OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson May 6, 2015

at the zoo

This past weekend we visited the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston. I must admit that I feel very conflicted about zoos and I think that there are convincing arguments both for and against them. But, in general, I think it’s a good thing that there are places where injured animals can be rehabilitated, or where endangered animals can be protected (like tigers, of which there are heart-breakingly few left in the world). I haven’t visited that many zoos, but the Franklin Park Zoo was surprisingly large, and had a wide variety of interesting animals that seemed to be well-cared for. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a gorilla as close up as I did at this zoo; it was a little uncanny because they are very human looking in real life, especially their eyes. Also, tapirs are surprisingly enormous and they make ridiculous faces (my husband says they remind him of Jon Lovitz – ha!). Both kids enjoyed the zoo very much, and Lillia had a particularly good time. Here are some of the animals we saw.

Kelli Ann Wilson May 5, 2015

in the woods // spring

The wood is decked in light green leaf.
The swallow twitters in delight.
The lonely vine sheds joyous tears
Of interwoven dew and light.

— from “Spring” by Ilia Chavchavadze

Today was the first time I’ve been out in the woods since I tried to make a go of it about a month ago (I had to turn back last time because it was just too muddy). Words, and even these pictures, cannot truly convey the way in which the woods are simply aglow with new green leaves. After I dropped Zane off at preschool, I decided to take a walk around the pond by myself. I am so glad that I did because it was exactly the right moment in time to see the wakerobins,Trillium, in bloom — they are the gorgeous three-petaled red flowers below. My goodness, they are beautiful! (But, don’t pick them because picking even parts of the plant can kill it, and in some places picking them is illegal.) I also saw a rose-breasted grosbeak, some trout lillies,Erythronium, and some wild oats,Uvularia sessilifolia. On top of all of that, the morning light was just amazing. The whole experience made me want to sing the Doxology at the top of my lungs, though the local wildlife might have found that a bit overwhelming so I just hummed it quietly to myself instead.

Kelli Ann Wilson May 4, 2015

garden 2015 // the beginning

Oh, man, I am so happy to be writing this post! After an interminably long and brutally cold winter here in the Northeast, Spring has finally sprung. This is our second year having a vegetable garden at our house (you can read about the first year here), and I learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t during the first year. Last year I got kind of a late start so I ended up buying already started plants at a big box store, which really limited my options. This year I wanted to try some new things, and so I decided to plant everything from seed. I printed out this handy planting chart from the UNH Cooperative Extension, which was specifically designed for New Hampshire. I chose some early season vegetables that we really love and bought seeds to plant in one of our beds, with the other bed being reserved for more summertime vegetables. The front bed is now planted with (date planted in parentheses): dwarf blue curled kale (4/15); Calliope blend carrots (4/15); touchstone gold beets (4/18); chioggia beets (4/18); and detroit dark red beets (4/18). Yes, we really like beets. As of today (5/4), everything has sprouted!

We also have the raspberry bushes that we inherited from our neighbor last year. My neighbor said that she usually cuts all of the canes down at the end of the season so that new ones grow up the following year. I was hesitant to do this because at the house we rented when we first moved to Walpole we had raspberry bushes and they were ever-bearers. What that means is that the growing cycle looks something like this: a new cane grows during the summer and produces berries near the end of the growing season; the next year that same cane will look dead at first, but will produce new leaves starting at the beginning of the season and will produce berries in the summer; in addition to the growth on the old cane, the roots will produce new canes, which will produce fruit at the end of the season; the old canes die for good at the end of the second growing season, but the new canes will produce again the following year, when they will be the new “old” canes. That might sound convoluted, but it basically means that if you cut down all of your canes at the end of the season, then you are missing out on an entire harvest. I was rewarded for my caution and patience by seeing lots of new growth on the “old” canes I planted last year so they must, indeed, be ever-bearers. I can’t wait for them to spread out more and produce lots of delicious berries in years to come. [Kind neighbor who gave me the bushes — this paragraph is not meant as a criticism of your method, which is totally fine and works great in areas with early frosts. But, if you want more berries you might be interested in this article.]

Our garden also has a new addition this year: a pea & bean teepee! My father-in-law graciously let me have some of his bamboo poles from last year (yes, he grows bamboo), and I made a pretty darn awesome teepee, if I may so myself. First, I dug a 3/4 circle trench in the ground, about six inches deep, and filled it with garden soil and compost. I left an opening for a “doorway” so that the kids can hang out inside of it when it is covered with vines. Next, Zane helped me trim down the bamboo poles to a standard 7 feet long with a hacksaw (bamboo can shatter if you aren’t careful, so a hacksaw with a fine-tooth blade is the way to go). Then I pushed the poles down into the ground in the trench I dug, about 3 inches or so, and did my best to lash all the poles together at the top. Finally, I wrapped twine all around the poles at about ten inch intervals, all the way up to the top. On April 18th our peas went into the ground, and nothing happened for over two weeks! I was so sad, and pretty sure that the cold weather we had right after planting had killed everything. Thankfully, I was wrong, and little pea shoots finally started popping up about three days ago. Now they’re almost an inch tall and so far they look healthy and strong. I can’t wait to see them fill in the teepee…and I also can’t wait to taste them!

I have lots of plans for this little homestead of mine (no, I do not plan on raising any chickens). There is a crabapple tree growing just over the fence in the backyard which I have been trying to take care of the past few years. It didn’t do much last year, but the year before it had tons of crabapples on it, so I’m hoping for another good year this fall. I also dug up some unsavoury barberry bushes from the side of the garage (ouchy thorns + poisonous berries = no thanks!) and hope to replace them with blueberry & blackberry bushes as soon as I can get my hands on some. I’m also working on some sort of crazy trellis so that I can grow pumpkins vertically. I’ll update all summer long as our garden grows!

Kelli Ann Wilson May 4, 2015

17 // 52

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015.”

Lillia: This week you have been really, really sad. Or, at least I think you are sad. I haven’t been able to get you to talk much about it. Fifth grade hasn’t been the easiest year. You are doing well, academically, but I feel like you are really disconnected from your peers and even from your family. I wish I knew how to help you, but I don’t know exactly what is wrong and you aren’t very forthcoming with information. This week was a particularly difficult one, anyway, because Daddy was out of town at a conference so it was just the three of us for days and days. The rhythm of the home is completely out of whack when he’s gone. If you read this, which I know you do sometimes, just know that we love, love, love you and we’re here anytime you need or want to talk. On a slightly more uplifting note, your spirit really seemed to brighten when we went to the zoo in Boston this weekend. You were so interested in all of the animals, and you were often several steps ahead of us. You have always loved animals and I can really see that you connect with them on a deep level. Your high regard for all creatures, great and small, is one of the qualities I love most about you.

Zane: This week your behavior was, shall we say, very much that of a textbook three-year old. I know I have really lucked out because you are usually a very good boy, but with Daddy gone you were a mess. You were hitting, and crying a lot, and throwing fits, which is just not like you at all. On Tuesday when I tried to drop you off at school you had a total meltdown, which you have never, ever done. Even on the first day of school you didn’t cry! I ended up leaving you sobbing with your teacher, and told them to call me if you didn’t stop crying (thankfully, you were fine after a few minutes). Then, on Thursday, I told you that Daddy was going to be coming home, to which you replied, “Do you see Daddy anywhere? No. That’s because he’s never coming home!” Poor little thing — I know it’s confusing, but sometimes parents have to be away from their children for a little while. And, despite your uncertainty, he did come back! You seem to have mellowed out a lot since things have returned to normal. My favorite Zane quote of the week (during one of your fits): “You’re not taking me to the playground right now, so YOUR GOOSE IS COOKED!” You slay me…

Kelli Ann Wilson May 4, 2015

16 // 52

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015.”

Lillia: This week was school vacation week. As soon as you learned that many of your friends and classmates were going away for the week, you expressed your displeasure at the fact that we never go anywhere. I remember this a little bit from my own childhood; my mom stayed home with us for a long time so for most of my childhood we lived on one income, meaning that we couldn’t go to Disney World or the Caribbean during every school vacation. And, your dad and I have made the same choice for our family. This is something you probably cannot appreciate now, but I hope that someday you will look back and feel that the trade-off was worth it. We can’t travel the world just yet, but you do have a mom who picks you up from school everyday, who is home so that you don’t have to go to school when you are sick, who is home during the summer so that you can go to the pool instead of going to camp. I hope you will find some value in that someday.

Zane: This week was your school vacation week, too. The weather hasn’t been stupendous, but we have been getting out as much as we can. You’ve been working really hard on learning how to use your scooter. I swear, nothing in the world is more adorable than a tiny little guy zooming around on a scooter. You were helping me do yard work, too, with your new wheelbarrow. We finished clearing out all of the flower beds, and we raked the whole backyard so the new grass can grow. I appreciate your help so much, and I love that you just instinctively want to be helpful without being asked. In fact, I think sometimes I could use a little less help…no, not really, I’m just kidding! Your desire to help seems to grow out of your desire to be involved in everything I do, to participate, and to learn; that is a wonderful thing.