William, 14, Alex, Max and Geoff, October 2005... Disneyland
Sometimes I look back and see where we've been. I pick a year and read the archives from this week in 2002 or 2003 or '04, '05, '06, '07. This time I chose October 18-22, 2005. Regrettably, I see that not much has changed. Since then we moved again, but not to our own place. Geoff was in Hawaii again. He did look for a place for us, like he did 3 years ago, but mostly he was there to say a final farewell to a place we had held dear. Happily, the things that cheer and sustain me have not changed... except that they have grown... the children are as enthused and kind, as wonderful to be with as ever. Geoff is still intent on making our lives full and safe. I did wish for 3 hens, and I think we have hens now... is that progress? I'm not so sure.
Alex, 11 years old, upstairs in the TreeHouse
One big improvement is that the boys have bedrooms now. No more bunk bed in the kitchen/dining room/living room. It was cozy. Truthfully, I would be happy to return to smaller quarters if the space were a space all our own. Our zest for pumpkins... pie, bread, cake, roasted seeds, decorations, carving... that has not changed a bit. We still love it.
Maria, 11 months old, at the Wild Animal Park... oh, and Me, 38
We still love exploring in our community and making road trips north and east and south, and as far west as we can get. For all my longing and disappointments about housing, I cannot complain about our adventures. We have been many places and taken full advantage of our homeschool flexibility. I can see missing that, if we ever get tied up in a mortgage and house repairs. I relish the chance to complain about something new.
Max, 7, and Alex with baby Maria
I wonder what they will remember... what they will carry with them, what they will discard.
Remember last spring, when I moved all of the sewing things in to the garage? Alex and I have shared a section of the garage all summer. Surrounded by stacks of boxes, tools and treasures, he and I played and worked at our hobbies. Alex with robots, circuit boards and wires, and Maria and me with fabrics, pens, papers, chalk and thread. It's been a nice arrangement, but this week I am making a whole new
Alex's entertainment for Maria, October 2005
Our bed is green now. We still share our room with Maria, or does she share her room with us? I still love that quilt... not one that I made.
And now it is time to get William and Alex from school. It's 2008 again, and time to move forward.
2 comments:
You have a wonderful family. If I had children, I would want them to be just like yours, smart and kind.
We have no place for a formal living room or formal diming room either! We use the formal living room as a TV lounge, and he formal dining room, which is really just an extension of the living room, is my desk and book area. What was supposed to be the family room off the kitchen is now the family dining room/David's work area, and we have a sofa there which will unfold to create a bed for when we have lots of guests. The whole formal room idea is outmoded, don't you reckon?
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