Collecting

The leaves are really changing colors now, and falling, naturally. We walked around our block this afternoon, collecting pretty maple leaves, amongst other things (rocks, sticks, dirt). We came home and pressed them in one of Jim's big heavy medical books, and also made leaf mobiles with them.

Fun afternoon

I made a new friend, Mama. Claire told me as she walked over to me at the playground. What's her name, I asked. Anna, said the new friend. Come, Claire, let's play! Anna was far from being shy. She had two other sisters who joined in the fun. Momo didn't mind being the only boy. They all had a blast, as you can see in these photos!

Berries and things

A prelude to the holiday season... But we are in no rush for that time of year. Really!


We are not even in a rush for Halloween... Remember last year's?

Rainy Day Exploration

Momo wanted to ask Ellery whether frogs hibernate in the winter (from our little conversation in the car before we got to the farm today). The rain had been coming down off and on all morning, and it continued that way while we were at Blue Heron. While none of us were too sure about the answer to Momo's question, Ellery brought up the idea of vernal pools (something I had not thought about since I left New England many years ago).

She went on to tell us that there is one such pool on the farm. Can we see it, the kids asked. Sure, said Ellery, let's put our rain coats on! As some of you may know, our California boy does not like to wear anything that is not mandatory, or really, essential. So he tried to get his way out of wearing a raincoat. Then we can't go, we said. And we won't get to find frogs, we said. That was good enough to make him reluctantly put on his (new) raincoat.

The four of us walked along the circumference of the farm property to go find the vernal pool. Surprisingly, even in the rain, the kids did not complain, or wanted to be picked up. The thought of finding something new was so exciting to them that they forgot about the walking itself.

The vernal pool lies just beyond the gourd and pumpkin fields. It's dry right now, of course, as it is recovering from a very dry summer. Yet there were ferns and moss and lichen growing at the bottom of the pool, giving us a glimpse of what this place could become in a few months time.

It is hard to believe that in just about 5 months, around the spring equinox, this pool will be filled with water, and will become home to many frogs, salamanders, newts, toads, and who knows what else. We will make a trip back there at that time, and report our findings!

Brother-Sister

No stories per se. They were just loving each other. May they come back to these photos some day when they are all grown-up, to remember the good times they had together on this day.

Family Weekend

Great fun family weekend with grandma, grandpa, and even Daddy took a day off! More stories to come!

Ristras

These ristras are too pretty to just blog about on the Blue Heron Blog. Ellery and I made them today, decorating the farm stand, transforming it into a little New Mexican hut.


Many customers were smitten with them right away. How can you not be? Bright red peppers, hanging in a neat row, absorbing the late afternoon October sun. New Mexico or Massachusetts, they will make any of us happy!

Colors of Fall

Though the days are still warm, the trees know better. The Fall equinox has come and gone, the squirrels are munching on acorn, and the leaves are turning vibrant colors before falling down to go back to where they came from. Nature has it so that the last burst of life is firey, and warming. The reds, oranges, and yellows of the trees and leaves are about to give way to the browness of early winter. Until then...enjoy these colors!

Sunday

Started the day at Blue Heron where they played with old farm tools, picked raspberries, and had lunch in a wheelbarrel.



Then we went to wait for Jim at a railway station in Lincoln (Jim had to work in Boston this morning, so he took the commuter rail out to meet us - he didn't want to miss the surprise!).



After the excitement of the train and picking up Daddy, we headed to the Decordova Museum just down the road to surprise Momo with the train exhibit they have going on there. We checked out their outdoor sculpture park, ran around a bit before collapsing in the car from a full and fun day.

Saturday

The day was brilliant.

I feel like I have been repeating myself. But truly, it was a brilliantly beautiful day. When we moved here in June, I asked (prayed) for the best summer possible. And I think whoever is in charge of this kind of thing heard me, and is being very kind.


After a fun morning in the city (ballet class for Claire, climbing structure park for Momo), the kids and I went to Walden Pond while Jim worked at a Hockey game. On the way there, we stopped at Decordova Museum in Lincoln where a Railroad exhibit is held (shh...don't tell Momo - he was asleep when we drove by). Unfortunately it was closed early today, but we (Claire and I) plan to go back there tomorrow to surprise our train lover.

Walden Pond was beautiful. The water sparkled. The sky was peppered with lovely white clouds. And in contrast to the summer crowd, the beach was rather quiet. I think people stopped coming after Labor Day weekend for some reason. More beach for us!

Farm School

Blue Heron might as well be a farm school. There is so much to learn, and so much fun that comes with this kind of learning.


Ellery found a caterpillar for them today, the kind that is about to go into a chryssalis. So she introduced the concept of metamorphosis, and camouflage to the kids. You would think that these words went over their little heads, but a few hours later, I heard Momo telling Claire in the bathtub that he was giving one of his animals a camouflage. Maybe their heads aren't so little after all.


We weeded, picked raspberries, played in mud, and a compost pile. Ellery had a surprise for the kids. Bring your shovels, she said, as she walked toward the compost. She pointed to a potato plant growing beautifully in the compost pile (that has metamorphed back into soil). She had the kids dig a little, and then pull the plant up. With the roots came little purple potatoes worth rather a lot in a fancy restaurant!


Momo soon used his little big head to find other ways to play in the compost pile. He has never made a real snow angel, but he decided that dirt is no different than snow (perhaps even better because it's warm and dry), so he plopped down, and started wavering his arms and feet. Dirt angel, we called him.


While Ellery read Claire a book about a farm by the sea, Momo got busy with mud. First he had his clothes on. Then he discovered it was more fun to not have them on (usually how he ends up, isn't it?). I had to let my anal Virgo self go, and breathe, and know that he was having the best time of his life.


I didn't even bother to clean him up and dress him, for that matter. He went into the car seat nude, muddy, and happy.

We had Ellery over for dinner that was made almost entirely by the produce she grew on the farm. We thanked her for growing our food, and for teaching all of us such good lessons, whether she knows it or not.