants around and adding some different varieties here and there.  Most of my plant knowledge comes from Google with a dash of Southern Living thrown in for good measure.  I am in no way any kind of gardening guru but I am loving my yard!  Today was one of those days when the weeds were calling my name.  "Pull me, pull me," they were saying.  So I did.  In the process, I stopped to survey my work, looked up and saw my reflection in the glass storm door.  My mind instantly said, "What a perfect shot!  Garden feet!"  Camera came out, tripod went up and timer was set - click - Google Gardener.

The Three Trees

If you haven't read the traditional folktale The Tale of Three Trees, I highly recommend it.  It is especially appropriate for this time of year.  Folktales intrigue me not only for their age old stories but for the information that can be gleaned regarding their creators.  I am most amazed that these stories have survived since before the age of the written word.  Oral tradition it is called - seems like a lost art, but I really don't think it is.  We all have a little storyteller in us.

I think back to my grandmother who told me stories not from books but from her memory.  I absolutely loved it.  The most memorable was the now controversial, "Little Black Sambo." I'm often reminded of her telling me the story when I'm spreading yummy butter on a stack of pancakes!  I have shared the same story with my little one pictured above.  Sharing it with her and hearing her say, "Tell me another one!" put a smile on my face - oral tradition, passing stories from generation to generation by word of mouth.

This week I accomplished triple tree perfection in my yard.  My three favorite trees are the Cherry Blossom, the Dogwood, and the graceful Weeping Willow. When we moved into our forty year old house, the yard already had two of these wonderful trees.  This week, I added a tall, lanky, young Weeping Willow.  Of course, it doesn't compare to the one pictured above but maybe one day.  As I was digging the hole for my new tree, I thought about my three children and maybe one day sitting in the shade of a my much bigger and older Weeping Willow with my children's children.  I will tell them a story about their mom or their dad or maybe even Little Black Sambo.  Oral tradition... 

Spring; Sprang; has, have, or had Sprung

While sitting in a staff development session at work yesterday, I had a flashback of my high school English class with a sentence on the board (written in perfect cursive, of course) and the teacher saying, "Ok class, try diagramming this sentence."  While most of you may be breaking out into a cold sweat right now just thinking of having to diagram a sentence, I was not.  Man, I was on it!  I know - it's really weird that I loved diagramming sentences!  It's that whole letter and word thing that goes on in my head.  I'm also an incredibly visual person so pairing words and a visual together - diagramming sentences was the perfect puzzle for me.

This week in our yard, spring has most definitely sprung!  Temps are up, flowers are blooming, shorts were removed from the hanger, and most importantly, flip flops were dusted and donned!  The sunshine has been incredible this week; maybe made more incredible by the very wet winter we've had.  Regardless, I couldn't wait to use the ten spare minutes I had after picking up the kids from school and before heading to a sports practice to get my camera outdoors to play. 

I am blessed to have moved into a house a few years ago that was built 40 years ago, and it all came with a treasured yard that holds wonderful surprises that arrive each spring.  The daffodils are crazy this year.  Last fall we removed some prickly, ickly juniper and who would have known that it was hiding large clumps of daffodils!  Today, when I headed outside with my 50 mm, they were screaming, "Pick me, pick me!" 

You can see that I didn't resist; I sprang at the opportunity and I hope you enjoy the little taste of spring that has sprung from our little corner of the world.

Seussical Sweetness

Baking has always been fun for me.  Now that I have three kids, I realize just how fantastic my mom was to let me take out her big recipe book and choose something to bake.  Being that my sweet tooth probably comes from my dad, he was always ready to be the taste tester.  I'm sure some desserts were more delectable than others though; even so, my efforts were always praised.

Today is a special day in the elementary library land where I spend a large portion of my day - Dr. Suess' birthday.  I found the idea for the Thing 1 and Thing 2 cupcakes online (I'm rarely orginal) and couldn't resist making them to celebrate one of my all time favorite authors. Theodor Geisel, Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg... regardless of what he's called; his crazy rhythms and rhymes are so appealing to me. 

Of course, I had to get my camera out once the cupcakes were finished and try out my newest lens.  While I am fairly addicted to my zoom, I'm also learning to love my Canon 50mm.  It's low light and aperture advantages are helping it to quickly become a favorite as well.

Overall, a fun evening - baking in the kitchen (with my sweet little 8 year old helper), Seussical rhythms and rhymes, and snapping a few fun shots.

If your a Seuss fan as well - try your hand at the quiz below:

1.      What was Dr. Seuss's real name?

A.    Thomas Seuss

B.     Theo LeSieg

C.     Theodor Geisel

D.    Leonard Seuss

2.      Where was Dr. Seuss born?

A.    San Diego, California

B.     Springfield, Massachusetts

C.     Helena, Montana

D.    Sioux City, Iowa

3.      Dr. Seuss earned a degree at Dartmouth College and Oxford University.

A.    True

B.     False

4.      Which of these books was the first Dr. Seuss book published?

A.    The Cat in the Hat

B.     How the Grinch Stole Christmas

C.     Green Eggs and Ham

D.    And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

5.      Dr. Seuss was once challenged to write a book using only 50 words. What was the name of the book?

A.    Green Eggs and Ham

B.     Hop on Pop

C.     One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

D.    Horton Hatches the Egg

6.      Dr. Seuss was married twice.

A.    True

B.     False

7.      Which of these awards was not given to Dr. Seuss?

A.    Academy Award

B.     Emmy Award

C.     Pulitzer Prize

D.    Caldecott Medal

  
8.      How did Dr. Seuss serve his country during World War II?

A.    He made army training films.

B.     He wrote and illustrated army training manuals.

C.     He volunteered for the USO.

D.    He fought in North Africa and was wounded.

   9.      In what year did Dr. Seuss die?

A.    1989

B.     1991

C.     1995

D.    1998

10.  In 2000, "Publishers Weekly" compiled a list of the best-selling children's books of all time. Which Dr. Seuss book was in the top five?

A.    The Cat in the Hat

B.     Oh, the Places You'll Go!

C.     Green Eggs and Ham

D.    There's a Wocket in My Pocket!

11.  All of the following were pen names used by Dr. Seuss except

A.    Theo LeSieg

B.     Pete the Pessimist

C.     Teddy McG.

D.    Dr. Seuss

12.  Which of the following statements is NOT true about Dr. Seuss’ high school years?

A.    Latin was the only subject in which he made straight A’s.

B.     He withdrew from his art class after only one hour.

C.     He was the manager of the soccer team.

D.    He played the mandolin and helped organize the mandolin club.