Wednesday, October 16, 2024

rocket launchers and swing

 Over the past couple of weeks, I have had four different neighbors/friends drop off a cup of coffee for me as they swing past my house. Two are anonymous and probably dearly loved. Two are dearly loved. They swing by Matador, my favorite coffee shop, and pick me up "The Eryn" and I cannot tell you how much delight it brings me. The boys all caught COVID and in the two weeks that we were housebound, those little nuggets of kindness were pure joy to me. I love this place where such beauty surrounds me, and not just in the abundant mountains, forests and forest creatures. 



Lochlan has started turning on music at night and listening for a couple of hours before bedtime. He gravitates toward George Winston (I HIGHLY approve) and to 40's swing tunes. I love it so much. I'm going to teach him some swing dancing because I think he will love it. I've started making little ditties on the piano to his repetitive phrases and he gets the biggest smile on his face when I do it. Each word is assigned a piano note and we mix them all up to come up with songs. He sometimes starts belly laughing when I start plinking away at the keys with his comfort phrases. :-) 



Declan has been wanting a mini horse since I can remember. He absolutely loves horses but wants one that he can drive with Lochlan, take into nursing homes to visit the elderly and use to reach out to kids with autism. We finally found "Murdock" for him and he is a magical pony. He is 6 years old and Declan is in love with him. We had him less than 24 hours when he was poisoned from something he ate (possibly a mineral in the feed or weeds in the field) and we almost lost him as soon as we found him. However, God was merciful and it appears that he has fully recovered from his brush with death. Declan is taking him on walks and brought him in the house yesterday to get a look around. With the help of Austin, Declan is designing a custom cart which they will then build; he is making it specifically to fit onto the forest trails around us. 







Kelton has decided that we need to add some modifications to the Sequoia to make it "cooler". I was in full agreement as my mind jumped to light bars, water storage containers, a heavy duty bumper, mounting my jack and possibly a roof rack, all of which would complement my existing winch. However, his plans differed slightly from mine, as he explained that we should install flashing lights (like police cars), a machine gun mounted to the top, rocket launchers along the side and at the very least a massive orange plow on the front to shove cars out of our way when needed. He has been extremely frustrated that people drive recklessly, but particularly when we are pulling a trailer. As soon as other drivers see the trailer they make marvelously stupid driving decisions. I have to give Kelton an A for creativity, even if practicality may not be at the forefront of his ideas. 



Madigan learned from Uncle Paul how to work on lawnmower engines and he is on a mission to learn more about mechanics. He's absolutely fascinated by machines and how they function. So, I'm on the hunt for someone to mentor and teach him. I love how his mind works and I have never seen a mind retain literally everything it hears (unless it's a list of daily to-dos from his mom) the way his does. If he sees or hears facts, processes, or ideas he does not forget them. His mind is a sponge and he deeply ponders and considers everything. When he finishes school each day, he's most likely to be found walking across the rock walls deeply engrossed in an audio book. 



The past couple weeks have been filled with wonder but also have not been untouched by tragedy. I loaded my horse before dawn one morning and headed to the woods for a solitary ride to reflect, think, pray and absorb. It worked. :-) 














2 comments:

Brandee Aguilar said...

I love reading your stories. ❤️

Anonymous said...

I love the pics from your morning ride.