After ecstasy, the laundry

After ecstasy, the laundry. A Zen saying.
Today was both heavenly and mundane. (And my sister's birthday! Happy Birthday Emily!) The sunshine, watered down as it was, was great, we'll take it, we'll take it. We spent most of the day outdoors, much of it in the sandbox, where I acquiesced and let Evelyn sit in it. After a couple tastes of sand she decided it wasn't all that great to eat, but really fun to play in! This was a neat milestone, watching Finley and Evelyn actually play together in the sand, content and busy with the cherry and apple trees in bloom. Other than shoes and clothes full of sand, it wasn't a bad medium to keep them entertained for so long. It was a relaxed day even though I'd hoped to get a lot done around the house. What was I thinking? Finley decided to stay in his pajamas until about 1:00 p.m. It was pleasant not needing to go anywhere but into a world of play and imagination, even if it did end with a few piles of laundry...





My brother is so cool...



Who knew sand was so fun?

Velocity

Another poem that speaks to me from Billy Collins.

Velocity

In the club car that morning I had my notebook
open on my lap and my pen uncapped,
looking every inch the writer
right down to the little writer's frown on my face,

but there was nothing to write about
except life and death
and the low warning sound of the train whistle.

I did not want to write about the scenery
that was flashing past, cows spread over a pasture,
hay rolled up meticulously--
things you see once and will never see again.

But I kept my pen moving by drawing
over and over again
the face of a motorcyclist in profile--

for no reason I can think of--
a biker with sunglasses and a weak chin,
leaning forward, helmetless,
his long hair trailing behind him in the wind.

I also drew many lines to indicate speed,
to show the air becoming visible
as it broke over the biker's face

the way it was breaking over the face
of the locomotive that was pulling me
toward Omaha and whatever lay beyond Omaha
for me and all the other stops to make

before the time would arrive to stop for good.
We must always look at things
from the point of view of eternity,

the college theologians used to insist,
from which, I imagine, we would all
appear to have speed lines trailing behind us
as we rush along the road of the world,

as we rush down the long tunnel of time--
the biker, of course, drunk on the wind,
but also the man reading by the fire,

speed lines coming off his shoulders and his book,
and the woman standing at the beach
studying the curve of horizon,
even the child asleep on a summer night,

speed lines flying from the posters of her bed,
from the white tips of the pillowcases,
and from the edges of her perfectly motionless body.





Some pictures of Finley and Evelyn from this past week. Some at home. Some of Finley at the Des Moines Marina Park this last week on a field trip. Fun times on the tide flats and also riding tricycles at his pre-school.



Evelyn rummaging through the kitchen drawers. Ah, the never ending chaos she leaves behind.

Cirque du So-Not-Such-A-Good-Idea

Evelyn, ready for the circus!


Monkey boy, Finley, found a great pine tree to climb in Bruce and Janet's yard before the show.

A comedy of errors? A tragedy? A mystery? Why do parents do these things to their children? Long story short: After agonizing over whether to leave the kids with a sitter or take them with us I decided to take Finley and Evelyn to Cirque du Soleil, Corteo, in Redmond last Sunday. How do they say it? "You have chosen poorly."

Finley was terrified, as in ever-tried-to-give-a-cat-a-bath, and so he and Evelyn and I saw a total of 5 minutes of the show, most of that the pre-show. The big tents and the crowds. Going from a bright sunny day outside into relative pitch blackness in the tents then all the weird faces and costumes. What was I thinking? I guess I thought that Finley loves gymnastics so much he would be amazed at all the physical theatrics but it was just too overwhelming. Evelyn was in the front pack and was okay, but probably would have started fussing some time in the performance and the seats are just not set up for easy exits or entrances. We spent the whole time walking around, taking a few peaks in every now and then. We could hear the music which was absolutely beautiful. I'll go back with Todd when we have made arrangements for babysitting. It looked like an incredible production. I must say the staff were absolutely marvelous. They were so patient and encouraging and kind. They let us stand at the top of the stairs and even offered to move our whole party to the handicap accessible seating because there was more room for us to stand if needed.

I found it interesting observing the circus culture and camaraderie of the staff. They were all obviously enthralled and excited to be part of the show in their own way, albeit in the wings, so to speak. Many of them looked as though they were circus performer wannabees. And who wouldn't? The performers not only have fabulous bodies, thin like dancers but strong and fearless like gymnasts. Very inspiring despite having to cope with my poor traumatized Finley. This experience just had "therapy" written all over it!

On the other hand, we had a wonderful meal prepared by our dear friends, Bruce and Janet, and we got to visit with friends at their place and enjoy the good weather outside on their new deck. And they have a new adorable puppy, Belle! At least that part of the day was a success. Hmmm. Live and learn...

Bruce, Master of the Grill!



Janet with the new baby, Belle. A charming fluffy black Pomeranian, Chihuahua, Pekingese mix.



Katie, and her mom Beth, prepared the most wonderful veggies to be roasted on the grill with all the salmon, steaks, chicken and pork chops. What a meal!


Auntie Erica with Evelyn in Bruce and Janet's backyard, enjoying the sunshine.

Bruce, Sam and Katie hanging out after the great barbecue before the show.

Fun Evening With Family

Here are a few pictures from our visit with Aunt Jean and Aunt Ann. They brought pizza, salad and dessert (ice cream cake for Grandma Cleo's birthday on May 6!) to our house so we wouldn't have to take the kids out to eat or even worry about making something at home. So nice! Alex came over too, which was great. We hadn't seen him in such a long time so it was nice to catch up. Finley had fun playing ball and throwing airplanes with Aunt Jean and Aunt Ann and Erica helped with Evelyn. Thanks for such a wonderful time everyone!