Palo Alto Tender Tracks Day 35, Feb. 7, 2012

Day after Full Moon
Eleanor Pardee and Back side of Foothill Park

Giulio was at a Young Fives interview day and Alexi was home not feeling well.  The weather reports were on goingly varied.  I decided to have a fire and popcorn any way just in case and because we have so much fire wood.  The sky was very gray so the air was cool enough and inviting enough to have our fire.  The children all helped build the fire by placing the small sticks on it and putting pieces of wood in the fire pit.  We sang our fire song and with one match POOOOFFFFF, the fire lit and off we went.  It was a beautiful fire and they just sat there  staring at it and noticing all the different pictures arising from the fires dance.  Then it was time to put the grate on and get the popcorn ready.  Bodie wanted to plant some of the popcorn so he passed out kernels to everyone who wanted one.   We put the pot on the fire and waited to hear the music of the popcorn that makes it dance and dance.  Sure enough, the sizzling music began and not long after that, pop, pop, pop, pop POPPPPPP……. The children got up and began to dance and dance and dance.   Lucy wanted different “music” so Jasper got right in there with some great sounds.  So beautiful!  I would take the lid off now and again and popcorn would fly and squeals of delight would fly as well.  Finally the popcorn was really done and, it was PERFECT!  The best ever. I was about to bring out a book that I was reading in honor of Alexi, who so sad wasn’t there! when a dear old friend walked over.  We welcomed him in and gave him some popcorn.  He and his wife just had their second baby who was just one week old this day.  He stayed with us for awhile and then, when we were about to finally read the story he went off with great and kind good byes.

The story was called What a Mess and is a very funny story about a dog/puppy that means well yet makes a bit of a mess of things.  The pictures are sooooo funny and we all had a good time laughing at this very funny story.  Then, Jasper, Bodie, and Kashi began with taking their cups over to get water to make the traditional “Soup”.  This is pouring water over the coals till it is cold and they can take a stick and stir and stir and stir.   Lucy became very engaged with following a Scrub Jay and Anajalie and Paul got drawn into that.  The others were either making the soup or gathering the Acacia blossoms. Then off we went.

Lucy wound up passing out the stuffed animals today and then we really were off to the back side of Foothill Park just in case it did decide to rain. Also, today I wanted to begin making our Rain rattles, which, we sang all of our rang songs again to the sky to keep encouraging it to pour fourth on us!    I discovered though, later o,n that I left the needles and Awl at home!  Well, Thursday we will begin.

When we got to the park it was an incredible day of imagination and exploration.  First off, someone found a very large and dead Squirrel.  It was actually found a couple times by different children.  In the end, we all got together to sing to it and bury it.  Jasper said he found another one that mysteriously had gotten taken away!    He, Anjalie and Lucy spent a lot of time together today playing very special games amongst themselves and then joining in the other games, or other houses, like Bodie”s!

This back side of Foothill Park has about four or five Redwood sections that are like individual houses.  The children instantly went to find their own houses when we got there and they played like throughout our time there.   There also was a large mound of wood chips that Bodie made into his home on the backside.  Later on he decided that the entire front and back was his home.  He was DELIGHTED to be there the entire day!! Truly, the other kids went exploring and playing all around but he kept running up and down and up and down.  He was really into being a Super Hero Rescuer too.  So, I am mistaken, he DID leave this place when someone needed rescuing, namely Audrey when all the children were chasing her and me when I too was being chased.  Kashi joined him in being a Super Hero and saving us.  Paul however was REALLY into being a Zombie from the sky and eating your brains out.  This sounds far more gruesome then it really is. If you ever get a chance to hear how Paul plays in this way it is like a playful Norman Rockwell painting.  So funny.  The expressions he has are incredible,humorous, genuine, innocent and delightful!

Audrey, Jasper, Gracey and Lucy went on a GRAND adventure.  In the morning I had suggested that we look for all things around us shaped like a heart and collect them for Valentines day.  Audrey thought that was a great idea so she and these three went on their adventure.  When they came back they were so excited with their many stories of all that they had found: great shaped mushrooms, feathers, great stones, deer and so much more. They were brimming with excitement.

The rest of us, Kashi, Bodie, Paul and Anjalie stayed and at first, we watched the stories in the clouds but then, oh dear!  The Super Hero/Super Rescuer had to go to his home and die!  Kashi went with him and told us he was dying.  We went over there and we found him, face down laying completely still.  We spoke of all the things that we loved about him and how much we would miss him.  Then, it was time to cover him up with the Earth and…. OH YEAH!!!!!! He came back to life!!!! The Super Hero was with us again!!!

The day was filled with this comical fun and great humor. There was much chasing running, jumping, finding Earths golden mushrooms and magickal delights.