As If the World Mattered

Today the doorbell rang and the box the mailman handed to me was heavier than I expected. It was:   I hope it will get my creative juices flowing again, for this blog, among other places. I certainly am fully convinced that any art I make or text I write needs to be made and written …

Some Music

(I realize I am soon becoming the Queen of Grief, but you can always read the “Molting Chicken” entry after this one and restore some balance.) Last Sunday Amie played in her Orchestra concert. This concert featured four Rivers Youth Orchestras, from Preparatory (that Amie is in) to Symphony. It’s absolutely riveting to follow the …

Amie (6) Talks about Divine Punishment

The other night Amie didn’t want me to turn off the light in her room. She usually has no problem falling asleep without it, so I asked why. – Because I don’t feel secure. She used that word, “secure.” I asked what makes her feel insecure. – The evil spirits. – Evil spirits? – Yes, …

A Five-Year-Old’s Physics, Biology, Meteorology, Etc.

Amie drew her family for school (DH, Mama, Amie) ~ A: Water isn’t heavy. It’s just air that’s blue and wet. ~ I found her hiding behind a tiny notebook.  I asked her if hiding her face makes her entirely invisible. Incredibly, she did seem to believe this. Then she thought about it for a …

Amie Talks about Death Again

In the evening Amie watched March of the Penguins. We had shown it to her about half a year ago but she wasn’t interested then. This time she was, going “oh so cute!” and so forth, but really paying attention when the little chick dies of exposure and the mother mourns over it. – what …

Fun on the Farm

Spring is here! The first Robin arrived two days ago, along with a bunch of House Finches, and (I believe) one Pine Siskin (must be part of a flock). The neighborhood is full of bird song: it’s so good to hear! Our garden is home to many  new generations of squirrels but I haven’t seen …

You Grew Up, Rabbit, That’s Why

Amie and Pooh Bear It was our co-houser’s birthday so Amie and I baked some cookies and sang Happy Birthday while he blew out a candle. Then we sat down to eat, and we each had a glass of milk. Amie repeated that she had made the cookies for him and Rabbit (Amie picked the …