Palo Alto Tender Tracks Tuesday Sept. 24, 2013

Day 7
Waning Gibbeous Moon
Hidden Villa

Fall is here. The Wind children played games all day.  Sometimes they blew very hard and brought the cold North Wind and other times they were soft, gentle and allowing of Grandpa’s Sun’s Rays to shine hot upon our backs.  So, the coats went on and off and on and off.
In the bus, ALL THE FLOWERS, BUTTERFLIES AND PLANTS were GONE!!!   The Fall is truly here and what will come in place of Summers Butterflies and flowers?   We spent the day looking around to see what is still with us in the world of flowers and the like and what is fading away.
Before we left we sang a song to the Moon that Tender Tracks sings every New and Full Moon. We missed singing to it last Thursday.  They all sang it with it’s due quietude and reverance.
When we got to Hidden Villa they played for a bit yet a few were really hungry so I said, first songs then snack and so, we sang to the House Directions, learned a new song, sang some old songs and went to sit down.  We had our snack and a story I wasn’t planning on telling but the season called upon me to do so therefore, I told a child’s version of Demeter and Persephone/How Fall and Winter, Spring and Summer Came to be and why our days are getting colder and colder and darker and darker.  They were quite present as they always are for stories and they truly drank it in and got that we are in a new Season!
They played for a bit more, Boys and Girls Clubs had some struggle so there was a small intervention and invitation/suggestion that instead of excluding we just let each other know that we will let the other know when we want to play with them.  This appeared to work, though there still was their own groups yet a bit more kindness came about. Later in the day there was a “Family” group because, as typically happens, they all begin to mingle and enjoy one another.
After the bathrooms and finding Bay Nut Babies to help be born ( when they are ready to come out of their soft beds you can POP them out/help them be born), we made our way to the garden to see what was left of the summer crop.  In the garden there are little natural houses to play and eat in and that is what they did very joyfully for some time.  While there, several chickens were moving about.  Liam, Cole and Julian, in particular, spent a lot of time trying to catch one.  Liam and Cole were very funny to watch as they were so able to do so but would get a bit scared right at the point of picking one up.  Liam finally moved through that and was so excited about petting, holding and catching one that his squeeze would get a little much for the sweet thing.  He learned however how to hold it with a bit less squeeze and all was well.  Eden got to sit with a chicken to and she was in such comfort.  Cole didn’t catch one but he did sit with one for a while and was DELIGHTED!!!  Julian as well and then off they all went to work at catching more.
When we left the garden there was a grand tunnel to crawl through and everyone of them went through with delight.  Then off to find the pigs.  Little did I know that there were baby pigs there!  Zara was very frightened of them and didn’t want us going there.   She held either my hand or Jills and, to make a long story short, she finally moved quite past here fear and was able to be around the pigs.  She was warning us all of the grave dangers of them but no one else was afraid. Especially her dear friend Eden.  I think this was the finally piece that enabled her to go in and see these wonderous beings!
The rest of the children had so much fun playing near them, listening to them and petting them.   And oh yes, before all of this we visited the sheep and got to put our fingers in their thick fur.
The day was filled with so many delights of animals, plants, a few remaining butterflies, funny sounding animals/pigs, walnuts that looked like pigs  noses when broken open, and, as always, so much more.
On the ride home Jill read them more stories that they just love and all was well.