A quicky: Bushtit style

Noun 1.  quicky - hurried repair 

The free dictionary 

A string of e-mails:

Me: "B-tit weekender?" 

Beth: "I'm game.......there are spotted owls!!!!!   I can squeeze it in."

Me: "I can go for a quickee this weekend. How about you?"

Beth: "possibly, let me work on it and I'll call you" 

 ...and the next thing I knew, I was sleeping on a strangers floor in Ceder City.

Me looking for the owls. Thanks Beth for the photo!

Beth and I got up early in Ceder city and headed for Zions NP. The owl has been seen within a short section of the Angels Landing trail referred to as refrigerator canyon.  This section of trail winds through two parallel cliff walls and contains a small old growth forest. The prefered habitat of the Spotted owl.

We wandered down the trail pausing to look at every tree and every branch of every tree. Along the way:

• We enjoyed the nest of a House Wren. The excited calls of its young each time the hurried parent entered the nest. 
• We learned the "chink, chink, chink, chink" calls of the Virginia Warbler and wondered at when we last saw them. 
• We ignored the weird looks from other hikers as they wondered about our strange behavior. Move 5 feet. Look at a tree. Listen. Listen. Repeat. 
• We were interrupted by an excited man who wanted to know if we are watching the "tiny, bright, yellow birds?". When I told him we were looking for an owl, expecting him to be impressed, he shrugged and went his way. I did not tell him but, it was obvious he had witnessed his first yellow warbler. 
• We did NOT see the owls. 

So we returned for a second try with plan B: look at the rock wall.  After a few minutes of Plan B, Beth found an owl sitting in a small cave. Out of sight from the trail.

Northern Spotted Owl; Zions NP

 Its mate and young was not seen while we were there.
We then finished the climb.

On the way down we spotted this beauty:

White lined sphinx moth caterpillar; Zions NP

I love being able to throw a last minute trip together. Thanks Beth for sharing in the adventure. I think that this quicky was a bit painful to both of us and our families but it was well worth it. Now on to Lava hot springs and Bear lake!

Things I overheard: Casi

Casi- taking pictures
(taken with my Iphone)

Casi: "Mom, I whine more than you."

Me: "No. I whine too. They just call it something else."

The end of another school year!

I have survived my  first child's year of Jr High school. Casi is no longer a sevie. 

She received an award for one of three top scoring students in reading. I received a letter the week before saying that she would receive an award. I did not tell her. I just showed up. Then when she came into the assembly room, I waved and waved and waved but she was talking to some kids and laughing, and talking. She sat down about four seats and a row away from me. I still waved. But then,  I stopped because, I looked ridiculous.  I picked up my phone and started texting "do you see me?" to her, (during school hours- I know!) when she tapped me on the shoulder all smug like, flushed and excited. She knew she was getting an award for something.

The photos below are of her and her friends that also won awards at the library afterwards. It took a while to get them to settle down long enough for a photo. My poor camera and its batteries could not keep up with their energies. Focus, flash, focus, flash...

Claire, Casi, Kenzie

 

Disclaimer: I know! I should have told Grandmas (and Nate) that this was happening so that more people could have been there. Please, no comments about that. 

Has anyone noticed?

If you live in Utah you may be noticing something,

yellow,

with black wings,

two wing bars,

and a red head.

That is slightly smaller than a robin.

Tanner was certain he had seen it at a pet shop but, it is a wild, naturally occurring bird. They have always been here but, these birds are often out of sight, foraging high in trees; inconspicuous.

This year for some reason (perhaps the wet and late Spring) they have been found, in very high numbers, on the benches and in the valley. It seems to me that everyone is talking about them. Usually the conversations start with "I saw the most amazing bird!"

And they are amazing.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Western Tanager.

• The Western Tanager breeds farther north than any other member of its mostly tropical family, breeding to nearly 60°N in the Northwest Territories. 
• The red pigment in the face of the Western Tanager is rhodoxanthin, a pigment rare in birds. It is not manufactured by the bird, as are the pigments used by the other red tanagers. Instead, it must be acquired from the diet, presumably from insects that themselves acquire the pigment from plants. 
• This species was first recorded on the Lewis and Clark expedition(1803-1806). 
• A group of tanagers are collectively known as a "season" of tanagers

Have you seen any at your home?

Things I overheard: The distance between two points can be short

Thank you for all of the comments on my last post. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading your feedback. To think, I almost did not allow for commenting. I am glad that I did.

~ a week ago:

Me: "Wow! You need new shoes."

Tanner: "What do you mean? They just started fitting right."



Today:

Me: "Wow! Your shoes are getting... interesting."

Tanner: "Ya, I need new shoes."

Before ....After

Sadly, I can not find replacements in the same "Bat and Eye" pattern.

Saying goodbye

"We're each of us our own ... bit of illusion fighting to emerge into something solid, something real."A Great and Terrible Beauty; Libba Bray

I went climbing with Nate and the kids. The first of the season. The rock still had that cool winter chill. I was the first to climb; leading a 5.7. An easy first-of-the-year climb with holds every few feet the size of your palm and ledges to stand on. I laced my shoes. They felt good and I wondered why my feet hurt on the rock so much last year.  I placed my hands to the rock. Felt its crisp, sharp edges with my hands.

I start the climb and a sharp pain rips through my toes. I toe in anyways and gave it my weight. "Oh, there's the pain" I think. I continue to the next hold and the next. I clip my first bolt but, I start to hesitate between moves. I begin using my arms to hold me to the rock; not wanting to place my weight on my feet. I clip into the second bolt and continue on. I notice the long pauses I am taking to give reprieve to one foot and then another.

Pause.

My mind races to find ways to convince myself to continue past the hurt. I no longer evaluate the climb. The pauses became longer.

At the third bolt, Nate suggests I come down. I clip in and call down to him. The way down is sketchy, ungraceful, unbalanced. I did not want anything to touch my feet.

Back on the ground, I collapse on a bench and start removing my right shoe. My hands shake.  Nate down on his knees, starts working on the left shoe.

My naked feet, reveal what I fear; deep, dark-purple toe joints. "Dam RA has been doing too well." I look at my shoes now lying on the ground. Then refocus. With some hesitation, I cram my feet into a different pair of shoes; one that does not force my toes to take my weight. I start climbing the rock again. I try not to think about what happened.

Days later, Casi speaks to me about it. "It was obvious you were in pain. You never come down from a climb."  We make eye contact and hold each others gaze. Neither of us knows what to say. The silence is awkward.

And, I still dont know what to say. About any of it. The event, perhaps, still holds too much emotion, pain, heartache, sadness, loss, annoyance, resentment, outrage, anger, hopelessness, and doubt. But I also feel thankful, promise, hope, determination, clear blue skies, love, family, and happiness.

I guess, not much changed. I can still climb and I will still reach the top, eventually, with or without, those dam shoes.

Also Known As: Sleepydick

Well I figured it out! 


I figured it out when, as suggested in the previous post, they bloomed. Rather pretty, I think. 

It is known as Ornithogalum umbellatum or the star-of-bethlehem but it is also Known As: Sleepydick* (my personal favorite and the one I will use the remaining of this post) , Grass Lily, Nap-at-Noon, Eleven-o'clock Lady, Summer Snowflake, Starflower, and the Pyrenees Star of Bethlehem.

*from not waking up earlier than noon.  This same behavior probably gave rise to the names,  "Nap-at Noon" and "Eleven-o'clock lady"**.

**which gave rise to a piece of herblore. I guess, not "waking up" properly  meant this was God's clue to use this plant as a treatment for sleep disorders. It was used for all sorts of ailments from disturbing nightmares to fidgity restlessness to a loss of feeling in limbs. It is useful for none of these things. Well, unless one consumes a sufficient amount ***, which would put an end to all of these ailments.

 ***its apparently poisonous. Although, the bulbs have been used to stave off hunger during times of famine and is considered a "famine food"; I don't think its very tasty but I am curious about eating one.

Wow that was a long detour. It is described as****:

"a Six Petalled White Flower with green and white sepals. The flowers group in a 'corymbose raceme' with 3-21 white flowers (with) a green stripe. The flower starts out as monocot tendrils, that look like onion or grape hyacinths. Then a green and white striped, garlic-like bulb emerge. After a good rainshower, when the sun comes out, the flower will begin opening the outer three petals, then the inner 3 petals then the six stamen lay down parallel to the six petals. This process reverses by late afternoon." 

****Not that I really expect you to read this. 

Wait a min.... What? The flowers don't bloom unless it rains followed by sun?***** That is pretty cool!  

*****How does it do that and what is the evolutionary path for such a strange set of "bloom-in" rules?

But wait? Whats that?

Sleepydick can "cause potential threats to native vegetation" Now you know I care about that. Its "native to northern Africa" but has been sold as an ornametal and " escaped cultivation"******. I knew I saw it in a catalog once. Gosh! I love being right!*******

****** I can relate. According to my mother,  I escaped cultivation when I was about 17.

******* Don't we all? 

Check out the map, its taken over just about all of North America! 


So what should I do? 


Let it grow? It is a pretty cool flower. Should I keep it for its beauty and neat rain-followed-by-sun sensing mechanism?


Or should I get rid of it? Avoiding further infestation of the area I live in (similar to this lovely gem)..but really, does one plant in my yard really affect the surrounding hills? Although, it could eventually cause me these types of pains. 


So that is my brain on Sleepydick. And, I think, I know what I am going to do but, I am curious, what would you do? 

Look what is (almost) blooming in my yard!

Mystery plant: to be determined

( iphone photo)

This worked well in the last post* so, I thought I would try it again. 

* which by the way earned you a Serviceberry bush start (if you want one). I will be down your way (Teresa/Lisa) Saturday so give me a holla if you want a start and I will personally deliver!

So what is it? I have a few guesses; most of which place the plant in the Allium group. For instance Alluim Cernuum is found in the Wasatch Mountains but, my book says it blooms late summer and the buds look more like this. I guess my mystery plant buds could eventually look like that but, late summer is a long time for me to wait. Checking  its progress everyday for a whole summer... yea, I dont want to do that. 

Of course, it could be a non-native plant too since, I am not certain if this was planted by the previous owners or not. It's hard to tell in this new yard where the plant originated since, we are surrounded by open space. The buds, however, evoke a memory from a seed catalog I once looked through. Hmmm, either way, I am excited to see what it looks like when bloomed. Until then, the beautiful white edged buds are pretty fab* too! 

*thats right. I said "fab".

Specs:

1) The largest of the three plants in my yard is about 6-7 inches tall; if I was to measure the grass like leaves that are now laying on the ground.
2)The buds currently are less than an inch long.
3) I will post pictures after they bloom too. I think that will be most helpful for a proper ID.

To be continued...

Developing a sense of place

Sense of place: to know of a place as one's own or the "human capacity for the homing sentiment," to quote Abbey. 

Our yard has been full of surprises as spring takes hold and works her magic. Reminding me how much fun it is to learn about a new place. Like any new friendship, I look forward to all it has to tell me.

I learn that the Gambel Oak is one of the last to put on its new leaves. At first, I miss the leaves and wait daily for the change it would make to our yard but then the birds arrived and I was sad no longer. The naked branches of the Oaks gave me plenty of views as birds twitter through their leafless branches.  

New Gambel Oak buds finally start to form and break open

 I am pleasantly in shock by the number of mysterious bushes and trees in the "Gambel Oak forest" in the backyard. What I thought was a mono-culture of Gambel Oak has is full of other plant species. Some of which I find in the open spaces surrounding my neighborhood. Are they natural? Do the birds and animals use them? Are they invasive? All these questions ramble through my head like loose marbles on a playground. For, I dont want to own my yard I want to be a good steward over it. I want to blend into the environment that surrounds us; to be a part of, not in.

The photos below are of one of the first bushes in my yard to leaf and bloom.  I have no idea what it is. The bushes are interspersed through our forest, their early spring blooms and bright green leafs are a welcome sight as I watch the changes spring brings. By July the bushes, will be filled with Robins who love the red fruit/seeds that cover it. The bushes are so prolific, that our decks and rocks surrounding the yard will be marked red with its juices.

The wildlife has been exciting too. The birds are everywhere! Black-headed Grosbeaks, Yellow Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, one Green-tailed Towhee, Black chinned hummingbirds, and many Lazuli Buntings are mixed in with the regulars in my yard but we also see herds of deer wander through and the shy squirrels are fun to watch.  Of course, its no surprise that I love the birds and wildlife. Each time I look out a window, I feel the opportunity to see something exciting and new is there but this excitement is amplified when my kids feel that way too. And they do. This love of place is felt throughout, I realize as Casi runs into our room excited about what she just saw from her window.

The Lazili Bunting's are very skittish and I could not get a clear photo through a window. One day I will figure out how to utilize my spotting scope with my digital camera. 

Last night as I started thinking about bed,  Nate suggests we go for a walk in Dimple Dell. We hurriedly put on shoes and coats then head out the door. We wander along the trails that weave through the open space until we reach a small lake. With the setting sun as backdrop we watch the lake and listen; to the the red-winged black birds watery song, the swallows chatter, kids somewhere laughing, a flock of Canada geese fly overhead, a fox silently sits and watches as we walk by, a pair of accipiters fly by silhouetted by the sunset, and Tanner calling to Nate "swing me". I stuff my hands into my pockets and think "we are home".

God gives all men all earth to love,

But since man’s heart is small,

Ordains for each one spot shall prove

Belovèd over all.

—Rudyard Kipling, from “Sussex”

Stress relief

Do you ever realize something about yourself? People told you that you had this characteristic but, you were not sure they were right. Then one day, you realize they were right. That happened to me.

I was walking down the 3 flights of stairs to the parking lot. I was on my way to lunch. My co-workers were yammering on about something  (I am pretty sure I was listening but this can not be proven since I dont remember what they were talking about.) and suddenly my mind played a memory and I interpreted the memory differently then I previously had.

The Memory:
(Some may have heard this story before, if so skip to the end)

I was in art class my senior year of High school.

We were drawing office supplies. My table, shared by 5 other students, were drawing a stapler, a ruler, and a pair of scissors.

Boy: placing his hand under the stapler "Angie I dare you to staple my hand."

Me: "Very funny."

Boy: "What are you chicken?"

Me: "I'm chicken and you're stupid?"

Boy: Makes chicken noises

This went on for what felt like forever and I started to get more and more irritated as his taunting went on and on and on.

When suddenly, I could take it no more. Without any notice, I  balled my hand into a fist and pounded that stapler as hard as I could. His eyes meet mine and we registered the shock each others face. He then pulled his hand from the stapler; showing a neat staple in the back of his hand.

I, of course, got in trouble and removing the staple from his hand (after the doctor could not) became a fun thing to do in art class over the next few weeks.

But all that is besides the point.

Today I realized... now dont laugh because some of you probably already KNOW it about me.

I am one of those people that hold in their stress until they blow (and staple peoples hands).

There I said it.

Now everyone can breath a sigh of relief because, finally, I get it.

Things I overheard: Made with love

Tanner: "Mom, did you notice that I slept without my Kitty-cat blanket?"

Me: "Yes, I did!"

Tanner: "That's because I slept with my new fire pillowcase that Grandma made."

Me: "Oh?"

Tanner: "I can sleep with my Kitty-cat blanket or my fire pillow now because Grandma made them both with love. That way, when I sleep, I know I am loved because she made them with love."

Sometimes I miss those blond curls. 

Attn: Secret Agents

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join the British Secret Intelligence Service for a special secret  assignment. To accept this mission, please call mission support. Code name: Angie 

Secret Mission: A Birthday party for a 7 year old boy  Spy Training

Step 1: The spy's in training were assigned an ID badge. Finger prints and chosen secret identity were also placed appropriately on badges. As you can see they took this assignment very seriously. 

Step 2:  The spy's were trained in weaponry, disguise, search, being observant, and in a last resort, hiding. They all succeeded well and were transfered from "spy in training" status to "almost a spy". Some disguises were so good we can show them here without exposing their identity. See how they picked not only great physical costumes but also took on the correct body language and facial emotions of the chosen identity. Only a true spy can accomplish those tasks, with the correct training, of course.

 Step 3: Disarm and Dissolve (D&D) a bomb. It was a bit scary as the "Disarm" step did not go as expected for the spy. The spy blew and blew at the bomb, following correct protocol, but the bomb would not blow out. Eventually the bomb just fizzled out. The bomb was identified as a dud since it did not explode. All "almost a spy's" took a  hand in dissolving the bombs. All spy's were changed from "almost a spy" status to "spy".

Mission Status: Accomplished

 HaPpY 7th BirThDaY TaNneR!!!

Relationships

Do you have a friend that seems to appear when you are in the dumps? I have one of these friends.

I have been going through some issues with a co-worker. To put it bluntly after 9 years of dealing with his shit behavior hate for me, I decided to make a formal complaint. Writing the complaint and turning it in was hell. Confronting him about it was hell. He is still treating me like hell. It has been hell ever since.

I originally meet my friend, when I was working in my yard. Her car stopped in front on my home. Kids erupting from the windows. She marched up to me and stated "I like your yard. You look like a neat person. We should be friends". I remember liking her immediately. We discussed roses while her kids impatiently sat in the car and I thought about everything going on in her life right then and how she could see the importance of giving time to a potential friend.

My friend has been asking to come see my new home and I kept putting her off. I wanted to do this or that first. I was not ready to show it to her. Finally, I decided to get off my tooter and get it done. I agreed to a date and time.

On the day that my friend was to come over, I had the "sit down" with my co-worker, my boss, and the HR representative. My co-worker said many negative things about me, while I sat there and told him how awesome he was; trying to build back some form of relationship between us. It was a miserable experience.  I  had to leave work for a while to get my composure and it made for a tense and emotional day.

Yet after all that, I looked forward to my friends arrival and enjoyed the visit. We had many great theological discussions (my favorite kind) and when my friend left,  I noted how happy and uplifted I felt. I had not felt this way in weeks. I smiled without thought and the world felt lighter.  She had no clue of the last few weeks, yet she had the ability to help me forget the weight of them by just simply being there. Don't tell her but, I think its because she radiates happiness.

Thank you for being my friend.

Easter equates to a candy filled vacation

We all know it! Easter is a weird holiday. We know of its weird-it-ties yet we accept and love the holiday because, it has the best candy.  Thats right Santa, your treats take a back seat to the offerings of the Easter bunny. There I said it.

I do love Easter candy! As evident by the pile of candy wrappers on my nightstand. Most days of the year, I dont eat candy. I really do not care for it. Then Easter rolls around and I find myself looking like this in front of an Easter Candy isle at some store. I dont know what happens to me. It just happens. I accept it like gravity, the passing of the sun, or the graying of my hair. It just is.

Casi, December 25, 1999

The other thing I like about Easter is camping. We do not camp during Easter too often.  Well,OK, just twice; including this years trip. But doesn't twice practicality make it a tradition?   Well then, the two times we have done it. I have loved it!!! (with three exclamation points)

Our tinner family + cute Claire

For us a vacation usually equates to many bloopers (I prefer to call them adventures!). And this trip was no different. It started off with lots and lots of snow and the cancellation of part of our group (we missed you Brandon, Kate, Dillon and the baking Baby Shepard!)  

All this snow is from one storm and as you can see its still coming down. The dove taking refuge in my feeder has been diligently working on a nest in my pine. I can hardly wait for the babies to show up. Maybe I will post some pictures. I tried taking a picture. Once. But then one of the Dove made total eye contact right through the camera. This made me uncomfortable. So I stopped. 

Due to the storm, we wanted to leave early; before the evening traffic started. This means, that we ran around the house for an hour, calling out things to pack, sweating, running, yelling. It was a chaotic mess. Very much like all the trips we always take. We are too busy to be organized about our trips and so packing tends to be fraught with chaos. There is a part of me that likes it this way. You can not have adventures if you are well prepared.

Eventually, we crawled into the car and headed down the road. I remember feeling that we had done a great job and was excited that we were only 20 minutes past 4:00 pm (our goal time).

Our next two blooper adventures plagued us the entire trip. Well it really was poor Casi that suffered. We discovered this "bump in the road" after arriving at the Needles district of Canyonlands NP,  when Casi looked at me with fear in her eyes and said "Where is my bag?" We determined after a short search (there really is not many places to look in the camper) that her bag was sitting in her room. At home. Leaving her with, PJ bottoms (purple with polka dots), a T-shirt, tennis shoes (no socks), a hat, and coat for a 4 day trip.

The second blooper was forgetting the cot for Casi to sleep on. *sigh*

On a side note: Casi, being a thirteen year old girl without any clothes or a bed to sleep on, had a freak-in awesome attitude about it! BTW: if you want to see Casi's perspective regarding this trip, and these "adventures" you really should visit her blog. She actually wrote more than a few lines and its pretty funny.

And soooooo.....

Easter came early. On April fools day. Providing the kids with camel backs, candy, shorts, tee shirts, crazy socks, and flip flops. What a perceptive bunny!*

* See this is why I like bloopers adventures. If we were prepared we would have not had an Aprils fools day Easter!

The gifts, proof of Tanners inherited obsession of Easter Candy, the kids with their gifts, the crazy socks and Claire.

As with most of our bloopers adventures, they always work out. Cassi now had one outfit. It was cold for the weather we were having but, luckily Claires parents sent a pair of insulated rain pants. Thanks, Claires parents and Claire!

  A happy and warm Casi and Claire!

The first trail, we hiked, passed varied terrain; across Elephant Canyon to the edge of Chesler Park. 3/4's of the way, to the view below, was a dessert meadow circled by the colorful, weather-smoothed rocks of the Needles. I have never seen such a perfect desert meadow. The sage, grasses, and red hued soil felt untouched by human influences. Within it was a perfect garden of cryptologic soil intertwined and connected the plants; never seeing, perhaps, a sheep or cow graze within it. I did not take a photo of this meadow. Instead I just mentally wandered within the beauty, that a photo could not contain.

View  of the Needles from  Chesler park trail. I love sky. 

It is rare, in southern Utah, to see so much water. The shallow potholes, the higher humidity, and dense and often times dark cloud cover were a welcome guest to the often hot and dry climate we usually enjoy.

More pictures of water. On this day the sun was out; bleaching my photos. Sad. 

This large  (about 10-12 feet wide in the largest section) pothole (above) is filled with water and the alien creatures of desert potholes; Tadpole shrimp and clam shrimp. 

Note on desert shrimp: The desert shrimp, as they are also called, live in the potholes of Utah's, Canyon Lands but have also been  discovered in the country of Iraq and Midland, Texas. The desert shrimp's microscopic eggs can remain dormant for a season or for hundreds if not millions of years, and can survive temperatures of extremes of over 124 degrees F and below zero. Isn't that cool! The eggs are strewn with the wind and will hatch only after a certain amount of water pressure is present, thus ensuring a new generation lives on. Not all of the eggs will hatch with each season.  

In all honesty the pothole life was young, tiny, and a bit disappointing to the kids (and me!). The last time we saw these they were towards the end of their season (in May) and they were HUGE!

The Easter holiday was a strong component of this trip In giving Casi clothes, in providing the kids with Camel packs so that Nate did not have to accommodate all of their provisions in one very tiny backpack( My backpack tends to fill up with my gear;  binoculars, camera, sketch book) and in providing entertainment to Tanner so the rest of us could obsessively play "phase 10" while consuming the Easter candy that I love.

On the first night of Phase 10 obsession, Tanner ran back and forth with an Easter kite, held on a short line,  trying to get it into the air. He would appear in the window running east, disappear beyond the windows view, then return running west the kite bouncing on his heals. Over and over and over again. The rest of us appreciating the campers warmth and our game of Phase 10 would give off random chuckles as we saw him fly by.

On the last night, Nate and I and (for a brief moment) the girls climbed the rock behind our camp and flew the kit with him.

Casi's easter outfit. Those socks gave me (and many other hikers, rangers, ect) so much joy the whole trip.

Nate and Tanner flying kit

I know this picture is a bit blurry but I love Tanners expression and the silhouetted plane with the western reflection of the setting sun.

The view east from the top of the camp rock. 

The view west. 6 shooter rock; a prominent feature in the Needles landscape.

The park is full of Native American History. This could be observed through the many hikes, pictographs, ruins, and exuberant Rangers and Ranger programs. We appreciated this history by walking Cave Spring and Roadside Ruin hikes, and by going to an enthusiastic ranger program that went on and on and on. And on. I spent the last 20 minutes of the ranger's program thinking about how Glacier NP's program put theirs to shame and wondering if my bottom would recover from the half log seat I was occupying. I would guess that Glacier has the funds to support their powerpoint presentations (crazy, right?) but they also put in the time to organize what they wanted to say; the Needles lacked this organization, making it hard, sadly, to keep your interest focused on what they wanted to share. Instead, my mind occupied itself with the preservation of my bottom. Not bad subject matter, if you ask me.

 

A little Branch history. Casi 5/2004. Casi 3/2010. She is still a cute-ee!

Our last hike was Squaw canyon to Big spring. It is the shortest loop hike in the Needles (at 8 miles), with easy walking along flat valley floors and just one strenuous part across a high pass that links the two drainages. I think it will be this "strenuous part" that we will all remember. Casi and Claire especially were all grins during this part. I blame the slickrock. It is pretty fun to walk on. 

Tanner and Nate climbing up out of the "drainage". Casi and the view from on top.

View of squaw canyon, six shooter point and surrounding canyons.

Casi's easter socks, again. They still give me great joy.

 

We, of course, kept with the holiday spirit and did some Easter egg coloring. 

The last Easter blooper adventure surprise was Tanners, during another obsessive Phase 10 evening, the day before the real Easter. I had The Easter bunny had placed a few Easter surprises for the actual morning of Easter within a drawer in the camper. Tanner discovering this drawer, opened the curtain that separates the master bed from the rest of the camper and states, "MOM, DAD, We need to talk!" in all seriousness. The rest of us responded with laughter but then, he broke down in tears.

Recently, Tanner has been coming home from school with questions about Santa and the Easter bunny due to the other kids being privy on the down low. So when he opened that curtain, I thought of my options.  I could cover the discovery (lie some more) or let him know. I chose to tell him.

I went back and spoke with him and he responded with phrases like "Its all a lie. The infamous statement "You lied!" also came out. And I was afraid, it was all true. I could not lie more. I felt shamed. It was strange that a culturally accepted lie could feel so bad through the black and white eyes of my 6 year old. So I let him be. And asked that when he settled down that he would come and talk to me.

A few minutes later he came out and sat on my lap; curling into the fetal position to protect himself from this world without mythical gift giving creatures. I did not know what to say and started rambling about how horrible of a lier I was. How I always misspoke, poorly hid gifts, or left things out in the open that would help with the discovery. "Its a relief that I do not have to continue, always worried of being discovered". I then spoke of how Casi found out. This lead to others speaking of their stories and all of us in laughter about the whole thing. Including Tanner. I was saved.

In retrospect, I think I should have not told him about the bunny. The evidence, on this, is in how he decided to interpret it all.  He give up the bunny but has chosen to keep Santa. He still wants to believe and I guess, I will continue to lie so he can.

We woke up Easter morning to a bright sunny day. The morning was warm enough that I could hide the discovered Easter eggs without a coat. Hiding candy filled eggs of blue, green, pink, yellow, orange, and purple in trees, rock crevices, within green plants, up on top of camp rock, between roots, behind fire pits and under logs. The kids followed with pastel baskets.

I then walked my last morning walk for the trip. As I walked by our neighboring camp, our neighbor asked "Where those your kids with the baskets this  morning?

I replied, "yes" and watched as his two boys played out on the camp rock in the background, highlighted by the sun.

"That was a good idea." he said.

I looked back at him and smiled. "Thanks" I responded and walked on.

Have I mentioned how much I love camping at Easter?