Tender Tracks Thur. Day 62

May 16, 2019
Lake Lagunitas
Waxing Moon

Josie Absent and we sent Ellie home as she really was not showing any signs of feeling well. So, Luna and the boys were left and the Rain, well, it was POURING pretty much all day.

We set up the canopy and during the time when I was taking care of  calling Ellie’s Mom , the children and Ruby, I was told later, found a scorpion that looked like this photo below.  They are not poisonous by the way yet

certainly would not feel good if stung.  The story goes that there was a very big rock that the children wanted to push over and see what might be underneath it.  They sang a song from a story told many months ago where everyone worked together, with this song, to pull out a Turnip. Well, no turnip here but a big boulder needed to be altered. So, they pushed and they pushed and pushed and they pushed until,….the rock moved aside. Yet, what did they find? Yup, the above scorpion. After that they all ran over to make sure Ellie was fine as she sat under the overhang.  When I was back they all had me come over and see what they found. What a find indeed.

When it was time to light the fire Theo was very interested in being the on to light the match.  Ellie usually likes to that too but not the others. So, Theo worked at it and worked at. Each time gaining more and more skill!  I finally lit the match as, even thought he got it to light several times, it still take a bit to get it in the right spot of the tinder so that it will alight.  The fire began to burn and we prepared to make the last bag of noodles.  When they were finally fully cooked, everyone got to try one to see if indeed it was ready or not.  Then, they got to have it with cheese or not and then, WE ATE OUR BOWELS OF NOODLES UP!  Oh my, they were soooooo gooooood!!

The truth was that by the time this finally happened it was close enough to lunch to simple merge the two. There was first noodles and then their lunch.

The rest of the day we actually stayed quite close under the canopy and the fire. All that is accept Luna who was very, and has been all year, quite concerned about sparks and the smoke.  We didn’t really have all the proper clothing to allow them to get fully wet and then back into a change of clothes with still wet rain gear so, we simply,”held the course” near the fire for the entire day as each one of them went in and out of their comforts, lack there of and at different moments wanting it all to change.

Therefore, my gratitude for the day was to allow the flow of the day, discomforts, “postponement gratification”, joys and creativity to take place.  And it did.  All just ebbed and flowed so that by the end of the day many stories were told around the fire, Luna came close in for awhile, bravery as to getting closer to the fire to get warm, learning how to simply move yourself to another spot when the smoke goes in your face and relaxing into a day of less exaggerated movements and more stillness and presence took place.

We were in awe over a crow that was doing this most fascinating figure 8 and a Raven walking down below it.  Ruby and I had never seen that before. I called my friend that night to ask him if he had ever seen such a thing and just the day before when they were teaching a Bird Language class they too saw some very interesting crow flying moves. Crows and Ravens are unique and fantastical as well as all of nature.  To watch and be in awe of this incredible display was yet another high light of this more meditative day.

After packing everything up, saying our good byes and thank you’s the children then heard Ruby’s story for on the way home which was, as always, grand and so deeply engaging.