Quarantine: Mon. 5/18 (NH)
Another fantastic NH day. We packed so much in. I feel like I've been pummelled by relaxation and fun. We touched base with homeschooling in the morning, keeping up to speed more or less, but put it aside by noon so we could get on with our NH plans.
First up: Andrew got an old riding lawnmower out of the barn, with the idea that he'd hitch up a wagon to the back of it and drive the girls into the (terrifying) back fields to collect some things from the dumping area. But the wagon had a flat tire, so it took some time to fix; then the lawn mower wouldn't start. While Andrew tinkered, the girls and I looked for four-leaf clovers in the yard. Lucia found two four-leaf clovers within three minutes. Greta found a four-leaf clover and one five-leaf (later in the day, she found another four-leaf). I found a five-leaf.
We eventually did go to the back fields, just pulling along a wheelbarrow. Farrah absolutely loved running through the field off-leash (well, with leash still attached but us not holding onto it, because I don't want to LOSE THE DOODLE). She was bounding around, leaping over tall grasses like a little gazelle. Super cute. The girls and Andrew foraged for some treasures in the dumping ground, while I kept Farrah away from all the broken glass and barbed wire. We heard lots of barking from--what? Coyotes? Dogs from very far away? It doesn't matter. It's unsettling. Andrew loaded up some logs into the wagon (we always bring our firewood home from NH) and then we headed back to the house.
L&G went immediately to the pond. They had a single focus today: using their nets to catch salamanders in the pond. They stayed on the dock all afternoon. I joined them for a while. They were letting the salamanders crawl all over their hands and arms. They were pretty cute little critters--I'm not sure they're actually salamanders. They're more like salamanders with tadpole tails and little webbed feet. The girls had brought some large bowls down to the dock, which they filled with pond water and kept their salamanders in. They named them. (If I were truly homeschooling, we'd spend the next few days researching these critters and their habitat, learning about the different water plants and creatures in the pond, etc. Sometimes I find myself planning future curriculums in my head, Just In Case.)
Of course, their intense involvement with the pond progressed so that they were swimming in the pond fully clothed.
For dinner, Andrew drove out to the Harpoon Brewery to pick up a family meal of BBQ and a growler of beer. We ate outside, and then lit the fire pit for s'mores.
By the end of the day, the children were filthy and feral. But so so so happy. They love it here. We had such a great day. We spent the entire day outside. Farrah is both deliriously happy and, by the end of the day, totally over it--she's used to lazing around on her white-fur princess pillow for naps, and here she's right outside with us all day like some kind of WILD DOG, lying in the grass.
I know you're all wondering if Farrah slept with us again last night. Indeed, she did!
First up: Andrew got an old riding lawnmower out of the barn, with the idea that he'd hitch up a wagon to the back of it and drive the girls into the (terrifying) back fields to collect some things from the dumping area. But the wagon had a flat tire, so it took some time to fix; then the lawn mower wouldn't start. While Andrew tinkered, the girls and I looked for four-leaf clovers in the yard. Lucia found two four-leaf clovers within three minutes. Greta found a four-leaf clover and one five-leaf (later in the day, she found another four-leaf). I found a five-leaf.
We eventually did go to the back fields, just pulling along a wheelbarrow. Farrah absolutely loved running through the field off-leash (well, with leash still attached but us not holding onto it, because I don't want to LOSE THE DOODLE). She was bounding around, leaping over tall grasses like a little gazelle. Super cute. The girls and Andrew foraged for some treasures in the dumping ground, while I kept Farrah away from all the broken glass and barbed wire. We heard lots of barking from--what? Coyotes? Dogs from very far away? It doesn't matter. It's unsettling. Andrew loaded up some logs into the wagon (we always bring our firewood home from NH) and then we headed back to the house.
L&G went immediately to the pond. They had a single focus today: using their nets to catch salamanders in the pond. They stayed on the dock all afternoon. I joined them for a while. They were letting the salamanders crawl all over their hands and arms. They were pretty cute little critters--I'm not sure they're actually salamanders. They're more like salamanders with tadpole tails and little webbed feet. The girls had brought some large bowls down to the dock, which they filled with pond water and kept their salamanders in. They named them. (If I were truly homeschooling, we'd spend the next few days researching these critters and their habitat, learning about the different water plants and creatures in the pond, etc. Sometimes I find myself planning future curriculums in my head, Just In Case.)
Of course, their intense involvement with the pond progressed so that they were swimming in the pond fully clothed.
For dinner, Andrew drove out to the Harpoon Brewery to pick up a family meal of BBQ and a growler of beer. We ate outside, and then lit the fire pit for s'mores.
By the end of the day, the children were filthy and feral. But so so so happy. They love it here. We had such a great day. We spent the entire day outside. Farrah is both deliriously happy and, by the end of the day, totally over it--she's used to lazing around on her white-fur princess pillow for naps, and here she's right outside with us all day like some kind of WILD DOG, lying in the grass.
I know you're all wondering if Farrah slept with us again last night. Indeed, she did!
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Love, Marion