Dancing in the Airport

Dancing in the airport while waiting for a plane.  

Value

The sunlight was just so beautiful today.  

 

Annual Rite Of Passage

 

R I P

Rest in peace little Tenzi

February 19, 2015 - March 26, 2015

36 days of love

 

Tenzi died today.   The boys accidentally left the lid off the cage last night and he either climbed out or was abducted by our cat.   Either way, the boys woke up and found that he was missing.   Crying and sobbing this morning as they unknowingly walked back and forth between our room and theirs (each time passing his little lifeless body and not noticing him) delivering the news and worrying about his whereabouts.  Anna scooped Tenzi up and we hid him until later tonight when we gave them the bad news; after school, after their Minecraft party. 

 

Tonight they cried all over again, but settled easily understanding that our cat is just a predator and couldn't help himself.   Tenzi is in the freezer now, waiting for the Spring to really come before can dig a hole and have the funeral.   The boys are already planning his replacement.  Another gerbil named Twenzi. 

A K-T

 

Anders grandfather, or Swedishly known as Morfar, made a sterling belt buckle for Anders for his birthday.  His father, an amateur silversmith, had done the same thing for his grandsons- Claes and Peter.  He made a silver bracelet for Anna.  Uncle Claes still wears his buckle  every day.  It is a beautiful buckle with his initials.  So, as Anders was about to turn ten, Bjorn set to work.  He is a novice jeweler, but a brilliant and capable man, so of course this was no problem for him at all.  He called a few times to consult with me about the silver gauge needed, or the kind of flux or solder needed, but still 100% of the work was his.  We got the shipment about 2 days before Anders birthday and hid it until that morning.   Upon waking, Anders was given the heartfelt, handmade gift.   It is stunning.   How lucky he is to have a grandfather who is sentimental, super duper skilled and of course generous and kind.   I hope Anders cherishes his buckle just like his uncles do theirs.  

 

In the Spotlight

It was a big week for Anders.   Two opportunities to show off the fruits of his labors.  One was a district orchestra performance, featuring strings players from grades 4 through 12. Of course the complexity of the pieces increased with the grade levels, starting with Hot Cross Buns, Twinkle, Twinkle  and ending with Rhapsody on a Theme.   Grades 6 through 12 all wore the customary black and white, while the 4th and 5th graders wore their finest - whatever that was.  Anders looked smashing in his black jeans, denim shirt, and brown leather belt with his brand new silver buckle hand made by his Morfar.   This wasn't visible to anyone else though, because no one could see him!  Two hundred kids were smashed up on the stage and he was hidden, tucked back in a corner behind a crowd of shorter students.  I barely saw the top of his blonde head.  I don't think not being seen bothered him at all.   It was me that had to wrestle with my disappointment about his placement on the stage.     

The second event was the school Variety Show.   Anyone could get up and perform and about forty students were brave enough to do so.  I've written about this before - Anders is not someone who likes to get up in front of large crowds -  yet as someone who knows him best, I also know that he can blossom when he is "seen."  A bit of a dilemma for a young child.  This year he created a film with his friend, Zoe.  It was titled The Animorpher.   They wrote the script together for a different earlier project and used it to create a video for the talent show.   It took hours to film, and even more to edit - but it was brilliantly funny and was a smart way to get up in front of a large audience without having to get up in front of a large audience.   I like that sort of problem solving!

I know the most important element of these public events is the internal experience Anders has.  How did he feel about them?  That's the key ingredient.  He told me he was slightly nervous, proud, and in his own words, "I liked it."

I liked it too.   And if you click below you can see his first film. 

 The Animorpher

Black and White and Red All Over

I took the kids out sledding today; it was cold and snowy and the hills were steep. Twelve or more inches of white powder covered the slopes and our faces as we slid down.   The wind was strong and the snow was blowing, yet the sledding was the best of the season. The hills just begged for more.  On the way home I managed to talk the kids into stopping for a group photo.  I had all eyes searching the countryside for the perfect barn.   Requirements:  safe stopping, no no-trespassing signs, and of course a beautiful structure.  We easily found one and the color red  jumped off the old siding into the air and shouted right along with my spirited group.  

Walking on Water

 

Lake Champlain is frozen solid - iced over from Vermont to New York.  The low temperatures and the icy winds conspired to create a solid surface again, the second year in a row.   Yesterday we ventured out - all four of us cautiously testing the icy surface for any sign of give.  The patterns in the ice were full of aesthetic, marbleized, and graphic patterns in tones of black and white.  We swiftly realized the ice was thick, really thick, and had no intention of giving way any time soon.  Our fear thawed and we began to breathe easily and take in the splendor.  Stunning smooth crystal black ice revealed an entirely different world; mussels, rocks, and rippled sand hills stared back at us from the water below.  We could not get enough of this.  We stayed for  hours, looking, walking, searching, photographing, and building small sculptures in homage to the arctic surface.