220807 Tamar and the children came to visit!

Aug. 7

 Indre: frog woman! Robin has declared himself a witch! Tamar and the children came to the vineyard! I was so glad to welcome someone here after so many months of solitude. It was delightful to share it all with Indre and Robin. We walked the trails, and flew a kite, and did bubbles every day! We went swimming and we saw a water tiger. I don't remember ever having seen one before! We picked blueberries at Rain's farm, and saw their turkeys!

Here it is. The white thing is a dead minnow in its mouth! (Tamar's photo)

Robin brought his witch hat and a wand that he made! He is interested in the witches! The cows were here while the folks visited, so we were not able to go and see the witches, but we plan to reconvene the coven when I go to Toronto in September. I have a friperie-purchased kid's bed and made it up for Robin. He seemed pleased and slept in the alcove on his own! He and Indre and I spent one night in the tent, and saw the stars in the middle of the night. Of course we were up before six in the morning!

The tent has a mesh roof through which you can see the sky. There is a rain cover that slips on.

We went to two different ponds to swim, and I purchased floating devices so cheaply at Walmart, (yes I know...), but we had such a good time floating about. The kids might not otherwise have gone in. I know, having been a child myself, that murky, muddy-bottomed, weedy ponds are quite suspect when you're six! But on their little rafts they felt able and safe. I had one too, and I just hoped I wouldn't need to bail from it to swim to the rescue of a tipped-in child! 

(Tamar's photo)

After dinner one night, we played "Taco Hat Cake Gift Pizza", which is quite fun, ("Are we having fun yet?") and fast-paced. And K joined in! Then we played "Exploding Kittens", which was hilarious. I am so glad that Tamar's family plays card and table games. Some of my favorite childhood memories are playing games with my family. It is a great time for bonding. 

We lit the fire in the fireplace and roasted marshmallows, two nights, (because we don't have a regulation fireplace outside) and we had hot dogs (and something else!) every night for dinner. One morning we had mushroom pancakes!

These mushrooms inspired the pancake mushrooms!

Indre was very interested in the mushrooms and ferns, the frogs and the dogs. We identified seven types of fern and she did well in remembering them. Together we beat my frog record of thirteen; we counted sixteen one day. She spend some time training Rocky, and was determined to be Blackie's friend, with treats in her pocket. My favorite thing was finding a salamander to show her. (I found my first by accident and have since found a couple more.) Then, she found one herself! She quickly learned where to check for them, under rotting logs and small rocks. 

The Christmas fern - perhaps because it is evergreen. But each pinnule is shaped a little like a Christmas stocking, so that's how I remember it. Below is the (very plain!) royal fern.

Indre and Blackie:

The first salamander we found:

This is the little guy Indre uncovered! (I don't know what kind they are.)

Indre and Robin played with most of Baby's toys - , in addition to some I had in case another grandchild ever came to visit: a dollhouse with some furniture, a ride-on toy (this was Rain's purchase, for a toddler really, but it is sturdy!), the kite, which was new but not a fancy one. Still, Robin and I got it in the air. The kids were inventive with the (second-hand) "Crazy Forts" set, which is actually Rain's, for when Baby is older.  Oh, and my (second-hand, of course) Star Wars remote-control vehicle was a big success, but very noisy.

Robin made a giant "virus"? out of the Crazy Fort pieces and together we mounted it on a stick in front of the house.

Indre quietly put together a tent.

Here is what Indre did with the dollhouse and furniture. We scavenged miniatures from my shelf of bits to include.

Indre has a doll, which she told me she was bringing, so I fashioned a bed out of a cardboard box - cut out four legs at the corners - or rather cut out the spaces between the corner "legs",  and turned it over. A few "blankets" (napkins and spare orange baby blanket), and it was ready. Indre took it home with her! Her doll is really very nice and has great hair!

Indre's doll sitting on her bed at #48, Etobicoke.

  (Photo by Indre)

Indre and Robin filled up the house with their big energy fields flaring, their child energy, and the excitement of being here. We went from a one-relationship home to a ten-relationship household overnight! It was explosive in positivity sometimes, and occasionally turned into a crash. But we did well, altogether. Friday morning their departure was slow-paced and fairly smooth. I drove Tamar's car to the other side of the St Lawrence, bypassing the city. K followed in our car (with Rocky!) and we swapped just over the bridge. A brief goodbye and K, Rocky and I, headed back to our haven (heaven).

Mumma Yaga

Covid note: We waived Covid protocols for the most part, as I do when I visit #48. But this house is spacious and they had their own bathroom and sleep upstairs. Some or all of us were outside most of the time. We observed protocols with Rain and the baby. I will observe two weeks of protocols with them.

Discovered after they were gone: