Mysticism

The Mystic Aquarium was amazing. It took about an hour and forty five minutes to get there. Both Henry and Nora really enjoyed it. The thing that struck me the most though was Henry. This summer has been about swimming lessons and riding bikes, things that he has to push himself to do, much less enjoy.  Finally, Henry was in his element. He was relating what he knew from the myriad books he has read to the real life animals. He walked through wide eyed , his brain clicking off information left and right. He was like a sponge. God I loved it. This is what learning is about. Research, knowledge, application and wonderment. He loved the seals, the jellyfish (of course) and touching the rays. (He just whispered that in my ear :)

The trip was interrupted by a semi-quick tropical style storm that dumped a ton of water on the park,  but we stayed indoors for that time and busied ourselves with the titanic exhibit and the Sponge Bob 4D movie. Actually, both kids kind of freaked at the movie. Nora left in tears and Henry demanded to sit on my lap. We spent about five hours at the aquarium and felt like we saw everything. Mystic itself seemed just a place begging to be explored. I may go back to do just that.

the end of swimming lessons

Well, neither of them graduated. Nora is a lot more confident then Henry is. He is still so scared of the water. The picture above is so typical of swim lessons. The brave life guard, deftly trying to talk Henry into jumping in, or dunking under, or floating on his back, or well, you get the picture. All the while, Henry is telling them that he doesn't want to, or trying to sidetrack them with conversation about microbes, or bargaining his way out of it. He truly is scared of it, and I tell him all the time that it is a brave thing that he is doing. Facing fears in all of their variety is so difficult. Its hard though because all that he sees is the three year old jumping in next to him. Nora used this as a catalyst to become a better swimmer than Henry, and I think it worked. Although, she didn't graduate either. I think that might have something to do with going to the beach instead of swimming in a pool. Both Henry and Nora just kind of hang out on the shore line at Comet when we go.

It all doesn't matter of course, they will learn at their own pace and I will consistently push them forward in it. It's important to learn how to swim. It's almost mandatory in New England. I told the kids that we could go out either for lunch or supper in celebration of the end. They of course went for immediate satisfaction and chose lunch. I spent a while trying to think of someplace fun to take them and ended up opting for something a little different. I went to Gardner (yes that is different, but that's not what I meant) and parked the car in the center. I told them that they were going to guide me through the center, we could go in any store they chose, and that they would decide the restaurant that we ate in.

We strolled past an amazing amount of closed down, run down, broken glass store fronts. Gardner has always had it rough, but man... crazy. We wen't in an old hobby store with train tracks and battle scenes set up all over the place. An odd little jewelry/dog treat store that actually looked like it could have resided comfortably in North Hampton. (We bought Chaucer a squeaky rubber duck to chew on... its presently lost somewhere in the house). They passed up on John's sport store, but couldn't get by Priscillas. Such a great candy store... homemade and awesome. They bought salt water taffy... who wouldn't!?

They reserved their decision until the last place that we looped back too, the Gardner Ale House. I actually really liked it there. It was packed! On a Thursday afternoon, packed. It seemed like it had absorbed all that was left of the customers in Gardner. I walked in and there was Brian, my well-dressed (I've never seen him in a tie before) cousin. I guess the restaurant is his client for food sales. He's such a good kid... well, man now I guess. I am glad to see him doing so well.  We sat, and I ordered a hummus sandwich. Henry had the kids pasta (because of the bread sticks) and Nora... well... the ubiquitous chicken fingers of course. I was skeptical of the sandwich but was really pleasantly surprised by a nice, fresh, well put together meal. I think I may go back at some point.

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Bun

Vietnamese cold noodle salad. Oh my. It has become such a treat in this house. The last time I made it it was for friends at a make shift bun party. (bun, pronounced like a scottish man says fun). Its so good! I got a recipe in one of my fine cooking magazines. I tried making it, but it wasn't until I actually went to a vietnamese restaurant and ordered it there that I got the hang of what it was supposed to taste like. I am in love.

It is made in layers. First, there is an herby, cold, leaf salad placed on the bottom of the bowl. I used lettuce, cilantro, mint and basil (the cilantro and basil were from my garden YAY!) Then, a bunch of noodles are placed on top (not too much though, I use Soba noodles or Udon sometimes. Both are readily available at Ocean State Job Lots of all places... and  cheap!) On top of that goes the searing hot protien of choice. I love the pork. I actually veered from their recipe for this because I didn't want to make the caramel every time. So I used their recipe for the marinade, and then just dumped a bunch of brown sugar in and let it sit. On the barbecue, it sears and caramelizes and becomes something incredible.

The one oddity in this recipe is the fish sauce. Its used in the marinade and in the Nuoc Chom (the amazingly good sauce that you poor over the bowl of bun right before you eat it.) Fish sauce smells incredibly bad.... like rotten fish, because it is rotten fish. But don't fear the fish sauce!! It, when used in correct proportions of other ingredients, becomes this deep, umami, yummy flavor that deepens the taste and rounds everything out. Also, it never goes bad. It sits, unrefrigerated, in a cabinet in my kitchen and has been there for two years, and will be there for many many more. Until I run out I guess. That, and a little bit of crushed, salted peanuts sprinkled over the top, and you are good to go! Oh Bun, how I love thee.

fields of sun

Henry and Nora came with me this morning. Its funny, they were looking for the grasshoppers from a few days ago and were kind of disappointed that they weren't there. I am feeling the sumer slipping away. This one seemed to go faster than others. Summers are a gift. I know that I don't make a whole lot as a teacher, trust me, I know, but the summers make it worth it. Its forced, unpaid time off, but man, a couple of months of straight out bonding with my kids. I can't get enough.

I find myself hunting for the same experience that I had as a kid, that kind of never-ending summer feeling, where you run out of things to do and it doesn't matter because that's what summer is for. Where you spend all deep in the woods, only showing up for a quick sandwich for lunch and then back for dinner. Where (and this somehow epitomizes it for me) you are so absent from expectation that you get caught up in the little dust particles floating in the sunbeam shining through your bedroom window... spinning... floating. Well, I can't seem to find it. I always have obligations. Summers have become times for getting things done. Building sheds, painting bathrooms, making sure the kids are having a good time. As I am learning, my time is really not my own, not like it is when we were kids. It's ok... kind of. Maybe it comes back at retirement? I don't know. Or maybe I don't want that back. It is primarily selfish after all.
floating
spinning

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Listening to the small things

It has been a while since I have been able to get out by myself. Jenny has been working in the morning, and I have been staying up late for some reason or another. It's funny, if I don't get up before everyone else, I don't generally go out with Chaucer. I guess its something about commitments. Even if Jenny is home, if the kids are up and aware, I feel obligated to be there for them. I have this inner feeling that if I leave the house, things may go awry. I guess that's a lot of psych stuff to be carrying.

I loved the silence this morning. It was 57 degrees out. The horseflies don't fly when its that cold. The mosquitoes are kind of past. I walked and thought. I miss this time. I need to retrain myself to get up early again, especially in the light of school starting in a couple of weeks. I feel that too.

The peeper (frog) had climbed up to head level on this milkweed. Just part of the chorus of sounds that hold me in the morning. The caterpillar didn't really contribute, but it was so.... raggey? It looks like someone knit it out of wool or something. The caterpillars are out now. I love em, bright and crazy looking, eating everything in sight.

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My kingdom for a microbe!

We bought Henry this Microscope for Christmass this year from a medical overstock website, and we have yet to actually see anything living under it. Jen even pricked herself and put her own blood on a slide, but by the time we prepared it, everything was completely brown and stagnant. We went to Comet Pond today and swam in between thunder strikes. We saw some old friends there (Hi Dave if you are reading this entry) and I made sure to get a sample so he could check it out. Well half an hour and three preparations and..... nothing. Some algae, I guess that counts as living, but nothing moving. Henry boldly proclaimed discoveries, "Its a Water Bear!" No Henry that was a piece of sand. "Dad... I think that's a Hydra!" Nope, that's a plant fiber. "Dad... is that a Donut?!" That's a bubble.
Tomorrow I am going to go down and scrape some of that snotty green stuff that grows in the river behind our house and smear it all over several slides and find something that moves. Well, that's the plan any way.

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Two things I have never seen

Well, I have been sick again. The Norovirus hit us again. Twice this year. It put all of us down for three days now. I could go into detail, but I promise it wasn't pretty here. Henry got it somewhere a week or so ago and then gave it to the rest of us, who came down with symptoms three days ago. It hit like a brick wall. Within one hour, I went from perfectly fine to amazingly sick. Three days later and I am still dizzy and I haven't really eaten anything but brothy chicken soup. So... that's whats up here.  This post is actually from a few days ago.

The morning of the day that I got sick, I went on a three hour hike through the park. It is a route that I have taken before, and one that I particularly like. It winds through open pasture, deep pine woods, huge oak trees, narrow bogs and its circular (something that I really love). I love it when I can out-hike Chaucer. By the end (well not the very end where he jumps into the river before getting back into the truck) he was completely dragging his feet. One new indispensable item that I have loved taking with me recently is this electrifying racket thing that zaps flies out of the air. My parents gave it to me. I shunned it as overly gadgety for a while, but man, the sharp zap and burnt popcorn smell of frying the crap out of any horsefly that dares fly around my head is worth the embarrassment of not "roughing it."

I saw a couple oddities today, one of which completely stumped my knowledge of nature. (We'll get to that one later) First, I thought that these ducks were a bunch of female mallards all congenially chumming around with each other all lined up on this log. But, upon a bit more research, I think these might be Mexican Ducks. (No lie). I guess they are a derivation of mallard that has lost the male's coloration. New to me....

By the way, a couple of things before we get going, first, please remember that you can click on any of these pictures to get the big version, and second, if you click the title of my blog, it will take you to the whole blog and you can scroll through old entries. I actually enjoy doing that quite a bit. Right, now for the stumper. I was way in the woods aspect of my hike (about two hours in) when Chauc tromped off on a little side path like he always does. I followed him in a bit and I found this tree. It's hard to see in the picture, as it was in real life. Take a close look though, its growing in an arch. Both sides of this maple are rooted into the ground. There is nothing bending and holding down the top. It's rooted there. A natural, growing archway in the middle of the woods. I wouldn't be honest if I told you I didn't walk through it half-expecting something crazy to happen. Well.... I guess the norovirus did hit us that night... maybe its cursed. Who knows............

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