my friends

Naiya’s been telling lots of stories lately. Often they begin like this, “My friends said...”, or “Once, my friends, they went to...” Most often these are not actual living breathing friends to which she is referring. Nor are they specific imaginary type friends. They're abstractions. Maybe a way to back herself up. I’m not sure. If ever I ask about these friends she is vague and changes the subject or ignores my inquiries.
Today we were in the kitchen once again. I was chopping up nuts for the granola. Naiya was curiously watching . Mostly quiet. Then she pipes up, “My friends...they say you can carpen a knife.” I look at her and smile. When she makes these grammatical errors I usually gently correct them within the flow of conversation without bringing too much attention to them. “They say we can SHarpen knives?” I ask her (with a slight emphasis on the SH). “No.” She replies. “My friends...my boy friends...they speak Spanish and they say you can Carpen a knife.”
“Okay then,” I say. We both smile at each other.

hallowe'en

My folks live in a really wonderful neighborhood where a lot of people decorate for Hallowe'en and scores of young children safely roam the streets collecting their booty.
At twilight Oma dressed up as a witch and escorted our adorable chicken daughter out the door and off on a brand new kind of adventure.
At the first house, the neighbors were giving away full size candy bars.  Now this is Naiya's first trick-or-treating year at the very first house.  The standard is set.
At the second house, another very kind neighbor drops the typical "fun-size" candy into Naiya's basket.  Our chicken looks into her basket then looks up at the neighbor...
"This is a very small candy," she tells her.  (Her entire trick-or-treating history of course is based on the single last house and the giant candy.  How else is she to respond?)
"Would you like another one?" the surprised neighbor offers.
"Yes please," Naiya says.
And we're off...

lantern walk

For the Lantern Walk we made our lantern at home out of a jar, tissue paper, autumn leaves and a bit of copper wire.  Along the candlelit path at the Rhododendron Garden the children encountered roaming singers and pipers as well several gracious givers of small gifts.




There one was a girl called Naiya who had who had been outside in the garden all through the Summer running after the butterflies, jumping like a grasshopper, singing like a bird, and trying to catch the sunlight. One day when she was lying on her back in the meadow gazing up into the sun-filled sky, she said, “Dear Brother Sun, soon the Autumn winds will blow and wail, and Jack Frost will come and make us all freeze, and the nights will be long and cold.”
Brother Sun pushed the clouds aside and said, “Yes, it will be dark and cold. In the deep midwinter, warmth and light live deep within, hidden from sight. In the time of dark and cold, you will tend the Light Within.”
“But,” said Naiya, “How will I tend this Light when it’s dark everywhere around me?” “I will give you a spark of my last Autumn rays once you have made a little house for it, for this spark must be guarded well. It will light the way for you to tend the Light Within throughout the time of dark and cold.”
And then Brother Sun once hid again behind a cloud. Naiya went home and wondered how best she could make a little house for the spark of the sun. She took some tissue paper and some beautiful Autumn leaves and with glue pressed them onto the outside of a glass jar. Then she bound the top with a handle and formed it into a lantern. She took a candle and put it into the middle of her lantern. And, as it was growing dark, she went outside with it.
Naiya held the lantern up above her and said, “Brother Sun, I have made a little home for one of your golden sparks. Please may I have one? I will guard it well.”
Then Brother Sun looked out from behind a cloud and said, “You have made a beautiful home. I shall give you one of my golden sparks.”
And suddenly, Naiya saw how the sides of her lantern were lit up, and as she looked into the lantern, she saw a spark happily dancing on top of the candle. Oh, how happy the light was in her lovely lantern! It shone and shone so brightly.
“Thank you, Brother Sun,” Naiya called out, “Thank you.” And she took her lantern and carried it carefully home singing:

The sunlight fast is dwindling,
My little lamp needs kindling.
Its beam shines far in darkest night,
Dear Lantern, guard me with your light.

(from Autumn: A Collection of Poems, Songs and Stories for Young Children) 

harvest festival

With the last of everyone's yummy summer crops coming to an end, today it was the Harvest Celebration at Naiya's school. We enjoyed a giant, delicious community potluck as well as some fun Autumn games (like gourd bowling and the corn ring toss) and also a bit of wax leaf dipping, wet felting and pumpkin carving. Actually, all those things were available to do but really we just ate, watched other children and played in the grass. Our little one was staying mostly in our arms. She was, however, pretty keen on the sweets table. Also, she did run from our grasp in support of the third grade bake sale :)

third birthday

This year we celebrated Naiya's birthday with family and friends at Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island.  We couldn't decide on a cake so, since she turned three we made three.  Ryan made three, I should say.  And they were a hit.  Most of our guests were gone by early afternoon but Naiya didn't want to leave so for many more hours she and Uncle Tim explored the farm, took another hay ride, sang and danced in the gazebo and even found a fuzzy caterpillar in the sunflower rows.

The day had begun overcast, drizzly and gray but by noon it was a perfect blue sky filled with cotton clouds.

old people, new people

We went to the Cider Pressing Festival out at Philip Foster Farm in Eagle Creek this Saturday. They had pony rides, folks making butter, blacksmithing, wood carving, places for kids to try out hand clothes washing and log cabin building and, of course, apple trees and presses for making cider. We got the last apples from the trees and ended up with less than half a gallon of cider but it was delicious. Probably the best part of the day were the fiddlers playing on the stage. Naiya especially liked the young musicians. At one point there were some folks even dancing. I pointed to them from across the field through some trees we were sitting under at the time. “Naiya,” I said, “Can you see the old people dancing to the violin music?” She looked over for a bit and then turned to me and asked, “Are there any NEW people dancing?”

fruit loop

Naiya, Ryan and I recently took the Hood River Fruit Loop to partake in the annual Pear Celebration. The drive is through some incredibly beautiful countryside. Naiya said, "We're always going to so many farms... " Ah, the better to know our food and farmer friends my dear. We stopped into Rasmussen and walked the corn maze within which we performed a fun search for the ever elusive Waldo (of story book fame). Naiya wanted to do it twice and seemed to really enjoy the Where's Waldo concept. (So we got her her first Waldo book for her birthday :) We also picked apples at Kiyokawa and played in their very cool castle (built of old wooden fruit bins).