Swimming & Knitting

Swimming and knitting. . . two challenging and fun activities that sum up our summer thus far. The children are participating on swim team for the first time, and I am knitting two socks on two circular needles at the same time for the first time. No, I'm not swimming and knitting at the same time! I'm grateful that all of us have coaches and friends who are helping us along the way in our gross motor and fine motor endeavors.

Swim update: Both children have participated in at least one swim meet and have started a collection of colorful ribbons. They are learning how to do the various strokes better and better every practice. They will have to teach me someday.

Sock update: We have turned the heels and picked up gussets on one side of both socks. Today, two more gusset sides, and we'll be ready for gusset decreases and toe shaping! Yeaa!

Nature Saturday

As we did last year, we spent yesterday looking for milkweed and tiny, white monarch butterfly eggs at Choctaw Trails in Clinton, Mississippi. The event was coordinated by the Clinton Community Nature Center as the beginning of their week long series of activities related to monarch butterfly education.

Searching for the eggs on milkweed was much more difficult this year because the milkweed was not yet as abundant (colder weather?) and there were fewer monarch eggs to be found and gathered. We were told by some of the naturalists on-site that the butterfly population is greatly reduced this year.

Several in our group also spent time searching for eggs on a plant that looked similar to milkweed but was not! We should have remembered the milky sap that oozes out when the plant is cut. We hunkered down close to the ground and tried to decide if tiny dots that we kept seeing were eggs. Alas, they were not! Some of these dots turned out to be aphids, some may have been pollen or small seeds, and still others may have been other insect eggs. Only when we were about to leave, disappointed and hungry, did we find some milkweed hiding close to our vehicles at the beginning of the trail.


Finally, I found one egg. In comparison, my family found about 20 eggs last year. We had so many that we gave them away to multiple classrooms in three schools and raised several ourselves with enough gathered milkweed for all. This year in our group of 5 families, I think we only found 5 or 6 eggs after almost two hours of hunting.

The egg is on lower left leaf.

After our egg hunt, we re-grouped for a picnic with friends, played outside, and ended our day by visiting the Nature Fest at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science where we learned about reptiles, bats, saw a colorful moth hiding near the ground, and raced a gopher tortoise. I also accepted a photography award in the museum's first annual Back to Nature Photography Contest for a photo taken last fall at the museum. The winning photo and a slide show of highlights from the rest of the day are below.

"Eye to Eye"
1st place in the "People and Nature" category

More Looking

Yesterday afternoon after our trip to LeFleur's Bluff, we had fun with binoculars closer to home in the front yard. Looking up into the trees against the gorgeous, blue sky, we spied a squirrel's nest. Two juvenile squirrels were wrestling on the branch outside of the nest until the parents started barking to warn them that we were all watching them. I brought out my mother's dusty binoculars.

If you look closely at the photo of the binoculars, you can see my reflection taking the photo. I like this image of lens to lens, so I may try to re-capture it in some better light and without the dust.

After the photo shoot, I settled in with some knitting on a blanket that was started last summer at the pool. The colors will go well with the little white and purple flowers starting to spring up in stretches of grass.

Looking

We were looking for birds, but we found other interesting things along the way like this textured tree bark, spring flowers, fossilized shells, and turtles sunning on logs. The binoculars came in handy for the turtles and for a robin high up in the trees. I wish I had brought a magnifying glass or a loupe to examine the tree bark and the flowers more closely. As it was, I only had the lens of my camera.

Snow in the Morning

Such a rare event in south/central Mississippi-- more than just a dusting of snow! Actual accumulation! Snow the right consistency with which to make a snowball or a snow sculpture! Yes, I'm in the mood for exclamatory phrases! More photos to follow mid-day and evening. A photo is worth a thousand (or more) snowflakes. . .

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday. . .

we made a short trip up The Natchez Trace to visit Cypress Swamp Trail. It was an antidote to the new electronic gadgets that are in our lives since Christmas and to the next few days of rain we are expecting. Since the Wii, I have found myself consciously arranging time outdoors-- a family walk at the nearby city fitness trail, a freezing trip to the zoo, and this little trek to see the cypress trees. This trail was very nice and had thoughtful markers along the way to help the walker notice, ponder, and listen. One of the markers asked hikers to consider what noise a monarch butterfly might make if we could hear it speak.

Today. . .

we are celebrating a certain girl's birthday-- 10 years old! It seems like it was just yesterday that we woke up at 4:00 am to make the drive to a Memphis hospital from Tunica, MS. I was scheduled to be induced at 6:00 am, and she arrived at 10:40 am. I am so proud of the person she is and is becoming. Age 10 seems like a milestone-- or like a marker along a trail.

Below, Rowan has been mystified by the birthday bouquet since they appeared on the table last night-- a special gift from the birthday girl's daddy. First thing this morning, I made the collaged card from photos throughout the last 10 years to put in front of the flowers. We had homemade waffles for breakfast, are having a friend over to play this afternoon, and will have yellow cake with chocolate frosting tonight.

Yesterday we only needed one candle. Today we need 10!

Round Again

State Fair Fun

Weekend : 4

from a break in the rain on Sunday afternoon
and a bike ride to the park. . .

from the Blessing of the Animals downtown. . .
the priests were not the only ones offering blessings

Weekend : 3

From yesterday's festival around the grounds and activities with the children while the band played. . . good prep for the state fair coming up next week. . . and much less expensive!

Weekend : 2

A Riddle:

What has 4 priests (4 very different guys, 4 dads, 4 husbands, 4 musicians) who practice most Thursdays and eat Chinese food for lunch (every Thursday they can get away with it) . . .

. . . and who played on a sunny, Saturday in October in Mississippi "in the country?"

Answer:

Rubrixx!

I'm so proud of my husband and 3 other guys for doing something fun together, making some music, and giving me a reason to dance (on occasion)!