OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson May 18, 2015

19 // 52

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

Lillia: It’s getting harder and harder to take portraits of you — this is the face I get most of the time! This week your class went on a special field trip to Grafton, Vermont. You visited the Grafton Nature Museum and spent two whole days out in the woods learning all about the forest ecosystem. You also hiked and explored vernal pools. You’ve got a busy couple of weeks coming up, with your dance rehearsals and performances looming large on the calendar. And, after that, the school year will be coming to an end. I cannot believe you will be sixth grader next year. It just doesn’t seem possible!

Zane: This week you had your spring concert! We were all very excited to see you sing, and all of your grandparents came. But, for some reason, once you were up on stage, you didn’t want to sing! I kept thinking, “Oh, maybe he just doesn’t know this song,” but you didn’t sing a single word of any of the songs. You were very well-behaved, though, and I just had to laugh because it was such a Zane thing to do. Afterwards, I asked you why you didn’t sing and you said it was because you were getting squished by the other kids. You’re a funny boy, Zane Wilson.

Kelli Ann Wilson May 13, 2015

bud to blossom

…What we long for: joy before death…
…What we know: we are more than blood — we are more than our hunger…
— from “Blossom” by Mary Oliver

²⁴ For “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever.” That word is the good news that was announced to you.
— 1 Peter 1:24-25

Kelli Ann Wilson May 11, 2015

18 // 52

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

Lillia: This week you have been much happier, and that is a relief. The highlight of your week was your first school dance on Friday! The fifth graders were invited to attend the last middle school dance of the year, and you were really excited. I felt a little emotional about it, of course. How can my baby be old enough to attend a school dance??? You came home pretty tired and sweaty, and reported that it was both the best and worst experience of your life. You said that only the fifth graders danced, and that you drank 1.5 cans of Sprite. I guess I should really come to terms with the fact that in just a few months you will be a real middle schooler. You also brought home your report card and we are all SO PROUD OF YOU for earning straight A’s! As I’ve said before, the grade isn’t everything, but you worked really hard to pull your B+ in Science up to an A and that deserves some accolades. Great job, Lillia!

Zane: This week we have been living outside. We’ve been doing tons of yard work, moving plants around, putting other plants in. You are such a huge help to me, and I really appreciate that. You’re so excited about all of the little pea shoots that have sprouted up! My favorite Zane story of the week is as follows: You came home from school on Tuesday and said, “Guess what I did at circle today, Mom?” I was thinking, oh, no, what did he do? Then he said, “I hugged a girl!” I said, “Oh, that’s very nice of you — why did you hug her?” To which you replied, “I had to hug her because she had a flower on her shirt and she looked so beautiful!” My heart just about shattered from the cuteness. (I hope the little girl didn’t mind being hugged.) Zane-a-roo, you are quite the little love bug!

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.