Marin Tender Tracks Tues. March 1, 2016 Day 41

Waning Half Moon
Sorich Ranch

Talay gone as well as Alara.
This day was warm like Spring. The shade was cold but out in the sun the day was HOT!
Today had many mile stones of growth. Layton is really coming into her own voice, boundaries, likes, dislikes and voicing all beautifully.  Velia was more peaceful and at ease then she has been in awhile. Ariel was embracing aspects of herself that others are not so readily fond of and making superb and valient changes.  Rhett is still in love with Ariel and wants to be with her all the time. He was beside himself all day with the joy of knowing that he will  have a play date with her after Tender Tracks.  Aaron was mischevous, not so different then usual, and a great role model for nature connection. Io was her usual creative, imaginative and deeply involved with the natural world self.
The story for the day kept changing as there have been so many that have been talking to me and wanting to be told. Yes I do talk and think about stories as entitites unto themselves as they are messengers and medicine.  The story that finally came about was one about the clouds.  While singing songs our attention was beautifully brought to the Sky world where Turkey vultures  and, what looked like a Juvenile Red tailed Hawk, were soaring in the skies. This is what the bird looked like to me and this is a Juvenile Red Tailed hawk.

We also began saying what we saw in the cloud children and that brought me into a story about the cloud children’s gifts to us and all we need to do is look up!
They were filled with wonderful play today and so they played before and after circle quite a bit right at the Big rock area.  Rhett and Aaron were given a challenge. If they were able to satisfy the challenge I said that I would take them  for a personal visit to the Scoop Ice Cream parlor. Their challenge? Throw a rock through  two trees that were slightly entwined with one another.  They never were able to do this but they practiced and practiced, which is really the point. Rhett, and I believe Aaron too, were calling Layton something she didn’t like. They wouldn’t stop. Layton really held her ground and finally Rhett, very easefully said, OK. Layton was satisfied and off she went. Then he and Aaron went up the tree. Rhett said that when we were last there the other children were up the tree and he really wanted to climb it. Now he and Aaron were able to and they were content.
Ariel REALLY wanted to play with Layton but she was being too harsh with Layton. Layton made it clear that she didn’t want to play with her. Ariel was very sad and began to try on different styles of engaging with play.  It turned out though that she didn’t want to play what Layton wanted to play. Dilemas, dilemas!!! As the day progressed more and varied opportunities arose, great ease came about and troubles were tended to with kindness.
Velia had asked if we were going to the farm in the moring. I said, there is no farm around here to go to but someone mentioned there was a farm near Sorich. So, we went to explore this and see if it was true. She and Rhett said that they had been to this little farm. We walked down the road and there we found a big garden area with lot’s and lot’s of chickens. The children fed the chickens with an abundance of chickweed that was at our feet. We explored the area and then left. Layton was delighted in discovering a deer down the road. We followed it and then went down a trail thinking it would bring us back to Sorich. We had to veer off it and then we made our way back. We were very hot, found some shade and ate lunch under a tree.  but then, under the tree in the shad, we got cold!!!!
During lunch I read one of their favorite stories Nimbly, a story about a beautiful cloud child. We then went to the sun and I read  Ferdinand the Bull, my favorite story when I was 5. From there they were to find a quite spote like Ferdinand the Bull. Aaron went off to do so, Rhett and Ariel were trying to climb a tree, Velia and Io went exploring the bushes to go pee and Layton discovered that she was getting poked walking around in her bare feet.  I took off my shoes and showed her how to walk on challenging ground without hurting yourself. She really got into this and did great!  Aaron was coming down the hill with a coyote bush infront of him like he was comoflauged and trying to sneak up on us. We sent Layton over there to join him. He showed her how to be still with the tree. She became a tree and we suggested she be ever so still and see if a bird would land on her branches. And, she did!
Later, I brought out the big red drawing book and they began to draw their pictures of their day.  At this point the other children were all trying to get up to this tree branch by laying on top of each other and having one of them climb up to the tree branch. BEAUTIFUL TEAM WORK!!!!!  They had a blast. They then all came over to draw their pictures and then it was time to go home.