Tender Tracks Wed. Day 9

Nov. 9, 2016
Waxing Moon
Lake Lagunitas

Everyone was here and the Sun was fully shining with warmth and clear blue skies.
The biggest thing I wish to share about today is that the class is truly settling in more and more and more into a solid group. They know each other ever so much better and each are opening up like beautiful flowers toward the light of the groups unity. Jasper is just finding such ease and fun. His shyness is melting away. He still does not talk very much yet it is clear that he is very present and happy. Ruthie, though she still comes in with her head covered and kept it that way until we got to the Lakes, has just opened up during the day with the group greatly!!!!! Vita is alive, easy and happily barefoot everywhere! She loves to explore and climb. Puma continues with his capacity to enjoy any moment and find warmth towards everyone he is with. Oliver had a very easy time today coming compared to his discomfort separating last week. He is a great walker, hiker and continues to expand his humor for everyone to enjoy. And Susie, well, today she had two unexpected and unwanted adventures yet came through them bravely: While playing/stirring up the water trough she wound up falling in! A great big surprise for her! And for us all really. And then, right before we were back to the bus at the end of the day a Yellow jacket found it’s way on her arm and she got stung! THAT was not pleasant for her either yet again. After tending to it with love, care and cold pack though she seemed to move through it with a fair amount of ease. And Avaline, she was in a very happy and playful state today, easy going and rambunctious.

At circle time I told another variation on the story of Little Tommie Tittle Mouse. This time Little Tommie Tittle wanted to be able to guess who his friends were without them using an animal sound. And yes, that is what we wound up doing. After story they got to be Little Tommie Tittle Mouse: The Mouse puts their head in my lap, we sing the song and then one person says, Hello. The Mouse got to guess who said it. First Puma was the mouse then,Oliver and then Avaline. They are very young for this and yet having fun. Some understand it a bit more than others.

After circle and some play we then went on a brand new adventure around the other side of the lake. We followed some Deer tracks and found different kinds of poop to figure out whose it was and what they might have been eating. At Circle we were serenaded by Frogs and as we walked were listening to hear different animal and bird sounds. We saw Grebe in the water, coots, Maybe a Merganser and A great Blue Heron. We also were mesmerized throughout the day by the bowl spider webs that we could see with the diamond dew laced inside them and all over, even sitting inside a deer track. A little boy at circle time came by with a Slender Salamander and the children enjoyed playing with that.

As we walked down a long and beautiful trail most of us went up ahead accept Linda, Ruthie and Avaline. I was told that Ruthie saw a beautiful big hill and instantly went sliding down it with Avaline following suit. Climbing back up the hill Avaline said, “This is really steep!” They had a really good time!

The rest of us found a beautiful “beach” as Puma called it and settled in. It was a beach on the side of the Lake and had a great deal of room to roam and discover treasures. We had lunch and then after that we discovered a great place to play and call “home” which is what they all did. For Avaline it became the tent and camping experience she had with her family. For others there was a kitchen, bedroom, cook room and so much more. All of us were in there playing many, many creative games. Puma decided that he was Dad and I was Mom. Not too long after that I needed to help him go poop. Then Vita went Poop and then Linda helped Oliver go poop and I changed Ruthie’s poop diaper earlier. We seem to now have a POOP rhythm with these four. Puma would like it if I brought my little pottie and what he REALLY wanted was to go back to the porta pottie but alas, it was just too far to do so. So he went for it and gave his gift to the Earth.

The walk back was very easy going UNTIL, Susie got stung. Avaline, Ruthie and Oliver were great friends for her and loved her through it all. Ruthie said right away “Put Ice on it!” so we did when we got back to the bus and she settled down in her seat to hold it.

A beauty filled day!