With Adelaide drifting through a high fever nap in the sling, the boys make halfhearted, restless attempts at quiet play. Clearly they would rather be shaking about in goofy gyration to some raucous tunes or scaling the small mountain of ice deposited so graciously by our heroic plow guy (He may not leave much room for vehicular passage but he does set the kids up with some serious winter terrain). But, Papa had his hands full of sad sweetness and the motivation for them to get geared and out the door, without help, was failing them in miserable fashion.
Eventually, they geared down and sunk into some late afternoon projects. I got Ezra a book from the shelf that I often turn to when asked to draw...well, any animal pretty much. Good old Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Animals leads you through a really simple progression of shapes added together to build a variety of animal characters from lady bugs to dragons.
Before long I was being handed a steady stream of drawings that each contained significant alterations to Mr. Emberley's originals although, I'm sure he would have been pleased by each. I had no recourse but to begin covering the refrigerator with them as fast as they came. In typical Ezra style the last drawing was not from the book but from his very own, very big heart - a tiny hand making the "I love you" sign. He's nice.
Meanwhile, on a train of thought far far away, was Calvin. He had concocted a mouse condo out of cardboard and decked it with all the plush comforts a small rodent could want. Such as a wet/dry lounging area and a tunnel to the half pipe box. This explained the series of, "Do you think a mouse could fit through this?" questions. He was now busily working on a trap to acquire a tenant for his abode.
A moment of silence washes over the house. I stop to breathe and realize how amazing it is to be home for a few weeks while SouleMama finishes her manuscript. Shadows lengthen and the sun gives us a last brilliant display of light as night falls all around. No two days are alike. What a beautiful place.
