beautiful night for a campfire

Last night I had the pleasure of leading a campfire program for all of the preschool families at our school. The temperature finally broke - it was a mild fifty-ish degree day and it sure felt like a Spring reprieve.

I wish I could say I had planned the warm weather and the full moon. As the families arrived, the sun was going down. The sunsets are SO BEAUTIFUL at the nature center. I know I'm partial, but wow. The backdrop for the campfire was perfect.

What was even better was the smell of the campfire after months of being cooped up inside. Yes, there was smoke in my eyes, but the scent of it on my clothes was like summertime.

The children were mesmerized by the crackles and pops of the flames. One child said "it looks like fireflies!". I felt like a child, too, stoking the fire and breathing life into it from beneath. You'd be proud of my hybrid log cabin tee-pee fire. It started easily with minimal "cheating" using newspaper to get going. One dad said "looks like somebody earned a Girl Scout badge along the way". Yeah, it took a little more practice than that...but he's right. There was a Girl Scout badge.

For many of our students, this was their very first time ever gathering around a campfire. What an amazing impression to leave them. Can you remember your first campfire?

I love the community of families at our preschool and I feel grateful to share these kinds of wholesome experiences with the kids. I look forward to the days of building fires with my own son.

too cute Tuesday

That's what I'm deeming today. Basically I just need a reason to share another adorable photo of E. Boy, he is such a happy, cute kid. He got shots today at the doctor's (daddy reports that, indeed, he was NOT happy about that) but still in a great mood by the time he came home.

He's a big boy you know...he's walking all over the place! It's hilarious! One friend aptly calls this "the drunken monkey stage". You know, stumbling and waddling, grasping for balance, falling in slow motion. He's so proud of himself now that he can walk - so maybe that's what all the smiling is about. Who could blame him?

environmental education conference - a change of pace

I'm not exactly feeling myself. I don't want to talk about my poor kitty anymore, but I'm still feeling sick about the loss.

No sooner did I have to put the cat down, then the very next day I had to go to a work conference, overnight. My first night away from E. I was so upset about the cat that I didn't have time to dwell on how hard it might be to leave E. The conference provided a distraction, that's for sure.

This work conference was the much anticipated annual MAEOE (Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education) conference in College Park, MD. Translation: giant convention of nature-loving geeks!

I mean no disrespect, I obviously count myself among the nerds. The goal of the conference is to educate and energize professionals in the field. Mission accomplished! To give you a sampling of my sessions:

-how to make an oyster reef ball (check out what they did when Memorial Stadium in Baltimore came down)
-natural history of bees (colonial versus solitary, it was the bee's knees :)
-how to use National Geographic's FieldScope with GPS to mark points, monitor watershed data, etc.
-natural history of frogs and how to participate in FrogWatch monitoring
-all about Maryland's DNR curriculum for finned fish
-how to use and create a Green Map
-a look at the Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence compiled by NAAEE (North American Association for Environmental Education) - this was a glorious validation for our curriculum at The Nature Preschool at Irvine, and research-based at that.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend, you won't regret it. Even if your sessions turn out to be lack-luster or not as informative as you'd hoped, the networking opportunities are worth the while. If you are not in Maryland, I'm sure your state has something similar (try the NAAEE site above).

sweet Dre's story



Notice Dre squished on the left, unwilling to give up his spot!

I've been caring for Dre for my entire adult life. Dre (named after Doctor Dre, the rapper) found me the way so many strays seem to find their rightful owners. I made the difficult decision to have him put down today, so I'd like to share his story with you.

When I came home from England after a 6-month study abroad during college, I found that my dear friends had taken him in as a coming home gift - complete with his well-suited name. He was wandering around the neighborhood, apparently left behind by some college guys that moved out. He was an unexpected but welcome gift. I loved him right away.

Dre and Cha-Chi, the brothers

He was a beautiful, long-haired "Maine Coon" cat, so beautiful that people would instinctively call him a "her". His silky charcoal gray fur and light, lime-colored eyes were striking. My husband and I always wanted to stroke his softest belly fur, but that was forbidden. After all, he had his reputation to keep up.

He always had some fight in him. Plenty of feisty spirit. I loved that about him. He had been abandoned but his spirit was never broken. He was so glad to be alive. Even during the most recent blizzard, he would race out the front door to smell the snow, feel it on his paws, and let it melt into his fur.

During the warm months he would join me in the garden. He would stretch out on the walk, roll around in the dirt, and quietly stalk the birds. And the pesky grass eating, well, that was a-given.

I grew to love and respect him that much more when, in his old age, our son was born. And still, Dre was tolerant and patient. E would shake the rocker as hard as he could just to get a rise from Dre (while Dre was trying to sleep). There were wet kisses on Dre's furry belly and fluffy tail grabs, but Dre kept his cool. Since our other cat doesn't let E get near him, Dre was E's first little friend. I doubt E will remember him, but I'm glad we have photographs.

Maybe the saddest part of his passing is that Dre knew so much about me. Dre lived through my party years, the single years, the traveling years, the broke years, the years with a dog, the years with another cat, the years with the live-in boyfriend turned husband, numerous moves, and the arrival of our baby boy. He could always just roll with life.

He knew me. He witnessed many highs and lows in my life. And he loved me unconditionally. Pets are amazing like that. They forgive us and love us no matter what. I guess I should take that profound lesson for all that it's worth.

So, if there's a kitty heaven, or a heaven at all, Dre is having blast. I'm sure he's prancing in fresh snowfall and chasing the heavenly birds. We will miss you, Dre. You were (and still) are loved. 

baby talk?

No words for the angry fists shaking...

It seems as if "eh eh" is a stand in for all kinds of two word phrases! Here, I'll translate for you:

All done (at the end of each meal, along with his hand waving, baby-signing arm motion) = "eh eh"

Bless you! (following sneezes, of course) = "eh eh"

Uh-oh...(like when he intentionally chucks his spoon on the floor) = "eh eh"

Love you! (when mommy shamelessly tries to get him to say it back to her) = "eh eh"

The End (as in, after each book we read) = "eh eh"

"esssssss" means many things, too:

Star = "esssssss"
Snow = "essssss"
Yes = "esssss"

But there are other, fancier words of noteworthy praise, such as:

Home = "OOOOHhhhhhh" (intonation counts for a lot when he squeals this happily from the back seat)
Fish = "ish" (first word, actually, next to da-da)
Flutter, flutter = "fa fa fa" (in a whisper, he repeats this when referencing butterflies)
Milk = "meh" (I am so thankful for that baby sign language...)
More = "meh" (see the difference from the one above?)
Sizzle, sizzle = "sa-sa sa-sa" (like when I'm frying his tofu)

And of course, drum roll please, DAD means dad, and MOM means mom. Got it?

This kid knows what he's talkin' about!

man of mystery

He's not giving away any of his secrets...

Okay, so he's not a man. More like a wiggly, squishy larva. Like a tadpole. A tadpole that giggles, babbles, and can't swim or jump. And boy is he mysterious.

The latest mystery is why he has been sleeping like a hibernating bear all week. For five days he's napped for five hours a day on average. FIVE! (And yes, he sleeps through the night from 8:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) Now, I'm not complaining mind you. But it's strange! It's too soon for me to be seriously worried, but still, a mystery nonetheless.

My husband and I have brainstormed all manner of explanations for the gracious gift of naps he has bestowed upon us this week. On-coming virus. Teething. Growth spurt. What else could it be?

I'm going to enjoy the free time while our cub snoozes. Perhaps our mystery will be solved next week?

date night!

Nothin' like stepping out for date night! Even though I know him like the back of my hand, I always learn just a little more about him during our special nights out. Date nights are too few for us, so we cherish them. They are sacred.

I'm not even sure where we'll go, but I know I'll get dressed up and smell pretty (two things that rarely happen these days). I will get lost in the notion that we are still trying to win each other over like we did when we first started dating. And he will humor me like he always has.

Hooray for date night!