There's something very special about one-on-one times, isn't there? Well, it felt like one-on-one with this smiley girl and her Mom. Even though there were two of them and two of us.
I am guessing IF I could look inside this smiley girl's head, I'd see a list. Title of list? "Things I NEED to Do at Grandma & Grandpa's Place". It looks like she is assessing which of the things on her list she is going to spring on us first.
Apparently, she has been thinking about how to make efficiencies in our fire-starting routines. Wrapping kindling in newspaper was insisted on and tested. She is building her fire-starting skills and only once touched the hot door. Probably won't do that again.
Lindsey brought some Ampersand Aquabord panels to experiment with. They are made of a hard board that is coated with clay. Watercolour paints can then be painted on the board and you won't need a frame. We all learned from each other as we figured out what we could and could not do with this new medium. Somewhere along the way, Charlotte switched to painting on birch bark too.
Grandpa was prepared for this little inventor's visit. He was one step ahead of her and had the plans for making two marshmallow catapults. Friday was construction day and Saturday morning was tweaking time. Marshmallows needed to be measured .......
..... and some fine tuning was done. Charlotte is getting comfortable using the drill press and the band saw now. She usually wears protective eyewear. Oops!
Looking good.
The catapult wasn't flinging the marshmallows far and fast enough, so some adjustments were made to the elastics.
And, it works!
And, two of them work in unison.
I couldn't bring myself to take the colour out of our Ampersand Aquabord results. It is a very interesting and addictive medium. If you look at Lindsey's (middle), the white lines around the bird/branch have been lifted out back to the board with a very stiff, thin brush. Something that would not be as successful with even the best watercolour paper.
Nature was calling us. Or, Charlotte's list was calling us.
Sylvan Glen is a place I could visit every day if I lived closer.
When with Grandpa, you discuss bridges.
This morning, we got 8 kinds of wildflower seeds ready for stratification. Planting trays were filled with potting soil, labels were printed, seed packages were opened and seeds were planted.
I am so happy with the seeds we got from Bee Kissed Seeds. There were plenty of seeds in each hand-made packet. And, when the seeds were tiny, they had been folded into this teeny-tiny envelope with a helpful hand-printed note.
Charlotte filled the watering can and gave them a good drink and we put them under the blueberry shelter so they will experience winter and stratification.
Charlotte had cut the wooden sticks on the bandsaw. Some got a little short, so short forms were used. We planted Great Blue Lobelia (bonus seed), New York Ironweed, Fragrant Hyssop, Obedient Plant, Grey Headed Coneflower, and Red and Butterfly Milkweeds. We had some extra pods available and all the remaining Milkweed seeds were mixed - someone had to be creative - and spread there. Oh boy! Won't spring be fun!!!???
Time was kind to us this weekend and it seemed to go on forever. An art gallery was visited, waffles were made, hide & seek was played (even with Grandpa), two sappy Hallmark movies were watched, and tadpoles were scooped up and petted next to the pond.
I don't usually like having my picture taken, but someday I hope that this little girl will look back in my blog and know how much she was loved.
“Your children are not your children.
They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit,
not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness.
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He also loves the bow that is stable.”
Kahlil Gibran
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