bubbles & memories

today was our 3rd annual bubblefest. thehobbit had fun getting slimed, & running wild with the shorties. i love that at 10yo he is still mad for blowing bubbles. we were only able to stay 2 hours, which meant less time for me to chat with the mamas. i was bummed, but i knew that coffee was at the other end of our errands. coffee is good.

after errands; & coffee; i popped online to start working on an article. i needed a photo from last year, & soon found myself lost in memories. isn't amazing how much we forget? not that we went here or there, but all the little details of a day that are quickly replaced by all the little details of another day. wild.

photo :: thehobbit & minisoap @ the getty villa

i was taken aback by how much thehobbit's face has changed. the difference between 9 & 10 is great. for starters, he's the owner of a full mouth of teeth. his face has matured a little as well; in a way different from the usual getting biggerdom. now he's showing signs of a face to come. does that make sense?

photo :: thehobbit & minipaper @ the huntington

it was a lovely stroll through thehobbit's past adventures - even more lovely was seeing the same shorties growing bigger through the adventures with him. a little crew of shorties; so cool.

ooh!

~peace.

some ruddy bird named errol

at the start of the term last autumn, thehobbit received regular owls from his professors at hogwarts. occasionally his owl post box contained something fun like a trinket, or copy of the daily prophet.

during the winter holidays the owls came less frequently, with the last one arriving just after the dawning of the new year. he checked daily, & asked constantly where his owls were. i gave every excuse i could come up with, & eventually he stopped asking - about the same time that i ran out of reasons to explain my laziness the mysterious lack of post.

he was sad. i knew this, & kept meaning to arrange more owls, but i was so lazy busy. plus i was vying for 'worst mama of the year', & knew that not doing something simple; that gave him such pleasure; would surely win me that title.


not to be outdone, the other mamas decided they too must win 'worst mama of the year', & promptly gave up owls. they both claim they got too busy as well, but i know better. they are a sneaky, diabolical lot. i digress.

we had an official meeting (that's code for 'putting down our teacups',) & decided that for the summer term we'd not create potterfied hand-outs for each lesson, & focus that energy on owl post instead. we are nothing if not brilliant.

last night i printed thehobbit's hogwarts homeschool acceptance letter, & snuck outside to put it into the owl post box. when he woke today:

k: (oh so casually) you know, this tuesday is the start of summer term at hogwarts.

th: yay! (jumping out of bed to do the happy dance) i haven't had hogwarts in forever! (2 weeks)

k: did your letter arrive yet?

th: (saddest face ever) no mama. remember i don't get owls anymore.

k: about that - i finally learned why you stopped getting them.

th: why?

k: it turns out the owl that was assigned to us was trained by errol.

th: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. (nodding as if to say 'say no more')

k: it's all sorted out, & the school has assigned us a new owl.

th: what is his name?

k: (oops)

th: mama?

k: i didn't ask, but i will. (quickly changes the subject) so you should start checking your owl post box daily.

th: (runs out of the bedroom, then out onto the front porch) (squealing...) mama! mama! post! there's post! it's my acceptance letter!

k: (damn. i think i just lost my chance at winning that title.)

~peace.

*note: if you have yet to read the harry potter books, then this post has confused you beyond measure. a) sorry about that, & 2) get reading!*

** edited to add: before i get any emails of concern about thehobbit:he knows that owls aren't actually delivering mail from hogwarts. he knows that the aunties & i are responsible. he is 10 after all. he has a freakyhuge imagination, & a strong desire to believe. so i just keep acting as though it is all real, & he happily makes believe. occasionally i get an eye-roll or two, but they stop once i ask if he wants to stop having hogwarts. thanks in advance for your concern.**

do i have to unpack?

can't i just leave all the gear in bella? do i really need room for people groceries & the like? it would be so much easier to leave it there, & go about my days. we'll camp again eventually, so it wouldn't be as if all that gear was needlessly taking up space.

the campout was great fun! we had one scary night with freakystrong winds, but other than that it was fabulous. the camp was on a bluff above the ocean, so we had the most amazing view. from our camp we saw a great many pelicans flying & diving - or perhaps it was one flock that we saw a great many times. hmm. either way, they were fun to watch. wednesday morning we were thrilled to see a sea lion, & a pod of dolphins. i wish we had been down on the beach for that, but they were close enough to the shore to be seen clearly from on high.

i enjoyed spending time with my friends, & even managed a bit of knitting. thehobbit had such a wonderful time, that more than once he wouldn't leave playing to chat with daddyo on the cell! now that is something.

as much as i love camping; & am bummed when a trip ends; i must say that i'm glad to be home. i would be more glad were house elves to suddenly appear, finish my unpacking, clean my filthy house, & cook my dinner. does anyone have a spare house elf they can send my way?

that's all for today. i just wanted to pop in, & say hello.
~peace.

we're off!

assuming all hobbity glands are back down to a normal size; we're leaving tomorrow for our first campout of the year.

this is where we'll be sleeping all week. in my imagination at any rate. reality; cold mistress that she is; will find us in our trusty little tent. nothing between us & the raccoons bears, but a thin layer of fabric. i do love the zzzzzzip! sound of the tent door though.

whilst i'm away i expect you to be on your best behavior. i'll miss you!!!!! (manlyman said i cannot bring the laptop camping, because he is mean.)

~peace.