Remembering.....

How can it have been a year already since we were in England? And am I just going to get more and more weird about time flying? I seem to be asking questions like this way the heck too often. Signs of aging? Naaaaah.
So, an insurance/magazine saleswoman stopped by the house today. Yes. Stopped by. Now, I'm not sure when the last time was that someone came to YOUR door selling something besides Girl Scout cookies, but for me, well it's been a long time. And, it's pretty surprising when you live in a 'gated community' (yes, we are--but that's a story for another time) way out in the boonies, like we do. My Dad assures me that farm magazines have been sold this way forever. That lady could talk. I talk a lot, but she talked circles around me. I gave her a cup of tea. Her mother was English (from Lincolnshire) and we talked about England and lots of other things. AND I did NOT NOT NOT buy anything from her or convert to her brand of religious affiliation or anything else. I shook her hand and thanked her for the free Grit Magazine and sent her on her merry way so I could make scalloped potatoes.
However, I did not need her to remind me of England, oh no. Eleanor and I have been thinking about it all week. The wedding, the wedding festival, the dancing, the red heads, the freckles, the garden, the pasties, the Cornish Coast, the thatched roofs, the cute cottage names, the music and poetry, the amazing people, the cream and jam, the acting, Stonehenge, the road trip, the accents, the double-decker bus, the rock walls and hedges... Ohhhhh when can we go back to England, mama?

The Magic Tooth Theory

As Miss Eleanor was nearly drifting off to sleep last night, she complained, "I wish my tooth would come out." I offered to help for the millionth time, because it has been hanging by a thread for too many days. I wiggled a bit, but that was painful, and then, I just pushed on her gums, and POP it came out. She managed not to swallow it--she was lying down at the time. Then I realized it was July 1st. She got her first tooth EXACTLY 6 years ago, on July 1st 2002. Is that not weird. I am pretty sure that Gus did the same thing. I wonder how many kids loose their teeth so close to 6 years after they get them. Here is a photo of Ella (as she was known then--maybe even Ellabean) on July 1, 2002. What a cutie. She IS wearing a Christmas shirt--as I recall it was the only white longsleeved shirt she had (and a handmedown from Gus, at that) to protect her from the hot hot sun in Cashmere, WA as Robert and I paraglided. OOOeee. You cannot see the tooth here. But it was there. She and Gus also both started walking the same week they got their tooth. Gus actually started talking at the same time, too. El was ahead of the verbal game. Only 3 months after this photo was taken she said, "Don't do dat to me mama!" I just want to eat her up in this photo. Good thing I didn't!

Oh, and this, too.

I meant to post these earlier and am wishing I could get them a little smoother. The soundtrack goes like this "This is so fun, Mom!" said Eleanor. "I want to go too!" said Gus, "But, it's scary." "Here, I will help you," offered Eleanor. Lots of rippling water sounds and quiet concentration punctuated by eeks of fear/delight, and finally they are back on this side, happy and triumphant. A creek is a good thing to have nearby. This is the same creek that flows through the land we live on, but we don't have this kind of 'rapids.'

Alsea Falls

There is not much better in the summer than getting in cold water on a hot day. We have had many hot days lately and some friends called to see if we would like to go to Alsea Falls, which is outside the town of Alsea, the next town along the road to the coast. I did not get many good pictures, because I ditched my camera so I could get into the water--and ended up getting all the way wet, which was great fun. Eleanor was really interested in learning how to swim. It was very cold, though so she just kept screaming, loudly. The last time we were at Alsea falls was with my friend Naoki who grew up in urban Japan, and had never had berries in the wild before. The time before that, Lucy was in the sling, and I slipped, fell and got really scared that Lucy was hurt. She landed on me, so no damage done. This time, I slipped, fell and have a bruise that I can't see but can feel--all of us ended up falling down, but it amazed me how incredibly independent the kiddos were. Amazing how fast things change. Summer is in full swing, and we have chosen to fill July with activities: modern dance, ballet, gymnastics, violin and cello. Hopefully we can fit lots of friend time in there, and some camping too. Next weekend is the Oregon Country Fair, where we hope to see our friends the Ricochet Circus and Nanda, that is, if I am not at a birth, which would be lovely in a different way. My cool blessings to all women pregnant at this time of the year in the northern hemisphere. I remember, oh yes I do.