Being on the other side of all of the family gatherings and weekends away and the yard party and other summer fun, August appears, empty and full of the promise of much forced relaxation. First for mental clarity, and more importantly, for physical rehabilitation.
We had hoped for a beach trip and perhaps a road trip down to see the Redwoods in Northern California, but with the still enduring back pain and other connected symptoms, this was deemed a month of rest.
Well, "rest" is a relative term and can simply mean "not going away for vacation". The usual household and business activities continue full tilt, but added are visits to the naturopath's office for acupuncture and osseous manipulation.
The sun shines bright and hot. The garden is well into its first year of rest since the ground was turned (nine, ten years ago?), the flower beds are trying so, so hard to continue to look lush, but are succumbing to heat and exhaustion. It is all good. All of it.
I guess my nose was too close to the grindstone, getting ready for Market, to stop and document the world around me. It could also be that February is the most difficult month for me to take pictures of. Here in the Oregon foothills, it is so dark and damp and not much outside my window shows signs of life until the very last few weeks, when most of the following photos were taken.
We get excited about the smallest things in February, like a big display of hot cocoa, produced by our very own Boyd's Coffee Company, or a rare peek of sunbeams. Forced blooms, baby sheep, Valentine bouquets, and smiles hidden in the bubbles of a freshly brewed mug of coffee. It really is the simple things, that can make this life transcend ordinary, as long as we aren't too busy to notice.
When a girl turns 8 and her older brother just had an epic birthday the month before, you might think that she would expect to have a similarly epic birthday and demand equal treatment. But if she is as sweet as they come, she'll just be happy that her brother had an amazing birthday, and only expect some family time and a few presents for herself.
But that would be no fun for her Mama now, would it?
So... when a girl turns 8, there should definitely be a trip to the zoo with a cherished friend and surprisingly active animals considering the cold, cold weather. A visit complete with big cats and pocket gophers and porcupines and elephant ears and hot cocoa.
Then, after the long day's adventure, there should for sure be gigantic gift bags that hold pink polka-dotted babydoll prams.
And there should also be a really boring cardboard box holding a yet-to-be-assembled, but long coveted play kitchen, because five years of asking is just such a long time when you're 8. And of course, since this is a girl's 8th birthday, and since girls are allowed to be overcome by emotions from time to time, this experience should most definitely lead to a heartfelt declaration.
By way of refreshment after such a long and emotional day, there should be an amazing ice cream cake created by her favorite DQ cake decorator, with a candle shaped like the number 8 on top.
And the next day, all of her local family members should pile into a back room at Olive Garden for pasta and cupcakes and presents, while she presides at the head of the table wearing a paper crown with Elsa and Anna on it.
When a girl turns 8 and her celebration is life-changingly amazing, then presedence is surely set, and who knows what on earth could possibly follow it up the next year.
Letting Off Steam in the Great Outdoors :: Green Beans :: Down in the Valley :: Perch :: Droplets :: That Summer when the Sunflower Forest Sprung Up Beside Our House :: Pretty Weeds :: Morning Forage :: I Heart Squash :: Last Days of Summer :: Preen :: Church Should Always Take Place in Tree Cathedrals :: Don't Mind Me, Just Out for a Stroll :: On Any Given Day in Oregon :: Come Sit :: Final Firepit :: Evening Grosbeak :: Coffee Shop Checkers :: Western Sky :: Glow
