Pulling weeds and picking stones

I have been working on the lawn a bit this week.

Dash Hawk calls this the jungle.
This is outside the kitchen window.
Sunflowers here are a tradition. Many years ago they self planted and I had several of them for my birthday that year (much to my delight). There is a bird feeder in there that is hard to see.
This morning he and I had a nice intimate time together watering the garden and speaking of terms. Like stalk and pollen. He has so many wonderful questions. He was amazed by the huge leaves on the sunflowers. We have a lovely gray sage out there that planted itself as well. I told him how the birds eat the seeds and then poop them out and then a flower grows...
he said.." you mean there is life in POOP?!...
Smiling I said..."yes there is even life in poop."

Now this is just a happy face!
I showed Dash how the pollinated flower creates seeds.
I love how the bird seed has planted itself into a sustainable resource for those days when I don't get the feeder filled. I always have birds at my kitchen window.

The tall grasses (millet I think) are planted by the falling seed.
If you look closely you can see the feeders.

This (orchid ?) tree is also self planted a gift from the parent tree next door. It is so beautiful this time of year.

Emerging Beauty.
Just like all of us.
We emerge into the shining face of reflected light.
I love how sunflowers follow the sun. This is such a wonderful lesson in our lives.
Rise and shine.

The big tree made it. Thank you for all your prayers.
It has finished it's pollination and now is greening up nicely.

I had a full day yesterday.
I found a box at the door when I got home and look what was inside.
My heart lept! You know how excited you can be over a true joy and pleasure. I love beading! I have been fascinated by Beading Grams dolls and the faces. I have wondered how to do these. That cabochon book is hard bound! It is so beautiful!
Peyote stitch is such an art form. This is a very detailed instructive book! Thank you Dear MILove and FILove for the thoughtful birthday gift.

I left to go to Bible study and dropped off a necklace to that neighbor who gave me the lemons. I passed it to her husband who said " oh this is beautiful" It felt good to see even the guy liked it.
I went to bible study at the little neighborhood baptist church yesterday with a dear friend. I met Debbie there. It was a pleasure. They were on the last unit of the Beth Moore study on the Patriarchs. It was so perfect to edify this place I am in. I have been pretty stressed out afraid of "doing *it* wrong. *IT* being life. Selling a house in this market is all but crazy in the eyes of most. Even my own eyes are pondering it. To do what you know is right in the face of all question and doubt can leave you wondering if it is really the "right " thing to do.
I felt that it was on me to do it just right too. I feel a lot of relief and am trusting more and resting in him better.
I have now met 4 of the women who live in the cul-da-sac that I am interested into moving into. The street is just to the west of the elementary. The house is a foreclosure. It is in need of a lot of attention. Beloved is not terribly fond of it. I am so drawn to it on many levels. It is a street where all of the people are Christians, most going to the little church behind it. Man we could put a gate in the back wall and just walk through he back yard to church!
My children even have the children who might be neighbors in classes. These are great kids with good manners and ethics. Many are also (of all things) either adopted or in foster care. I have been dreaming of moving in. Nesting as it were. I will be selling my hutch and most likely my master bedroom suite. Not the big bed but the vanity and all the dressers. It is too small to fit all of the furnishings. My flesh is at battle a little but I saw Myself selling the hutch. I made a Creigs List add. It is so amazing to consider this simple life.
I look so forward to the buyer coming here. We so hope that they give us a good price and that we can get into the other place cheep for it will need a lot of work. I can see myself growing old there. Doing new gates and planting flowers.
There are benches under the children's widows...can you just imagine them sitting there talking to their friends. I can keep an eye on them too from inside:)

I went to Dash's poetry recital and he did great. He only did half of it because of bing ill he had not memorized the whole thing.

Hairballs!
In the morning jumps my Lab!
Ready to gobble his kibbles.
Chocolate fur trails behind Him.

Hairballs!...Like leaves in fall.
Scattered mounds of brown.
Happy am I , He comes when I call.
We play with such abandon. (he got this far)

He is three times seven,
thats in dog years.
If he keeps this up
He'll be a bald pup.

I'm glad to have him
So thats the end.
Willy Wonka bar Jonas
My hairball friend.

by my Mom

He asked me to write him a poem and that is what I came up with .
After the poetry
I went over to Little Doves class instead of coming home. The teacher asked if I could help a student with a report on a tri-fold he was the only child who had not yet finished. This sweet kid had dyslexia. I do as well so I taught him a few tricks about making a window of paper to copy the words with so his eye did not wander. Then I taught him to identify only the important words out of the sentence and paragraph. He copied them down with greater ease with these and a few other tips. He finished it! So before school was out he was caught up. He was very appreciative as was the teacher who was able to finish the novel reading with the rest of the class. The other children went onto there music lesson and the boy I helped was able to go join them. It really warmed my heart.
My kids met me at the house shortly after.

I pulled weeds while having some intimate time with Dash outside. We sat on the swing and talked of little boy things. He has so many questions. I want to do a better job of setting aside my interests and going to just be with him there to be available to answer some of his many wonders. This child is always questioning. He helped me weed the lawn some , we spoke of "stupid" verses "wisdom" and he gave me several examples of both. Stupid being ...knowing what is right and doing the wrong thing anyway... Wisdom he said is when someone tells you do do the wrong thing don't let them trick you into it, do the right thing instead.... Oh how I hope he holds onto that all his days! Then Dove joined us.
Dove and Dash played with abandon. They were having a great time. She was pretending to be a crook and a bad guy smoking a celery stick. Dash refused to play in her ploy. Reciting our talk to her. He clarified "i am not really a crook but just to pretend...
The weather was so beautiful and the lawn looks so...much better.
Beloved came home and made hot dogs while I finished the lawn.
Well I better set to task around here.

The children have been riding the school bus this week and so I have had an extra hour a day to task.
The task...sleeping mostly trying to catch up on my rest.
We are all doing well now just a little residual coughing at night.

Oh!
For any of you who might want the recipe for Crabby Patties
(Sponge Bob) The kids wrote it down for me so I could make them just right. :)


bun
padey
Ketchup (they used the bottle as a reference to spell it)
musterd
Pickels
onyens
ledes (lettus)
cheees
tamadow
and bun

IN THAT ORDER