Must Milk Cow

Childhood is not complete without a few basic events.

1) scraped knees.

2) getting lost in the grocery store.

3) family dog chewing the legs off of Barbie.

4) milking a cow on a school field trip.

Well, my kids can check #4 off the list.

Real Life Farm was the most hands-on field trip I've ever been on.

The farmer kept asking for parent volunteers for this or that, and my hand kept on raising itself.

So I was able to help children bottle feed an Angora goat kid named Angel. And I somehow ended up leading the mini horse around the corral after lunch.

My kids also were able to pet, feed, and generally snuggle all manner of farm animals, including piglets, ducklings, chicks, kittens, and sheep.

With a sack lunch and a hayride thrown in, that was one packed field trip.

And my kids are one step further along on their journey of childhood.

What's this I hear about the Farmers' Market?

Well, I got to thinking...

I've got all these hobbies. Sustainability hobbies. These things take time. Not everybody has lots of time. But many people want eco-friendly options. Simple options.

So I'm taking my hobbies public.

Form of - Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market!

My booth is called the Eventual Farmer, which reflects my realization that the more I learn about mainstream production of food and goods, the more I'd like to be able to make things for myself and my family. I'm trying to, in my small way, move away from our love affair with consumption and get back to the simpler way of producing my own necessities. And, in the process, help my family produce less trash (even recyclables).

And the Farmers' Market is one way for me to share these homemade, simple options with others.

And so I offer four items, each with at least one repurposed or reclaimed component:

Simple Laundry Soap

Sandwich Wrap

Fabric Gift Bags

Lavender Sugar Scrub

If you'd like to see these simple options in person, find me on Tuesdays, 2 - 6pm, at the Market. I'll be there these days:

May 10 and 31,

June 7 and 21,

July 5 and 26,

Aug 9 and 23,

Sept 13 and 27,

Oct 11 and 25.

The Accidental Field Trip

Last Friday's forecast: rain, and more rain.

Our emotional status: missing Grandma Sheila.

Calender says: Easter weekend.

The result: trip to Grandma's and field trip to .....

... a family friend's art gallery. This long-time friend melts glass and shapes it into beautiful and interesting forms.

Bowls.

Dangly things.

Cityscapes.

Your general wall art.

Although I loved seeing her Glass With Sass show, I really enjoyed the tour she gave us of her work studio.

It's housed in a purple barn that's next to her purple house and I loved seeing her supplies, works in progress, and interesting things tucked into every corner.

Look what I spied up in the rafters.

Here's the kiln.

Why on earth would anyone have a plain set of drawers, when they could have a multi-colored one?

A few generations of artists in this family.

By Saturday, we were back home, the sun had come out, and somebody felt like a good ol' fashioned game of Easter tug-of-war.

What's new in the yarden?

The other day I let the word yarden slip when speaking in a group of people. What do they say, "Out of the mouth comes the overflow of the heart?" or something like that. But it's true, whenever we have an uncertain area of the yard, someone in the family suggests planting berries or perennials there. So, slowly but surely, our yard is shrinking and the garden is growing. Hence, yarden.

The Music Man pulled out the power tools and built me this charming gate. Hopefully that will cut down on the unauthorized munching.

One afternoon last fall I got possessed and pulled up all the unruly plants around the Japanese maple and made a serene, little rock garden from the stones we had discovered buried elsewhere in the yard. Since this is what I see from the kitchen sink, the dinner table, and our bedroom windows, I really wanted it to whisper "peace."

Spring surprises me every year with these beauties.

As always, I've got a surplus of green onions in the herb spiral. Anyone want some? They do well just about anywhere, even containers.

Only two more weeks till (vegetable) planting time!

Dying eggs, round 2

Never mind that Easter was officially yesterday.

We need to get pink eggs.

Although there was definitely a big, fat, adventurous spirit to our last egg-coloring event, I came away really longing for that cheerful pink egg.

A friend suggested hibiscus tea. Nice idea, except that my local grocery store just sells regular stuff, so I had to settle for a combo pack of fruit teas. A humorous home remedy story comes to mind, in which I accidentally dyed my daughter's face red with a cranberry tea.

I get the tea home and see that the first ingredient in 4 out of 5 tea flavors is hibiscus. Sheesh.

So we try again.

This time we have Raspberry Zinger, True Blueberry, and Country Passion Peach. Someone else mentioned that they never dye white eggs at their house, only brown, because the results are so much more interesting. We try both.

The results: Brown and Browner.

I think I'll wait till next year to try the beets. I'm up to my vent in egg salad.

preschool is not complete without...

For some reason, I don't think a child should be allowed to graduate from an accredited preschool without fulfilling certain requirements.

1) being able to use a public restroom

2) being able to write one's own name

3) growing something from seed

4) mixing colors of paint

5) milking a cow

6) visiting a fire station

With my younger daughter just weeks away from tossing her cap, I've had to consult my list of graduation requirements. Lucky for us, our local cooperative preschool is nothing short of stellar, and works almost all of these into the curriculum.

For example, we recently went to the Pittsfield Township Fire Station.

Field trippers of all ages enjoyed this visit. The kids loved climbing in the trucks and seeing the firefighters' sleeping quarters.

I loved the fire engine red washer and dryer.

How strange to see an otherwise spotless station strewn with boots and laundry, only to realize that these are uniforms in their waiting position!

Kids complied when parents requested small group photos.

The firefighters were friendly and informative. I learned that the station receives 7 calls daily and most of them are health related. One firefighter proudly revealed that he had wanted to be a firefighter since he was 5 years old!

Next field trip: Real Life Farm to milk that cow!

I brake for museums.

The recent Spring Break afforded us some much needed free time. But looking ahead to a full week of open time, I got a little twitchy and gravitated toward my sanity mainstay: The Play Date.

One day we met some school friends at the Detroit Children's Museum and loved it. Its small size lent itself to satisfaction as we were able to see/play/experience all that we wanted to without feeling rushed.

Another day we met some oldie-but-goodie friends at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. Also a fun time to explore, but we only did a fraction of what was offered before kids and adults alike started mumbling about lunch.