Visitors

Last night there were two visitors at our home. One was invited and one was not. One was a known member of the family and the other was a stranger. I was aware of the first being there in the night, but the other crept stealthily under cover of darkness to rob me if there was something worth taking and I was unaware of his presence until the morning.
Kayden was over for another big night of fun. He had Sesame Street Ernie pasta for dinner, a new addition to his toddler diet that I forked into his baby bird open mouth. We had our usual fun, including our version of Olympics 2010. We have prayer flags hanging in our living room- 6 in all- bright blue, pink, orange, green yellow and red. Kayden loves to be launched up to a height where he can touch each flag as I call out the color. He laughs and I laugh and my arms get a workout and he is learning colors. It gets a gold medal every time. When Kayden's mom and dad picked him up this morning, there was ample evidence of his visit all around the house.
My other visitor probably had dinner too, put out for birds and squirrels to help them eat while the ground is covered with snow. He also may have performed Olympian feats attempting to access the dinner. However this guest, leaving only the smallest evidence that he has visited, slipped quietly away in the night.

Home

No one will ever accuse me of having a home that looks like a magazine, with throw pillows artfully arranged, gleaming hardwood floors, and everything in its place. We will never need an alarm system to protect our valuables because our valuables all wear fur coats or are pieces of art made mostly by our kids- neither exactly hot items to pawn.
And yet, all of this surrounding me daily is precious and priceless. I can't imagine sitting on the couch without at least 2 animals on my lap or beside me; it just wouldn't be home. I wondered this morning as I filled bowls with fresh water and cat food, handed out treats to the dogs as they came in from the cold, and cut banana pieces for the rabbits, how it would feel to get up in the morning and have no one to take care of but Jim and me. It was like trying to imagine walking with one leg- out of balance and missing something necessary. I smile when I look at our "dining room" because only the rabbits actually dine there. Charlie and Stuarts' pen sits below the bay window and Jeffrey and Nutmegs' is opposite. There is generally some hay on the floor, if not from our dropping a piece when we fill their pans twice a day, then from the cats who pull it from the pens and eat it or bat it around.
In addition to its occupants, this home surrounds me with warmth and comfort. Like an old friend, I trust these walls to anchor and support me and to provide a place where I know I will always be welcome. I love our flower gardens in the warm months, and my mind's eye sees the bright colors in the summer sun even as I look upon our snow shrouded yard. Even now, as the furnace hums its soothing sound, I look forward to the breezes of April blowing through windows opened wide. Now we enjoy the flickering light of candles in the still dark February evenings and eat dinner by the fireplace, but soon the fireflies will replace the candles and we'll spend time late in the day outside on the porch swing at sunset. And in between, we will continue to go out and live our work day lives in other places with other people, knowing that, if we are so blessed, we will return home again to our beloved cottage on Sheffield Road.

Good times with my buddy

Kayden and Gramma had another sleepover last Saturday night. Kayden is a great dancer, so first I put A Charlie Brown Christmas CD on and we did some head bobbing and turning in circles to some of those songs. But next I went for some tunes with a stronger beat and selected Louisiana Gumbo. When he first heard it, this look of "Wohhhh!!" came over his face and he really cut a rug, which, of course, had me laughing and snapping pictures.

His walking and balance skills have improved immensely. He can squat and pick something off of the floor without holding on and is becoming faster crossing the room. When he arrived he had on these cute little Michael Jordan shoes that made a little thunk thunk thunk noise when he walked- still flat footed. His language perception is growing too. He can point to a nose (his, yours, a dog's in his picture book) and eyes and ears. He says "hi!" and ""uh" for up (as in pick me up). Mostly, however, his word of choice is "doh" ~ Homer Simpson style. "Doh" is used in a variety of situations: when accompanied by a pointing finger, it means "Let's talk about this item I'm pointing at". When he is eating, it means he wants more. Heidi is afraid he is going to pass right by the "mamma" and "dadda" stage of speech and go straight to "Mom", as he seems to prefer single syllables.

As it always does, our evening ended with his bath and rocking him to sleep- the latter not being a popular decision at first, as Kayden apparently thought there was still play time left. He did eventually go to sleep, his silky curly hair brushing my face.