Cats and Quilts

Slow news day? No. Worse. Slow news week. Regular readers know that when there's nothing going on over here with the grandkids, I dig out my cats. This essay is full of them. It is one I wrote in 2009 to enter in a local writing contest. I have always been fond of it, not only because it placed first in the non-fiction category, but because it chronicles two interests of mine that don't involve obsessing over grandchildren.....ones I indulge in solely for my own emotional serenity.....

Hi! I'm Iggy. Who are you?

Cats and Quilts

Cats and quilts. What other combination of living/non-living entities stimulates the senses with such warmth, domesticity, and beauty? Gently covering us with an unhurried sense of well-being, both are resting places for the soul.

I have owned cats and quilts all of my life. Grandmother made the first ones - the quilts, of course -  and now I make my own. But my cats have always come from the same source - any place of hunger or desperate need from where I snatch them up unwanted, rid them of fleas, schedule a spay or neuter and then provide welcome into our large, happy, comfortable home with only one instruction: "Live here in safety and prosperity for the rest of your life." Over the years, several dozen have taken me up on this offer, and many of them have shown a remarkable interest in the craft of quilting.

Yep! I still have this old rag!
Someone is going to have to invent a new
geometric shape if it ever needs to fit
squarely inside a lens frame!

The first attempt at my own handwork, some twenty years ago, was a red and cream Schoolhouse wall hanging. It was a curious match of blocks stitched with both velvety top-of-the-line 100% cotton prints and flimsy, bargain basement "blends." Teamed with a saw-tooth border, each side came to a screeching halt at the corners with a partially whacked off "tooth" - so it would fit, of course! After it was pieced, I laid it ceremoniously in the center of the living room floor and my family stood about and waxed eloquently on its virtues of beauty and grace. During a moment left alone, the only truly honest member of the family, "Erma," a smug little tortie, strolled directly to quilt-center and promptly "urped up" a generous, slimy hairball in wordless opinion. The machine washing that ensued frayed the cheap fabric, and all of the reds - none of them pre-washed, of course! - bled all over the place.

Raisin
big fan of all kinds of entertainment-
Halloween costumes included!

By the time my skill improved to the point where I could semi-proudly display a seasonal wall hanging above the fireplace, another tortie, "Raisin," had come to live with us. Whenever the family room filled to capacity, Raisin would leap onto the mantle and push herself behind the quilt. There she would energetically pound the wall and batter the piece, creating a truly amazing show of gyrating fabric. Periodic peeks from behind gauged the effect on her audience. Of course we enthusiastically applauded, cheering on her efforts to entertain us!



"Joey" came home after surviving the first three months of life beneath the carcass of a car in a crime-ridden neighborhood. Since quilts were, indisputably, not a luxury he enjoyed in those surroundings, he is, even now at age three, unable to grasp their purpose. Yet he regards them with a quiet, focused interest.

Joey
currently residing in Cat Heaven
"until we meet again..."
I miss you, little sweetie!

When the mood strikes him, this now handsome prince of a cat - black, white and long haired, comes to sit on the arm of my chair, serenely watching, but politely not touching, my work. I take the time to explain to him what I am doing and how far I have progressed in my pursuit of quilting. He seems to relate this to his own experience and understands that, today, I quilt competently in queen-size with the same confidence he himself anticipates daily meal service.

Rosie

We have "Rosie" and "Katie" here now too. They are sisters. Rosie, with white boots and a cute black nose, is a tomboy - raucous and clumsy. She has better things to do than interact with quilts for any purpose. Evaluating them, entertaining with them, or learning how to stitch them does not interest Rosie.

Katie

Katie, on the other hand, a very feminine and petite calico, waits for me to settle down with the frame in my lap. This is her signal to leap up and "help" me from the reverse side. We play the game of seeing who can pull the thread through faster to her own side. When Katie wins, I patiently rethread the needle. When I win, the thread is returned coated with cat saliva. I'm not saying this is the easiest way to hand quilt, but at least sewing supplies remain untouched at my side. Except for the thread, I guess. I see now that it is gone again. Probably carted off by Sylvester........

Oh gosh, I haven't mentioned him yet? Hmmmm. Well, Sylvester is a ferret. Yeah....(sigh). We have one of those too!

Epilogue

After ten hilarious, inquisitive years Sylvester is currently thieving up a storm in Ferret Heaven.

Guess it's okay to steal things there!

Raisin is 16 years old. This little old lady has slowed down a bit since my essay was written, but what a life she has led! As the pet of our oldest daughter, she has mingled well with "millennials," first moving on to a classy urban condo where, for five years, she feared nothing but window washers. When that gig was up, she sampled suburban living, gracefully yielding "only-child" status by accepting first one, and then a second set of twin (human) siblings. Now she basks in the sun during the day and shares daddy's pillow at night.

After three seemingly healthy, happy years, Joey passed away suddenly, in my arms, of a congenital heart condition in 2009. I will never stop missing my purr-fect little quiltin' buddy.

Rosie and Katie are still here.

And so are newcomers Mickey, Charlie, Annie and Iggy...none of whom have ever shown a single "stitch" of interest in the fine art of quilting!

I am far from being a perfect patchmaker, but I have learned from my mistakes....

Deciding to make myself a Christmas quilt, I had the sense to pre-wash the fabric!

The nicest thing about squares is that they don't have points to match!

May you always be covered with the peaceful warmth and beauty of a comforting quilt and a purring, contented kitty, or preferably - like me - many of each!
 

Bee a Speller!

I was always good at spelling. Very good! And what a life raft on the sea of Catholic elementary education that skill proved to be for me, to whom early instinct registered "i before e except after c" inside my third grade head. Had no eighth commandment admonishment on the delivery of falsehood accompanied my talent, I truly think I'd dare to say today that spell check itself was invented by "Miss Smarty Pants" - me!

Those school days were like none other....a roller coaster ride fraught with peril that ensured a moment's warming bask beneath the beaming gaze of a no-nonsense nun evaporated the second math books were opened. Ecstasy to agony. A leper without a colony. One who breathed the litany of the saints in prayerful hope of not being called upon for an answer she never had. The sweetest sound inside those rooms was sister's flustered sigh, "All right, (insert boy's name here) tell them the answer!" Whew! Safe for another day!

You'll never see me sponsoring a family Math-a-thon. Forget it. But a spelling bee? Let me at 'em! With the grandkids as my competent assistants, I pulled one off very successfully last Sunday afternoon for grandpa, our three daughters, and their husbands.

First step - Compile a list of dictionary words - not too easy, not too hard. Print them out. Figure on 10 words per person....less if you'll be serving beer or wine!

Secondly - For as long as it lasts, have grandkids pull words. Get them used to the idea that someday they'll be doing the spelling while today's contestants toss words to them!

Thirdly - When spellers "buzz out," have kids deliver a consolation prize of a bagged and beribboned cookie to take away some of the sting of "bee-ing" a loser.

Use a 4" Easter egg cutter for body and a 1.5" spice bottle cap for wings. Cut shapes from rolled sugar cookie dough. Cut circles in half.

Bake, cool, then dip wings in Royal icing. Divide icing. Tint half yellow. Frost bodies, leaving area on pointed end for head. Tint remaining icing black. Pipe head. Place sugar eyes immediately on top. Pipe stripes. Lay wings immediately on top.

Finally - Provide a grand prize to the Queen Bee -
or King Bee!

The winner's prize bag was decorated with a hand made "Champ-bee-un!" medal. Inside was a little hive of honey, a handful of cookies, a bumblebee notepad, and a gift card.











The results, in order of elimination:

1. Uncle Keenon? Well, not a very consistent speller!
2. Send Uncle Joe a memorandum! He needs to learn how to spell that word!
3. Aunt Christy couldn't handle syllable. Thought the word had far more than three of them!
4. I hope buzzing out on indelible doesn't leave a permanent mark on Mary Jo's spelling confidence!
5. Uncle Tom went out for a ride on equestrian. But!........
6. When Aunt Karen contracted a case of tuberculosis, the diagnosis was a sudden death playoff between her and Tom......
7. Which ended in a lopsided victory for him when Karen subbed a "b" for the "p" in that word!

L to R the buzzing bees of  Bree, Nick, and Sae

One more thing! To commemorate the event, each grandkid hand made a framed collage/potato print for use as a raffle prize. They sold their own tickets to eager customers, pulled winning names, and awarded prizes at contest's end

I sometimes reflect on early days of my education as described above. I weigh the benefits versus the cost to me in anxiety expended. Thanks to the good sisters, I have never (NEVER!) been late for a single appointment of any kind throughout my entire life. But I have an insufferable need to compete and win, sometimes at unpleasant cost. That obsession is matched with not only wanting things done right, but having them done right my way. I suppose the sisters believed they finished well with me, yet I'm not sure I endorse all of the methods they employed. Still....part of me often wanders into the territory of speculating outcomes for education today if nuns were allowed to greet students at the door, cheerfully relieving them of contraband with a hearty, "God Bless You, dear child!" and not a care in the world for the wrath of salivating lawyers. How evident might those results bee (oops! I mean "be!") at family spelling gatherings?

Any thoughts?......Just mind your spelling, young lady!

Night Crawlers

Oooooo.....they're not kidding when they say the outside holds a host of new observations and sensations once darkness descends upon it. For this reason, nature books often challenge adults to take kids on a night hike through the neighborhood. And so we did that, my grandsons and I.

With flashlights in hand, children cannot help but note things that are easy to overlook during the day. Distractions are minimal and the smug satisfaction of being up waaay past bedtime contributes to a conspiratorial camaraderie. A hint of danger lurks within the deep, dark backyard woods, keeping otherwise adventuresome little boys close at the side of grandma.....who, in turn, looks to fiercely protective Roxie (a German Shepherd mix) for her own half ounce of bravery!

But where to look first? There were spooky shadows to make on brother's face and some intense inspection of a cable box. It was up to grandma to steer us all toward things less obvious, yet far more fascinating!

Oops! Too late! They're gone!

Look quickly! Tiny insects "chill out" on top of bark until you shine a light. Then they scamper to hide in the blink of an eye - all of them!

We accidentally rustled a bush and observed a moth take flight from its protective cover. Does that mean insects hide beneath leaves? Well, let's take a closer look and see!

Those weird noises you hear only in the dark come, in part, from little brown toads. We found not one, but two clinging easily to shutters on the house. Later on, we'll look through books to find out why those little toes stick so effortlessly!

Upper left quarter - teeny tiny bright dot!
Firefly? I dunno. What do you think?

And then, at last! The errant flicker of a firefly - and his brother! Oh, and there's another! Was I actually quick enough to capture one in action here, or was that just the neighbor's porch light? Some things even grandma doesn't know -
secrets keep very well in the dark after curfew has paid visit and found only empty beds!








I did, of course, seek and receive parental permission for this late night sleepover adventure, and I do advise it, even for those who live by the "What Happens at Grandma's Never Happened" policy! When we came back inside, the boys insisted on calling mommy and daddy (11 P.M. by now!) to chatter on and on about the fun they had outside at night, bravely tiptoeing the line between the chill of excitement and the danger of darkness. They want to do it again and again and again!

And so we will - to just enjoy whatever it is that we see - "taking only pictures" (most of them very poor!) and "leaving only footprints" - heeding classic, wise advice to those who own respect for every living thing. Sure, we could have easily captured, imprisoned, inspected and released a specimen or two, but every creature has things to do and needs to get them done. Besides, we are well tutored in a benevolent way of living. Poems by Christina Rossetti are among our favorites, and we heartily applaud her admonition to:

Hurt No Living Thing:
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper light of leap,
Nor dancing gnat,
Nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep.

And on that peaceful note I say, "Goodnight, dear friend. Goodnight!"

Acknowledgement:
Repeat After Us. (1872). Hurt no living thing. Retrieved July 19, 2013 from 
     http://www.repeatafterus.com/title.php?i=3893

Hunters and Gatherers

I don't know how to say this except to come straight out with it. There's a dinosaur lurking in my backyard woods. It's hard to say how tall it is because, so far, it just peers at me from a menacing crouch. The nose to tail tip length, though, is about nine feet. It appears to be constructed of paper mache, and there's a good chance that I made it myself. I'm not a teenager anymore, you know, and forgetting things is what I do best these days.

I have never regretted that my children are all girls. Yet I admit to occasional pangs of envy while observing the sons of my friends effortlessly sweep up bags of groceries, twist jar lids open, or shoo away a garden snake for their moms. At our house, all four of us girls huddled and squirmed together on the couch waiting for daddy to come home and transport a spider back outside where it belonged. Girls in a creature invasion crisis? Worthless!

But now I have grandsons! - big and brave four year olds who thrilled to the task of taking up shovels to venture into the woods to hunt and gather dino eggs. Grandma can't handle a dozen pairs of beady ping pong eyeballs back there after the next crop of thought-to-be-extinct reptiles hatches. My fearless twins have made certain that will never happen.

This is the story of how we accomplished that formidable task......

Gathering time on Dinosaur Day was noon. Lunch was in order. What better place for a mood-setting edible Jurassic park than my kitchen table?

Let's see...an active mashed potato volcano is standard fare at a dino buffet. I guess it's because hot lava was a possible cause of extinction. Gooey tar pits didn't help early mammals stay healthy and happy either, but this curious gang doesn't seem troubled by the imminent danger. Must be that extra small heads encasing extra small brains = not a care in the world. Ah, to live like that! If only for one day!

A grove of bread stick trees provided a place to nestle a clutch of green grape eggs. It set the stage for the boys and their parents to graze on a meatball meal....if they could grab them before the four-legged carnivores did! But not to worry! The menu included something for everybody.......

The friendly Brachiosaurus eats shoots and leaves.

His companion, the ferocious T-Rex, eats, shoots, and leaves!

I'm actually a little annoyed at the Smithsonian Museum right now. They claim there were no dino bones found in the famed La Brea tar pits - only those of other species well after total extinction occurred. I didn't know that! How do I explain my chocolate-pudding-mini-Halloween-bone-sprinkled lake of doom to the boys?

"See anybody you know in there?"

Can you believe how realistic these candy rocks and pebbles are? They are filled with chocolate and taste great!

As soon as teams were sated with shoots, leaves, bones and rocks, real work for real men commenced......



Our egg dig was carefully planned. The boys were well armed with safari helmets, binoculars, and a sturdy transport basket. Just to be safe, grandma tossed in a pair of cute bottles for juice in case hydration was required, because......


What if the boys encountered a problem out there?.........

.......After all, our little hunters ventured into a suburban area not one hundred feet from the nearest house. They arrived slathered in sun screen and bug spray, toting maps, a set of walkie-talkies, parents to team with, and a pair of overly anxious grandparents who hovered with cameras and home made energy bars! Any wonder why I'm called "Grandma Dino-Maniac?" (That's Paleontolian for "nervous one who leaves no fossil fragment unturned!")







All geared up and into the woods we go!

"Take ten big steps, count twenty more....jump up and roar like a dinosaur! Stay on the trail that's long and narrow, dig where you see a big red arrow!"                                                                      

Mommy and daddy read clues from maps so digging took place only where evidence suggested there'd be a find!                                    



Walkie-talkies made it easy to contact brother for extra help as needed.















With a total of eight eggs from five digging sites
it felt good to take an occasional break.


















Was curiosity one of the things that killed the dinosaur? We're not sure, but we were certainly anxious to see what was hidden inside those eggs!

Will you look at that?! Toys and Candy! Dinosaur stickers! Bubbles! Glow Sticks! Play balls! Star Wars toothbrushes! Matchbox cars! Freeze dried dinosaur food! Silly String! WOW!

How could we possibly be afraid of that prolific and generous egg layer who makes her home in grandma's woods? She's our big green friendly friend!

We introduced ourselves and promised to come by often to play. She bellowed out an affectionate roar, exclaimed that she'd love that, and promised us she'd make every Halloween an unforgettable candy-collecting experience!!

How'd you like to open your door to this?


"Trick or Treat!
Fill these pumpkins!
BOTH of them!
Or I'll huff and I'll puff and
I'll blow your house down!"














Dinosaur Day was over. I sat down to enjoy a moment's satisfied reflection. Happy grandkids a happy grandma make. That is, until a horrifying thought occurred. What if the boys are sent to Kindergarten Time Out for challenging teacher on the extinction of dinosaurs? What if they enthusiastically wave their hands to proudly tell that it's not true?....that they themselves dug dino eggs in grandma's yard as recently as this summer?

So now it's back to the drawing board. I need to create a small paper mache brain inside a small dino shaped head for myself. Perhaps one of those would allow me the stumbling, bumbling, worry-free "what's-that?-a-tar-pit?" bliss that those creatures enjoyed. If only that were possible! Oh what a happy Dino-Maniac I would be!

See Notes From A Dino-Maniac for further details on everything you see here!

The end!

Notes From A Dino-Maniac

Readers often ask for details on my projects and I am always happy to share what I know.
Here's a list of things I learned - both the hard and the easy way - as I bumbled along in pursuit of a backyard dinosaur egg hunt for my twin four year old grandsons. See Hunters and Gatherers for the full story.

The "life-size" egg laying dinosaur!.....

Life size? Well, I wish! She might have been if I'd been allowed to keep going and going and going....but alas, grandpa stepped in and asked -as gently as possible!-  if I realized the monster would never fit out the door - (think he might be afraid of the ferocious roar of an unhappy grand-dino? I do!). We carefully eased her out of the house and into the garage, amputating a limb as we went along. After that, it was easy sailing....if you don't mind parking in the driveway for six weeks or enduring the attention of neighborly gawkers!




See this post for basic paper mache instructions. The dino was built the same way, however I envisioned her as a "costume" for my grandsons. She was constructed over two large boxes with openings cut into the tops. There was space above for the boys' heads and a cut out window so they could look out. The completed structure was too heavy to be supported by children of that age even though all newspaper was removed from the shell. It is, however, usable when they want to crawl inside and issue mighty roars to frighten unsuspecting curiosity seekers!

Finished size is 9' long (4' tail included) x 4.5' tall, crouching.

If you are crazy enough to try making one, then I am crazy enough to help you! If you run into problems, email me.

Dinosaur eggs......

Seriously, if I were asked to name three things I'd bring along to a deserted island, I'd choose newspaper, flour, and a bucket. The water would be free, I presume. From those supplies I'd make myself a paper mache house and plenty of furniture to fill it. After I became bored reading old news by the fireplace - oops! never mind! - no fireplace! I'd make myself a sturdy little canoe and float away from it all. Such is the trust I have in the craft of paper mache! Any problem you have....solved!

Here's how I made eight dino eggs ranging in size from 10" to 16":

1. Bunch up newspaper to size and shape desired. Use masking tape to hold it together.
2. Tear newspaper strips about 3" wide, dip them into a bucket of paste made from flour and water and cover entire egg, slightly overlapping each strip - two or three layers total.
3. Dry on plastic bags so they don't stick and can be easily turned over during the process. Usually one day is enough time, two at the most.
4. When shell is hard, use a serrated kitchen knife to cut egg in half. Pull newspaper stuffing out to hollow the egg.
5. Insert candy and prizes. (See main post for ideas) Close egg along seam line and secure with two or three strips of newspaper dipped in flour paste. Dry. Spray paint to finish.
6. Supply the kids with plastic toy tools to open their eggs.

The Table......

For a rich, jungle atmosphere, I made a newspaper pattern of my 44" x 58" oval kitchen table. I traced and cut it out on "Tropical Foliage" bulletin board paper. Both Hobby Lobby and Michael's carry this item in the teacher's supply section. Cover table. Top with a smaller piece of well cleaned glass. Food can be placed directly on the surface. Set paper dinosaur print plates on wicker chargers and arrange them around the perimeter so guests can graze from the assortment. Drape a raffia table skirt around the chandelier to create an enclosure.





The Volcano......

This was made with an 8.5" glass vase and an 8.5" long flashlight that will fit inside of it. Cut strips of 5" flames from red, yellow, and orange tissue paper. Secure them around the light end with a rubber band. Boil baking variety potatoes, mashing and seasoning them, but omitting butter or milk. When potatoes have cooled to an easy handling state, firmly press handfuls all around the vase  - tapered with widest at the bottom. Just before guests arrive turn the flashlight on and insert into vase.

Grove of trees.......

Make bread sticks in varying lengths and thickness from packaged dough or your own recipe. Poke holes into a slab of Styrofoam and insert foil wrapped ends of bread sticks. Cut leaves from green tissue paper. Tie them to tops of sticks with raffia strands. If bread sticks do not stand up well, insert wooden skewers next to them and tie together with raffia.
Cover base with tissue grass.







The Eats......

I like to serve meatballs for an event like this because they double as convincing boulders in the landscape. Blanched broccoli heads make great ground cover, and both items enjoy being served with a side of breadsticks. I offered a home made tomato sauce too. Was tempted to drizzle the sauce down the sides of the volcano but decided not to press my luck! I went around the table and ladled it as requested.

Puff pastry strips cut to 1" x 9" and stretched a bit as you fold each end into a knot make T-rific bones! Bake per package directions. Lay a bone or two on each plate before guests arrive. Remember these for Halloween!








Pile up extra bread sticks wherever there's room for them.

The tar pit is simply an instant chocolate pudding recipe spooned smoothly into a shallow serving dish. Wilton bone shaped sprinkles are available during Halloween season.

I found the rocks at www.Nuts.com and ordered both a bag of "pebbles" and "boulders" in gold. Not only were these unbelievably real looking and tasty, but the company offers outstanding customer service. Immediate shipping, email notification, and a very generous sized free gift of candy are all included!



Extras.......

The table top dinosaurs are sold at Toys R Us for $10 each. They are part of the "Animal Planet" collection and are a perfect size (12" tall x 20" long T-Rex) for an event like this. Not only that, but the boys couldn't claim and snatch them up fast enough! Besides the T-Rex, a Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and Brachiosaurus are part of the family. I bought two T-Rexes "just in case" and sure enough! - good old grandma instinct prevailed again- the second one needed to come thundering out in a hurry! Stegoes can be shared, but every little boy needs his own T-Rex!

Sippy-saurus cups - $2 each in the beverage aisle of my grocery store - also available in red. Saw them online for almost five times that. Yikes! Not cool!

Safari helmets - $2 each at a local party store, but Dollar Tree carries them seasonally in a light tan color and they are much sturdier - for, of course, half the price! The "fearless hunter" badges were home made with a large paper punch and a dinosaur stamp.



Finally....My wish is that my grandsons will not only remember our dinosaur egg hunt with fondness, but that they will enjoy learning more about these fascinating creatures. After much research I found two wonderful books, Amazing Dinosaurs printed by DK Publishing and Dinosaurs from the "Sounds of the Wild" series by Maurice Pledger. The boys have seen the books and absolutely love them, but I intend to make my own bookplates before I give them back as gifts. Each book will have a Dinosaur Day photo of the boys and a personal message from grandma, reminding them of how they bravely saved her from a prehistoric encounter of the most terrifying kind!

Here's where you'll find product details and /or ordering info on both those exciting books in my Amazon gift shop.

A roaring good day to you, dear friend!
Fondly,
Grandma, The Dino-Maniac

These original designs, as well as all blog content, are intended for personal use only. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Thank you!

Backyard Bingo

My oldest daughter and I both have first hand experience with the interest and delight children find in nature. When she was five and we were newly moved in, I stood agape, pointing out a bed of large, floppy leaves blanketing our quarter acre woods. "Those are Mayapples!" she confidently exclaimed. "That's nature's umbrella!"

Last month, my precocious Kindergarten botanist, now a competent mother of four, collected her sons from pre-school. Nick immediately launched into an enthusiastic description of "tomatoes." Regaled with the qualities of these sumptuous orbs, mommy listened intently, struggling at points to separate fact from bewilderment over their nature to "spin and spin and spin and get bigger and bigger and bigger!" Huh? Some new fangled bio-farming technique?  It was not until she pulled into the garage while being asked, "Do we have any of those around here?" that she realized he was talking about tornadoes!

The preschool my grandsons attend is a wonderful one. Located on a working farm, the kids plant  produce and feed goats, alpacas and chickens. They harvest, gather eggs and make healthy food from fresh ingredients. Nature hikes through wooded on-site trails are an almost daily part of the school morning, giving me a well initiated and captive audience for the game I planned for the boys and their cousin, Bree.

Backyard Bingo is basically a scavenger hunt. Game boards are made from inverted gift box lids so carefully matched and collected goodies won't go slip-sliding away. Hot glue nine samples indigenous to your hunting area within a grid of sticks. I suppose normal people let it go at that. Not me. Our boards featured my hand crafted seed pod urchins whose little pointed hats were hidden in the woods, waiting to be found alongside other items matching those on their boards.

What fun it was to seek, to gather, and then convene to examine and discuss our treasured finds! Brown oak leaves are leftovers from last fall, you know, but newly sprouted ones are green, full of chlorophyll and ready to begin a new season of growth. Both are from a deciduous tree - those have flat, wide leaves and are different from evergreen shrubs that yield small pointy ones. Bark protects the tree  - and little stones? They've been around for a looong, looong time, breaking off from really, realllly big rocks that lay beneath the ground and pushing their way up to the top, one at a time! Tiny red hats were easy to find, but squirrels and deer? - less simple to spot, and we know exactly why! Camouflage, dear friends...camouflage!

Once again I left the teaching to children, who easily and accurately described to me this place where pretty Mayapple plants still come alive each early spring to shelter woodland critters from the rain.









Our show-and-tell was followed by a tasty lunch and then an indoor sleeping bag campout to further discuss our finds and peruse new pop up picture books about nature. Murmured commentary gradually faded to quiet as, one at a time, sleepy little heads sought, and gratefully sank into pillows.

It was then I realized, despite the absence of a formally declared backyard bingo winner, that there were indeed, prizes. Three of them in fact. And I had won them all!

"Two Much" Talent!

"Two much talent?"
Yep, that's a real problem for me over here! My grandchildren are prolific in the fine arts and quantity produced has long ago exceeded square inch refrigerator space. Among the group of artists frequenting grandma's is a set of four year old twins. That means a run on dinosaurs, for example, leaves me with a head-spinning collection of watercolor behemoths. Thank goodness for Father's Day. Bless the person who invented that celebration! Bless him for clearing my cupboards and drawers and folders and closets and shoe boxes in advance of that national day of recognition for the fine young men whose precocious offspring fill my home and my heart with paintbrush, crayon, marker and pencil packing talent - "three much," actually, counting Bree, to absorb by myself!

The daddies in our family are not connoisseurs of the masters. They watch basketball for artistic stimulation. If we were to mention Picasso's "blue period" during a commercial break, they would nod in enthusiastic agreement, saying that there is only one more of those left in the game before the national championship is decided.

But I have seen one thing - one thing! - make them turn down the volume, drop the chips and set aside the beer. "Daddy, look what I made!" Awwww! Works every time. Crayons always trace the most direct way to daddy's heart! So, bless the woman who invented the recycle of kids' artwork into Father's Day gifts that surprise and delight while clearing grandma's shelves for next year's batch of creative overload! Oh, but wait! That's ME we're talking about here!

The Mother's Day gift cookbooks we made were a huge hit. That's when I decided we'd do the same for Father's Day, subbing original artwork for recipes. The twins' "Two Much Talent" book, with tabs for dinosaurs, creatures, rockets and abstract work, is pictured above, in progress.

Bree's gift for daddy will always remind him of his daughter's love for her first favorite song, "The Itsy, Bitsy 'Pie-der.'" The two of them still sing it together, so one day I asked if she'd like to paint a picture of the "pie-der." This is the result. With a very inexpensive frame and a fancy sheet of card stock, the painting became a work of art. My hope is that some day daddy will rock his grandchild, singing the same song. The image of a framed purple critter will linger in his mind as he smiles at the wisdom of his lovely mother-in-law who told him often that the years ahead would fly by before he knew it!

Purists may argue, "That is not an arachnid! Those have eight legs, not six!" But I would protest, "We never said this portrait was that of a 'spider.' We said it was a 'pie-der,' and last time we looked, those still had six legs, not eight!"