Day abbreviated

It's a Monday, following a long, though enjoyable, weekend. We got less sleep than usual on Friday night. We got less sleep than usual on Saturday night. We went to bed a little later we should have on Sunday night. There were moments today when one or both of us (probably all of us) were looking a little glassy eyed. Days like today deserve to be abbreviated. Days like today, when they happen in winter, deserve hot chocolate, snuggly blankets, good books, nap time. We did all of the above. We also did the laundry, built with Legos, spent 20 minutes locked in a dark closet with an array of flashlights, practiced drawing trees, explored water colors, and started our own illustrated version of Robert Frost's A Prayer in Spring (wishful thinking).

A Prayer in Spring
by Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.

Ann Arbor Model Train Show

After all these (four) years Calvin's most beloved obsession, aside from his blanket, is still trains. I remember saying to Jon three years ago that I thought we should go light on our train selections because we just didn't know when the enthusiasm might wane. I suppose that's still true, but there is no sign of it ebbing just yet. Even though we went to bed late last night and had already enjoyed a fun filled weekend, we got up relatively early today, had breakfast, and made our way to Saline for our second annual trip to the Ann Arbor Model Train Show. We had our engineer in tow.

They liked our engineer so much, and he asked such good questions, that they let us step behind the table and they opened the trap door for him.

They even had a Lego train display.

Calvin-cam. He didn't ask for one, but I'm pretty sure he would really like a signal light for his bedroom. I wonder if there's a way I can make one...

The rest of our day was good old Sunday relaxing. Sort of. Calvin and I shopped the closing Borders store, along with hundreds of other crazy people, while Jon taught a piano lesson. Fortunately the lesson time and the long line to get out the door meant that we didn't hit the road for home until after the white-out blizzard conditions hit our area and our 20 minute drive took more like forty. I say fortunately because sometimes, as long as we can drive safely, that kind of beauty is worth the delay. We came home by the scenic route along the river and enjoyed every extra minute of it. The rest of the afternoon was spent in front of a fire enjoying family company and quiet time.

And now, where there was no snow before... as I write this I am listening to the ice rain blow against our windows and cover the over three inches of snow on the ground. At least there was snow on the ground first.

What a Saturday should be

There are no hard and fast rules about what makes a good Saturday, but I would  definitely put today into that category. We slept in and enjoyed some early morning quiet. There was coffee and english muffins for us and shaped pancakes and juice for Calvin. There was a fire, some chess, a little family time. Around eleven we struck out for downtown Ann Arbor, the wind still howling but a bright sun shining, with the intention of getting a book from the library there. I thought I'd just jump out and run in to get the one book we needed—the next in the Oz series—but Calvin wanted to go in too, so since we had to find parking anyhow we first stopped at my favorite book seller's (West Side Book Shop) and then at the little toy store nearby (which is Lexi's, but it turns out Calvin is too old for them now). We found the book we needed at the library and also noticed the sign for their book sale going on in the basement (turns out they're open every weekend, so next time we're hungry for a sale we can just go there). That sale turned out to be pure magic for us today.

Back at home it was all Legos all afternoon. Well, Legos and we painted some more on our pictures (which are almost done), spent some time exploring the new books, watched City Lights (Charlie Chaplin), did some chores, counted birds, took naps, and read three chapters in the book we checked out from the library, the next Oz book in the series.

A truly diverse train station.

Jon's creation—the zoo. Note the elephant, snake, skunk, and turtle. I don't know what the red and blue thing in the back is, though.

But the celebrated moment of the day, the activity we've looked forward to all week, came this evening: after the wind had died down, and before the arrival of tomorrow's winter storm clouds, we went on a snow moon night hike at our nearby county park. We love our county naturalist. She taught Calvin about making maple syrup and she's the one who guided our owl hike over a year ago when we actually met a screech owl. Tonight's weather, chilly but perfectly clear, was ideal for the bonfire, Native American folk stories, star gazing, and owl hunt. No owls found us this time, but as the little girl in Calvin's most recent picture book, Owl Moon, says, "sometimes there's an owl and sometimes there isn't." The stars were phenomenal, though, and we got hear two packs of coyotes communicating across the lake and the sonorous tones of the lake ice shifting and giving way to the (slightly) warmer spring air. Don't forget the marshmallows, either.

It's now ten o'clock and we just go Calvin tucked into bed. I think he may have been asleep before his head hit the pillow and if I wasn't so enthralled with the new books, which I now absolutely must skim through, I might be there myself.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

The spring-like weather is now long past. Yesterday when we got up the snow was gone and the sun was out but the wind was raging and the temperatures dropping. There is ice and snow in the forecast for tomorrow. We practiced the piano and read some favorite picture books and Calvin played with Legos while I hit the treadmill, then we packed off to the library for a presentation on Michigan wildlife. I think I've mentioned before how much I love our children's librarian for her rich and varied programming (I just hope impending budget cuts don't kill that).

A couple of days ago we finished our latest book of Oz so back at home Calvin wrote a summary of the book (I love watching his writing grow and develop) before dividing our house into the dominions of the Nome King King (the downstairs) and the lands of the Fellowship of Fairies (upstairs) and I enjoyed watching him scuttle around pretending I know not what. It is wise to stay out of the tube (stairs) connecting the two.

We've been looking forward to the Great Backyard Bird Count for a while now so we were more than ready for yesterday's kickoff. Calvin is keeping track of our observations in his journal and I'll grab a picture of that at the end of the count period, the last day of which is Monday. We observed our own backyard for one 15 minute block this morning, counting mostly grackles and our beloved bluebirds, and we descended upon my parents' house for a second block of counting time in the afternoon. As a general rule my mom, with her treed backyard, has a greater variety of birds at her feeder and we were looking forward to counting them. Instead we got a lesson in the importance of leaf cover, an the effects of a lack thereof, so we counted out her front window and saw about 13 crows zip by. After that it was all Legos. Today we'll stick to our own feeders and see what we get.

If the wind dies down tonight we will be taking part in a snow moon hike with the county parks and recreation, another thing we've been looking forward to all week.

Fighting the fever

It's too early for spring fever. And it was really too cold for puddle splashing today, too, but with fresh snow lurking just around the corner what's a mother to do? I'm dying to get out, he's dying to get out...so after a morning at the library out we went. Snow is a little hard for Calvin to manage on his bike, which I'm sure would be true anyhow but the more I watch at him riding that thing the more I'm seeing images of clowns on tiny toy two-wheelers being followed by yappy little dogs in neck cones. I think it's time for a new one.

In actuality it was definitely too cold for puddle splashing today, but that's what we have heat and hot tea for when we get home, right? And who am I to curb his enthusiasm? I'm just mighty pleased the boots still fit.

This is the most rewarding time of year to bird watch. Many of our birds are still around or are heading back, and without leaves in the trees they are much easier to spot. Calvin found this cardinal for us, and I spotted the very shy junco.

Okay, now how about some hot tea and scones from under a warm blanket while reading a good book? Sounds perfect. I'm not sure but I might like these days better than the warmer ones.