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One Crazy Fascinating Tree – the Dewey-Granby Oak

August 26, 2008 By Laura 1 Comment

dewey granby oak
We’re got to show you this fascinating tree we visited recently; the Dewey-Granby Oak. But first, a quick update on unrelated happenings.

Life is still pretty busy here, with work still flowing in steadily, but I’ve found I’m getting better and better at this balance thing I have worked at all of my life. For one thing, we’ve been distracted with the excitement of a new school year beginning just around the bend! The more organized we get, the more exciting it is!! The school room is almost ready, from umpteen summer crafts and projects the kids had going on. Somehow, I can look at an after-mess, born from creativity flowing, a little longer, than other kinds of messes. But it was time to tidy up, clean out, pack away and make room for new books and supplies – and all that we’ve begun.

But back to our recent family vacation we’ve mentioned; My father (the kids Papa) was determined to bring us to see a tree he has told us about, for what seems like forever. It was a beautiful sunny day for a drive, so we headed out from his house, on our tree adventure. We knew it had to be something, because he talks about it ALL of the time, and how we just needed to see it. Well let us tell you….he wasn’t kidding! This tree is worth the trip!!

Now let me preface this by saying, it was a bad time of a very sunny day to photograph this tree (or much else). It was not ideal lighting, whatsoever. Really bright out, and pretty much high noon. Had I know it was so photograph worthy, I would have asked to come later in the day. What’s more….this tree is SO gigantic, and crazily spread out, it’s tough to find an angle with a camera, to really appreciate it’s stature. It’s really one of those things you need to really see in person, …walk around…and climb, to appreciate the reality of it. And you would do so in absolute awe. Nonetheless….I took photos anyway. Try to look closely at the enormous width of the trunk, and the great big limbs that so gracefully just flow and dip to the ground.

dewey-granby-oak

The tree is known as the Dewey-Granby Oak Tree. As equally fascinating as the sight of this tree, is it’s incredible history. This tree is rooted in the middle of nowhere, in Granby, Connecticut-just on the other side of the MA line, I believe. It is 450 years old!! The town of Granby goes to great lengths for the protection of this tree. The time, seasons, and changes in civilization that this tree has stood through, is so amazing to stop and consider. If you Google, you should find a great brief history, by Carol Laun. As well as more other information.

Here are the kids hanging out on one limb that comes right down to the ground.

kids-on-dewey-granby-oak-limb

This is on the other side of the tree, on am equally crazy limb. Just look at it!

kids-in-dewey-granby-oak-tree

And to think it was once just a tiny acorn . . .

A Sunday at the Seashore

August 21, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

I had planned to blog more about VBS, but honestly, I am pretty much VBS’d out, although the kids aren’t! They are still singing and dancing all of the songs. lol. There are other little recent things, though, that I’m looking forward to blogging about, but still have some highlights we wanted to post from our little vacation!! (I may backtrack to that in the next few posts.) Business is still booming (thankfully), though we work daily to find some balance. So I think we’ll bypass blogging about the rest of VBS. Most of the photos have other friends in them anyway. But suffice it to say, that VBS was very successful and FUN. I was impressed with the collective efforts that made it all possible and run so smoothly. The lessons of service have seemed to stick somewhat.

This past Sunday we were invited for a cookout, and some QT, with some very good friends of ours. These folks are a little just a bit older than us, (but very young at heart and appearance : ) and serve as extra grandparents of sorts to our children. The kids call them ‘Mammy and Papa Dave’. We’re very blessed to have them in our lives, and we love them dearly. Having some real time with them all together was very much overdue, so we were happy to accept their invitation. Their home is right on the shore, and it is simply beautiful, as is the view and atmosphere.

We decided to head straight over right after mass, and decided on the way out the door to change there instead of stopping home first after mass, thus grabbing the 3 top shirts off the laundry basket– the matching of the 3 little ones wasn’t purposeful this time, but what a great color with the blues!! Thought we’d share a some photos of the day. If you do not live near the seashore, hopefully it’ll give you a little virtual experience. The kids were born and raised near the seashore, so they feel pretty at home there. We had a wonderful meal together of grilled cheeseburgers and fresh salad, out on the deck that they have set up so elegantly, overlooking the spectacular ocean scenery. What a great time we had!

{O} and {S} exploring.

A seaweed rock {J} found. Now if you’re thinking ‘Boy, does that boy need a haircut’, that’s exactly what I thought when I saw this photo! So he has had one since, and so has his brother. I am always astonished at how fast their hair grows. I actually like long hair on boys, but it doesn’t suit this boy right — he has LOTS and LOTS of hair like his Daddy. Anyway, he carried this funny rock around for awhile.

{S} shows me a little seashell he found. He knocked, but no one was home inside.

{S} just hanging out in the shade.

I don’t know how long {A} spent exploring and looking for crabs. She has loved doing this since she was 3 years old.

Pretty good at it too!!

{A} brought the bucket up to the deck, and Mammy decided to google how you can tell if a crab is a boy or a girl. She found that you can tell by the design on their bellies; boys have the shape of the Washington Monument, and girls have a shape like a honeycomb, or the Capitol Dome in Washington D.C. ! See? Ocean Science and U.S. History all wrapped in one! lol

Looks like this one is a boy, Mammy!

Summer is flying by, and even though we are looking forward to the coming Autumn season, these are the days we hold onto, in our hearts and memories. And photos, of course.

Practically a Perfect Saturday.

August 16, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

We had SUCH a fine day today, all the way around. After such a scheduled and active week with VBS and 5 early mornings in a row (big deal for us), today was just what we needed. It was practically a perfect Saturday.

We slept until 8:30 and then had a leisurely morning . just the way we like them, and almost always have any day of the week. Lingering, sleepy cuddles, and then up to hot coffee sipping and playing, until breakfast in pajamas.

Once we were all ready for the day, we headed out on a mission or 2. We had to deliver a job to Michael’s customer, and then we were on a quest to find dried lavender, for a craft project. I had called a few places before we left, but no one seemed to have it. So we thought we’d try the Farmer’s Market.

Farmer’s Markets; another one of those things I get silly-giddy about. I just love everything about them. The colors everywhere, the scents on the air of freshly-picked-this-and-that, and so many items hand or home made. We can appreciate the work that went into every produce or craft, and the hopes of the sellers to make profit. We love to support local businesses, and our community as a whole, anyway. It’s fun to go, and it’s wonderful to bring home such fresh and locally grown foods to enjoy together. Today, we picked up apples, tomatoes and 1/2 dozen ears of corn.

After another attempt to find the lavender, we gave up, and ended up having a spontaneous picnic. The weather was SO nice. We found the great grassy and shady spot, and had a mini feast on apples, clam strips, fries and ice tea. Afterwards, the kids played some old fashioned yard games (Red Light -Green Light, What time is it, Mr. Fox?, etc.)–as us parents laid on the spread watching them, and the fascinating clouds in the blue sky float by. Every moment was so enjoyable.

When we got home, I got so sleepy, and ended up taking a little cat-nap. (We went to bed way too late last night, again. ) As I awakened and blinked open my eyes, I found one of my little boys cuddled right up to me, just gazing at me with such love in his eyes — wide awake. If that didn’t make me smile enough, my little girl came in and gave me another incredible foot rub!! (She seriously could make a good living at this, already, even though she’s only 5. lol)

Soon it started storming – AGAIN!! We have had more summer storms this summer, complete with thunder and lightening. We all just love storms. The kids get downright excited — running from window to window, watching the flashes and counting down to the big crack-ba-ba-BOOOMMmm!!! Next thing we know, it was HAILING like mad, and that just pumped their excitement. They have never seen hail before, and boy was it coming down!!

I reached out on the deck and grabbed some, and all of the kids touched it. Then they had a spontaneous lesson on hail: why it forms and when it comes down in storms. Weather science at it’s best!! It really was amazing, and the kids were very amused at the way it bounced all over the place. I was having fun taking photos — even though I got wet every time, trying to quickly open and close windows or doors to take the shot. My favorite is the Little People shot on our deck table at the top of this post. I wanted to scream at her “Will you just get in the boat, already??” lol

Then it was time to start dinner. I had a perfect and simple summer dinner planned; tomato sandwiches and corn on the cob. As I was filling up the pan, which was on the counter, with water, {A} started urgently yelling for us to come see this:

…..the rain just pouring off our hillside into our not-yet-done retainer-planter walls. We were worried it was going to ‘take out’ our pumpkin patch! The water that was rushing off was just unbelievable, and of course was also photo-worthy. So I got my camera, and opened the window to get this shot too. Next thing I know, {A} is yelling again, from the kitchen this time. Guess why?? Remember the pan I was filling with water for the ears of corn?? Yeah……………..I never shut off the water when I dashed away to see what she was yelling about the first time. Typical-ADHD-me. : ) I didn’t feel the need to take a photo of that.

By the time the water in the kitchen was cleaned up, the sun was out!

Dinner was just….well, perfect!! Most especially the corn……WOW!!! It was the perfect corn we’ve tried to make 100 times before, the same exact way. But this time….it was all that we’ve dreamed. And we know why: It was farmer market fresh!! We really wished we got a dozen, and have plans to get more at the next Farmer’s Market Day. We have GOT to have some next time the kids Papa (my Dad) comes down. He just loves corn-on-the-cob that’s ‘just-right’. (He’s a natural-born food critic. Trust us.)

So that was our exciting and practically perfect Saturday. Just a simple day together, full of the kind of moments we love, that make up our life together. Just makes us look forward to tomorrow.

Our Surprise Little Pumpkin Patch (and a Peek at the Frogs, formerly Tadpoles!)

August 9, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

We just realized what we have growing outside our window in the back – it’s a pumpkin patch!! Ok, a very small patch, but it’s a surprise one, so we’ll take it!! We did throw our old and soft pumpkins out there last year, and the squirrels had a feast. But it seems some seeds took root in our very sandy earth.

Granted, it’s a brand new patch. Not sure what we’ll harvest in such a small patch, especially in it’s first year. But wouldn’t it be something to get at least 4 good pumpkins? One for each of the kids. That would just be awesome, as hopeful as it is. We don’t see any pumpkins quite yet though.

They’re probably not growing in the most ideal place either. This is right where the squirrels (and birds) spend their days frolicking about. We have good reason not to trust the squirrels, even with our big hard pumpkins we purchase from local farms. We try to adorn our steps and deck with such Autumn-themed harvest, but the squirrels haven’t much cared about our decorating. We put a pumpkin out on the steps, and they take a bite out of it! So we turn it so it doesn’t show. They take another bite, and we turn it once again. This goes on until there isn’t a good side to show. One year, we came home to find a squirrel sitting INSIDE our big pumpkin, having a feast from the inside-out. I was mad, but he was pretty cute in there, with such an innocent expression on his face. (The same misleading one they always have, and never changes. lol). They made an absolute mess of a corn stalk we ONCE put out there.

So we’ll see what becomes of this surprise pumpkin patch. Perhaps it’ll be surprisingly fruitful! We’ll keep you posted. Which reminds us: remember our 6 tiny potted-plants?? They didn’t make it. Ok – Daddy’s has a few remaining green leafs left, but the rest are as dead as can be. Not sure if it was the transplant, or the quality of the kit. SURELY it could not have been our plant care skills. : )

Had to throw in a shot of {A}s frogs. I actually took it through the observation window. They have their own pond-container now, and the still-changing tadpoles are in their own next it. They’ve all got a pretty nice pad out there. No pun intended. <croak>

Thanks for dropping by!

A Word on Mem Fox

August 8, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

I’m happy to say, we’ve managed to somewhat keep up with our Author Fiesta journey. As I mentioned was up next, the month of July featured children’s author Mem Fox.

I think you will find in this post, that I repeatedly will manage to compare Mem Fox, with our previous author who we studied, Patricia Polacco. It was quite a transition for us, and the only 2 authors we have studies thus far. So my thoughts inevitably compare the two, though they are both very gifted in their own right, and have both blessed the availability of wonderful children’s literature, in their own distinct ways.

Our experience with studying Mem was completely different than our 2 months with Patricia Polacco. Reason being, they are very different in their style of writing. Each of Patricia’s stories were a good and long read. One book could take us up to 20+ minutes! But we loved the depth of the story to each one of them, and enjoyed every page immensely, both in text and illustration. Mem’s stories are very simple and very short, which was a welcome perk with July being a very busy month for us as a family. We did not manage to get EVERY one of Mem Fox’s book from the library, but certainly a good tall stack. Unlike the huddling and cuddling that took place with Patricia’s stories through the months of May and June, with Mem’s we had most story times out on our deck, and breezed through 4 or 5 at a time. It was too hot for cuddling anyway!! In addition to story time, the kids read many of the books over and over again on their own. They LOVE to read. It seems all out loud, with different books, all at the same time. But that’s ok!! As long as they keep on loving reading!

Another vast difference in these authors was the illustration work. We enjoyed Patricia Pallaco’s own unique style of her own illustration work that went with each story she wrote. The familiar style of the pictures seemed to make us feel closer to Patricia, perhaps make a better connection with her, if that makes any sense. The illustration work that went with Mem’s books were inconsistent, explained by the fact that each had a different illustrator. Being an educated illustrator myself, some of the work I really admired, and some I didn’t care as much for. For ME, the illustration work really helps is a crucial element to my connection, or lack thereof, to each story.

Nonetheless, many of Mem’s stories, like Patricia’s, had an effective message or moral of the story, in a more subtle yet right to the point way. {S}’s favorite storybook of Mem’s was The Straight Line Wonder, and it was the book he chose to do an assigned illustration of his own for. It’s a wonderful story that encourages one to follow their heart in what they love to do, or who they want to be, regardless of if doing so makes them different. In this story, a group of ‘straight line’ friends worry about one of their own, who decides he’d rather not be a straight line all of the time. He was not afraid of being different, as the following excerpt expresses:

“People will stare!” said the other straight lines. “I don’t mind” said the 1st straight line, and he kept on jumping in humps, twirling in whirls, and pointing his joints.”

Sometimes, being different makes you stand out, but that can serve to be a good thing!! Such is the case with The Straight Line Wonder, he became famous as a showman, and spent the rest of his life doing what he loved to do.

{O}’s favorites were Sophie, Wombat Divine, and Where the Giants Sleep. Yet her drawing was from the book Sleepy Bears, which was my absolute favorite. (I wish there was a link to that one on the Mem Fox web site, which seems to need updating.) To start, the illustration work, by Kerry Argent, is beautiful. Very much my style of work. But my love for this story went beyond the pictures, to the content of the story, although I do believe the illustration work drew me in deeper than might have happened otherwise. First of all, I love the whole image in real life and in this book, of the family bed. (Although it’s not something we practiced with our children, until morning anyway. lol) I just love the illustration of all of those adorable bears, under that beautiful, colorful quilt, which I want!! But this story of Mem’s is also sort of reflective of a concept I have always tried to use with my children. I have always told them to think about fun and wonderful things that they love to think about as they drift off to sleep, and they just may have wonderful dreams about the same, even beyond their imagination.

{J} especially enjoyed Wombat Divine, and also Particular Cow, (which all of the kids thought was a riot), but he did a beautiful line drawing of Time for Bed. {A} really liked her work in Hunwick’s Egg and Particular Cow, but did an amusing illustration for Boo to a Goose,…specifically for the excerpt: “Id skip across town, with my pants hanging down, but I wouldn’t say “BOO” to a goose!” If you can only imagine, you’re probably imagining correctly. She thinks that part is the funniest thing.

My least favorite book was Feathers and Fools. While I ultimately liked the ending, I just found the story a little disturbing along the way. Maybe I am alone in my surprise, but I didn’t expect such ‘bloodshed’ to be part of a children’s story book. (is it ok to critique? Too late. lol) On a more positive note, I really loved the message of Whoever You Are, confirming the truth in the fact that no matter how different each of us looks, dresses, acts, or how or where we live, we are all the same. We also all enjoyed Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. It made me want to take my kids to do some visiting at the local nursing homes. (Can you do that anymore?) My children are still saying that line from the book “A memory is as precious as gold, young man, a memory is as precious as gold”. (Isn’t that the truth!!) I might add, more wonderful illustration work in that one as well, by Julie Vivas.

As I said, Mem Fox was a great fit for our busy month of July. We enjoyed her, but was still flying high from Patricia Polacco. This month we are behind already. While we are not at all familiar with Tasha Tudor’s work, I find her life story completely fascinating!! It’s virtually a dream I could go with; living on a farm and living the simple life as she did. Although I wouldn’t insist on roughing to quite the extent she did. I think the interesting details, simplicity and hard work ethics of her life will lend itself well to the report {A} writes on this particular author. Also, I was delighted to learn that she, like Patricia Polacco, also illustrated all of her own story books. Unfortunately, Tasha very recently past away. So her spirit truly will live on in her works now. I am very much looking forward to spending some time with my children, and a great big pile of books, that is the the work of her life. Best get to that library again, before August is over!

And to think it was once just a tiny acorn . . .

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