The day begins with a clear table. By 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, the top is completely covered with the bits and pieces of homeschooling life. Cleaning it up again before dinner can be a daunting task. But taking a photo of it first seems to help.
I fell in love with the old, neglected greenhouse at the Ruby Ellen Farm during our homeschool field trip last week. I’ve been thinking about it ever since and imagining what it would look like if someone had the time and energy to bring this treasure back to life.
This baby boy —
he is so active.
All day long
he moves.
Even when it’s nap time
or bed time,
he thrashes around
and bends and twists —
not wanting to give in
to stillness
and rest.
This papa —
he is so good at
being quiet
and focused
and still.
But
this papa + this boy
= love.
When I watch them
together
I see how
somehow
they are just right
for one another.
It was a perfect way to begin our autumn: a morning walk with dear friends up the chestnut trail.
Autumn officially begins tomorrow. And today I felt the season shifting. There was a change in the air. The sound of the birds. The scent of the evening garden.
Ellen wore her baby zucchini in the ergo on our morning walk. “My baby was born without legs or arms,” she informed me. “And it was a little green. But other than that, it is perfectly healthy!”
Maybe Uncle Chris can help us identify these mystery mushrooms?
One of my favorite parts of our homeschooling mornings is walking together. It’s such a simple thing. Walking outside calms Wallace; it grounds me in the day; and centers me with the girls. We take the same route most days and every morning we notice different details along the way: plants and creatures, mushrooms and moss, flowers and seed heads.
Walking in wild places is the simplest, clearest way for me to remember what is most essential.
