Dye Flowers to Die For

A few years ago, B brought back a free seed package of native coreopsis from the Agricultural Expo in Moultrie, Georgia. We prepared some sandy soil where the water meter is and where the grass is not all that happy, for whatever reason and threw out the seed. The yard slopes down to a swale there.

The first year, they were lovely, so I threw the seed heads around. The second year they were beautiful! So I threw the seed heads into other areas there. This year it is nothing short of spectacular.  Some seeds even had floated further around the swale and the neighbors have a few flowers of their own to enjoy.

This year the bed  is eight feet across the skinny part and over twenty-five feet long.

Coreopsis is the state wildflower of Florida, comprised of 15 species. This is Coreopsis basalis, one of the ones called Dye Flower because it can be used to successfully dye wool and silk yellow, orange or brown, depending on the pH of the dye. It takes a lot of flowers to make dye. We might just have enough!

Mailbox Monday: Something to Crow About

Ravenous for Lupines

Florida Native Lupine, Lupinus diffusus, is not a terribly common flower around here, but one that I find so attractive. We recently came upon this one along a state forest road.

As indicated by the flower shape, it is in the pea family.

Lupines grow only in lean soil. The name comes from the Latin, Lupus, meaning “wolf”. Lupinus means “of wolves”. Early Romans thought the plant actually stole all the nutrients from the soil leaving it only fit for wolves. The opposite is actually true: it adds nutrients to the soil and is considered a good cover crop. Interesting that the name may be wolf but it has leaves like lamb’s ears.

Wakulla Springs Field Trip

As we get closer to the end of the school year, the kids get harder to deal with. This year it seems to have started even earlier as we still have three weeks left. I will admit that when Monday  was rough and Tuesday was worse, I was nervous about taking my 18 kindergartners to Wakulla Springs on Wednesday.

After all, a spring is water.

Lots of water.

And we were riding the boat ride.

Past alligators.

Lots of alligators that might think kindergartners in water were tasty.

I knew that it was absolutely necessary that I have them all well in hand. Well, it all turned out fine. They behaved for the most part and it was definitely a safe experience, and a fun and educational one.

We saw lots of animals and, for one or more of the kids, it was their first time ever on a boat. The beauty of this boat is that it is perfectly fine for folks to be up and walking from one side of the boat to the other in order to better see the wildlife pointed out by the guide/driver.

Part of the fun in going this time of year is the nesting mamas and baby birds that can be seen. Here is a wood duck family.

And an egret family. The babies are almost as big as their mama who is seen feeding them.

I had to laugh when I heard one of my kids shout, “Look, they’re nursing!!” I made my way to his side and said, “You are right. We talked about how mammals nurse their babies. They have hair. Do birds have hair?” He clearly was not sure. So I told him that , no, they have feathers and their babies are hatched not born and that they can feed their babies, but not nurse them. It may be that in the telling about nursing as giving milk to their babies, I was too vague about the source of that milk. Many adults skip that part all together, but I have always felt like they could handle it as long as it was not presented as something weird, but just the way nature works.

A night heron on her nest.

Turtles, turtles and more turtles.

I wrote a note to each child’s parents to check them for ticks, as I have learned Wakulla Springs is known for them. This year, I left all the ticks there. Last year, I got an infection from one and had to take antibio-ticks.  8^)

Thoughts on Mothering

Mother’s Day is a time to express our appreciation to our mothers for all they have done and continue to do for us. But it is also a time to reflect on the women who helped us to become the mothers we are.

The picture above was taken on the occasion of my greatly–beloved Aunt Myrtle’s 102nd birthday. Now THERE was a mama! The Red Hat Society regalia was not at all her style, but she had a great sense of humor and was always a good sport.  For much of my life, Aunt Myrtle-- who was fifteen years older than my mother--- was as close to me as any grandmother. She was 103-1/2 when her time on earth ended and her life was celebrated by five generations.  Upon her death, my mother became the matriarch of our family.

Primarily, I was taught by my own mother’s example as she nourished and cared for us, her children. Probably the most important thing that she taught me was her Christian values and the power of prayer, and the importance of passing these along to our children. I remember people in church around us being surprised that our three-year-old sons joined in to recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed. She taught me the joy of singing and I sang a lot to my babies and toddlers to soothe them, but also to teach them early language skills.

My sister also taught me as she had her daughter first and I could watch to see what motherhood was about for someone closer in age to me. The majority of her mother-time was as a single parent, a very hard job indeed. I learned from her the need to balance your life to benefit your children.

We had a next-door neighbor when we were growing up who had three delightful little girls. I sometimes babysat them. I used to hang out at their house and see how they were truly adored, but not spoiled. This young mother died tragically in an accident and I feel her loss to this day, decades later.

My mother-in-law kept children in her home and so I was able to learn from her, also.

I learned from parents of children I taught before I ever had my own. Often it was what NOT to do, as that can be so much more obvious. I learned that common sense will go a long way in raising a child. I learned to take a child out of a public place when they are disturbing others there.  I learned that they certainly did not need a fraction of what they wanted badly at the moment: it is OK to say “no” and say it often. But I also learned that it is good to say “yes” when it is important. I learned that children given the proper attention rarely act out to gain attention, as they learn to be secure of their parents’ love. I learned that children need clear boundaries and consistent responses to their behavior. Children need routines that give them predictability in their life. I learned that it is extremely important to talk to your child, talk to your child, talk to your child: explain the world to them and give things names to develop their concepts and vocabulary. ( I am alarmed seeing more and more parents who need to put down that cell phone and talk to their child.) I learned that the goal is to teach them to be humans that people enjoy being around.

If the proof is in the pudding, I guess I have done my half of the parenting alright. Our babies grew into fine young men--- humans that people enjoy being around.

In many ways, I am Mama to a class full of kindergartners every year.  The majority of them turn out alright, too.

So, thanks to all the women who taught me along the way!

More Kinder-funnies

I have some really good readers this year in kindergarten. Well, one of the ones who has just taken off reading lately came back from our media center this week with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I happened to walk by as he was reading the title softly to himself—and he was dead serious, I might add. As he pointed under each word: The Diarrhea of a Wimpy Kid.

I had to keep walking to hide my laugh.

Perhaps, he did not have personal experience with diaries, whereas, the other…..

 

Today, I was helping a screaming child on the playground. Apparently, he and a couple of other boys had discovered ants under the wood chips that are under the climbing equipment. He had one bite. I said, “You were kicking an ant bed while wearing sandals??”

He said, “NO! It was J, but the ants thought it was ME!”

Mailbox Monday: On Track