Palo Alto Tender Tracks Day 11, Oct. 18, 2011

Waning Gibbeous Moon
Huddart Park

What a glorious day as we all arrived quickly and made our way to Huddart Park in order to get our fire going  to boil the Oak Galls for Mordant.   We jumped in the bus, the children chose their Golden guides that they are really loving to look at and off we went.
All the way there they shared, “Oh, look at this picture”, or “Look at this picture!”  When we got there they all jumped out with a great deal of exuberance and joy.

There was much helping and a great deal of jumping into imaginary play here.  Audrey and I finished getting everything out and I went quickly to getting the fire started. But, OH NO!!! I was just going to fast and the fire wasn’t starting and we needed drier materials so the children went straight to gathering.  Each one gathered whatever they could and sure enough, THE FIRE STARTED!!!!  Yeah!!!
It was a beautiful fire too.  We then put the cauldron on, poured the Oak Galls in and soon enough the brew began to bubble and boil.

We had to wait a bit over an hour until mordant was really ready for the cloth.  So, while we waited, Bodi and Jasper had a fine little house that they made and cooked in and invited many of us over to. All the rest had found three wonderful Banana Slugs that they made a house for.  They were all VERY involved in tending to these treasures though often with a bit of Lordly control.  However, whenever the children weren’t looking those little Banana slugs just slugged their way along to somewhere else!  What was the funniest to me was after holding them they had lot’s of slug slim.  They tried to wash it off and wash it off and wash it off but, slug slim only gets worse with water and they were really wondering how to get this stuff off.  By days end I recommended that next time, for the benefit of the slugs, that they always have their hands covered with a lot of mud and/or dirt so the slugs won’t put out so much slim and they won’t get so much on them. But until then, they will either have to scrub it off with a scrub brush or wait until it finally comes off in time.  No real upsets with this.

Meanwhile, Jasper had left Bodi and joined the slug group. Then Bodi made me a very delicious Toyon and Redwood tree cone sandwich with a delicious oak leaf salad.  He pounded everything with a special rock on his nice stump and it was so wonderful!

We then decided it might be nice to eat the lunch we brought so we all gathered together in a circle.  Someone or someone’s, had wondered where our circle of the morning was so we all gathered together. It was so peaceful and they came together with such ease. It was here that I shared the news that Caroline will no longer  be coming to Tender Tracks.  I thought it would be so nice to make a card for her and asked what they would say.  Their words were words of  such young child beauty, ” I love you” and, “Come back to Tender Tracks”, and more love.  Later I brought out paper and they dictated their words and then drew their pictures.  The words spoken right there in the moment were the most eloquent and beautiful and unfortunately, by the time the paper got out Giulio and Angelis most beautiful words were not to be found. But they did draw pictures and four of the children will be seeing her regularly at First Congo so they were easeful about it all.

After lunch it was time to put the cloth in the pot but first we had to take out the galls.  There was much scouping of that and putting in the woods which Lucy and Giulio liked doing.  Then the cloth went in and the constant stirring by Audrey and I commenced.  It was at this time that we made the card.

Audrey went on a small journey and came back with exciting stories about  fungus and plants growing thru them and bugs and….so all the children went with her on a great adventure.  They even came back with LOT’S of fire starter for Thursdays fires!

Later, Bodi and I were at the fire and he wanted to throw in some small bit of green Redwood cone in the cauldron. I then realized that if we gathered enough green cones that maybe we could make pink dye.  So, Audrey and many of the children spent the rest of the day gathering these treasures.

I thought that the funniest part of the day was at the end  when Gracey was trying to get up this big hill and couldn’t.  Angelie and Lucy tried to help her but the more they did the more they slid.  At first I thought I heard crying but when I went to see these girls, they were laughing and laughing and falling over and on top of each other.  Alexi came over to help and Jasper but finally the girls figured out how to get up and out.

This day had so much in it this really is just a small account. Kashi was filled with his games of wonderment and all of them played together in one way or another.  The day was magickal, cohesive, explorative, free, unifying, expansive, containing and releasing. Truly a wonder filled day.