Day 6: Spring is Here and Taxes are Due

On April 15th, I was basking in the spring sunlight streaming through our front window. For a brief moment, I lounged on the couch and sneaked a few more words from my most recent book, I Capture the Castle. Suddenly! I mean, suddenly! Dustin rushed out the front door from his home office letting the storm door slam shut behind him. 

I don't know why, but I didn't follow. I should have. 

While I relaxed in the rare stillness, Dustin reveled in Colorado's wildness. He had been working at his desk and glanced out the window at the towering Ponderosa Pine that basically blocks our house from a street view. He later said it looked like it was snowing from ONE branch of that large tree. His curiosity, as always, got the better of him and he had to know . . . 

(This picture is obviously taken when there was REAL snow, but that is the huge Ponderosa tree featured in this story.) 

He got so close - less than 5 feet from the tree - with snow still falling, when a large hawk jumped from the branch. Shocked, but no more than Dustin, the hawk risked flight and soared into the blue sky. Dustin watched it go. By this time, Dustin's quick departure had attracted his like-minded daughter, Claire. I watched them from my perch on the sofa. She joined him at the edge of the driveway where he was watching the hawk's flight. His arm swung out to include her in the moment. I knew he was telling her whatever he had just seen, which was this:

Sitting in his front office, he had seen a Swainson's Hawk plucking it's white underbelly feathers. They fell softly like snow all around the base of the tree. He surprised it in it's grooming efforts and on an unexpected Wednesday, he jumped at the chance to view a Swainson Hawk probably just arrived from Argentina. The website I linked to says, "when Swainson's Hawks arrive in Colorado, it means two things: spring is here and taxes are due."

source

After Dustin discovered what he had witnessed, we laughed and laughed in admiration of this wild state. It was in fact tax day, spring green leaves were bursting everywhere, and blossoms were heavy with spring nectar.

Why does this make it onto my 365 days of discovering and loving Colorado Springs?

#1: It makes me happy how much Dustin loves nature and wildness and Colorado.

#2: I love watching him share his love with our kids. They eat it up.

#3: I feel like we witnessed something great, something rare, and yet, something that was right out our front window. 

All we had to do was look.

Day 5: School Days Drive Through Paradise

We leave the house at 8:00 every weekday morning. That doesn't mean we actually pull out of the driveway at 8:00. It just means that we have taken the first steps onto our carpeted garage steps in an effort to make it to school by 8:30, which as I previously mentioned, doesn't normally happen.

I was originally very worried about a 20-minute school commute. Basically, this means that I travel 160 miles a week just for school. But, it's not so bad. We climb the hill the back way through our neighborhood, and as we round the curve, we see this out the window:

I didn't even get out of the car for any of these pictures. In fact, I didn't stop driving for some of them. I always feel a little thrill run through me as I see this first view of Pike's Peak pictured above.

It's pretty typical for us to see a deer or two along the way, especially while we're still in our neighborhood. On today's drive, an entire herd obliged. Your welcome.

I also never tire of glimpsing Garden of the Gods . This view is from the north side, and it's definitely not the best one, but it's still pretty great. I love seeing the giant red rocks soaring into the sky. They dwarf people, but compared to the mountains they are nestled among, they look like scattered toys.

This picture is just to prove that I am really taking these photos from my car:

And, here we are entering Old Colorado City, which is a post all on it's on for another day, but I think it is just lovely with pink blossoms bobbing in the breeze, spring green leaves, and even the bare winter branches.

That's Cheyenne Mountain in the background. The zoo is ON Cheyenne Mountain. We'll talk about that another day.

The streets narrow and are cramped with cars parked along either side. The houses are small with purple doors and rainbow garlands decorating their porches. We walk Claire to her class, and sometimes we stay to play on the farm at the school, which again will have to be a post all on it's own. Other days, we simply hustle back to the car to return the way we came:

I really like that church up there on the left. It has one of my favorite blossomed trees just out front.

Driving North is when you can really see the view of Garden of the Gods that is just to die for. I don't want to mislead you, though. I did step out of the car for this shot:

Meandering through the streets the back way through our neighborhood, we climb the hill, and then climb some more, until this view of the city spreads itself before us: 

And, even though I would take the mountain view any day, there is something that kind of makes my stomach drop when we get to the top of the hill.

Another 500 feet, and Blodgett Peak is out the driver-side window. I really want to climb this with the kids this summer. Maybe Blodgett Peak will make it on this list all on it's own.

As we go, we listen to books on CD: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, My Father's Dragon, Mercy Watson, and more. The narrators' voices fill our ears with imagination while our eyes take in the beauty of this amazingly beautiful spot on earth. I could drive down the freeway, but you see why I don't, right?

I'll leave you with one last picture of Garden of the Gods to see you off. It will be the first place I take you should you choose to visit.

Day 4: Compassion International

Colorado Springs is home to many churches and many non-profit organizations. I have been surprised how many mom's I meet at the playground or gymnastics who are quick to share their beliefs and happy to share their religious home. At first, I found this a bit  unnerving, so it was nice to explore one of the organizations today from a perspective that I absolutely share: sponsoring children in impoverished circumstances around the world. 





Before we went, Dustin shared some pictures from his mission to Mexico of people's small homes and mismatched clothes. He told a few stories about food, or lack thereof. Then, he told them that we were going to be able to walk through some spaces that would look very much like some of these homes. We would be able to hear the stories of another child's life somewhere in the world. And, we would be able to do that right here in Colorado Springs.



Enter Compassion International, a non-profit organization that has a home here in my home city. We wore headphones and heard the story of Julian, a girl who grew up Uganda in less-than favorable circumstances. We walked through a small space that was created to look just like her home and her school. It sparked some questions and good conversation. We have been talking about ways to instill more gratitude in our kids and also an outward reach in their hearts. We can't really afford to take our kids to Uganda, and it might be a little soon to immerse them to that extent in what life can be like for another human being, but I think we found a beginning.





P.S. Random fact - Dustin did the girls' ponytails. Cool, right? Claire thought so.

Day 3: I Might Live in a Cabin

I really, really love the view out the toy room window. I love feeling surrounded by rocks and trees, like I live IN the mountain. The weather in Colorado is wild and moody. If you look closely, you can see snow frosting the rocks along the waterfall midway through spring. Even though snow is not my favorite, I think the backyard is at it's finest when it is coated in snow with a herd of deer settled in to munch what is left of the ground cover.

And, I really love the kid sitting in front of the view. He's pretty squishy and spectacular.

Day 2: Mountain Song - Even the Name is Awesome

Claire's school is called Mountain Song. For my child who always has a song on her lips and is most at home on a hike in the mountains, the name couldn't be more fitting. This might be the number one reason for me to love Colorado Springs, and unlike the blossoms, it is unique to my town. It's a Waldorf charter school so instead of being a $6,000 - $10,000 a year in tuition, it is . . . . dun, dun, dun! FREE!

I mean, I'm not going to lie, there have been some roller coaster moments in this new school's life, but I feel beyond lucky that we have this option. I don't even know everything about Waldorf methods, but what I do know is that learning feels magical at this school and with this teacher. What I want to know is, why not? Why not choose magical over mundane?

This was Claire's class play performed tonight - The Root Children. It was 20 first-graders giving a group recitation of about 7 - 10 minutes with two songs interspersed. Below, that's Claire's very amazing teacher in the background congratulating another student on his performance as a snail. This teacher is completely genuine in his enthusiasm and love for the kids. He has fostered love, support, and trust between the kids in his class.

 We have met many like-minded families by participating in this community school. Claire has sweet friends, and they more than allow Avery and Blake to tag along in their adventures on the playground and farm after school. Yes, there is a farm at the school with pregnant goats, a gaggle of chickens, and several bunnies. The kids all participate in an agriculture arts class where they are up close and personal with the animals and the plants. Claire learned to finger knit this year in her handwork class. She made her own knitting needles. She comes home singing enchanting songs that they sing throughout the day - not just in music class. She, my bashful butterfly, performed in a class play.

Day 1: The Great Blossom Hunt

Today, we arrived at Claire’s school 10 minutes early. This is pretty much unheard of since we normally slide in 5 minutes late. Which, when did I become that person? Are you that person, too? Please, tell me you are. 

So, back to the story. Yesterday I had an epiphany, which led to us spending that gift of ten minutes on the Great Blossom Hunt of 2015. Basically, we spotted a pink blossoming tree down the street and we headed toward the loveliness passing a purple-doored home along the way. It was a lovely 15 minutes. Yes, I know we were only ten minutes early, but we really needed to be 5 minutes late since that’s protocol.

The short version of the epiphany is that after living in Colorado Springs for almost 3 years, I still don’t love it, and since this is most likely not a short stop on our life journey, well I need to love it. The epiphany is that if I find one new thing each day that I love about the Springs, well, after a year, I’ll love it. Don’t worry about the logic. Just go with it. 

I find a lot to love out my car window on the 20 minute drive to our elementary school. And, lately, it’s been the bountiful blossoms in Old Colorado City, specifically the bouncing pink blossoms on the gray gnarly tree branches. They are breathtaking, happy, hopeful, and heavy at the same time.

It’s probably not even fair to start with blossoms considering they aren’t unique to Colorado Springs, but these are lovely, aren’t they? 

1 down. 364 to go.

Painting, Halloween, and Bears, Oh My!

I just finished painting the dining room a creamy white or as the card says, ‘courtyard tan.’ I really wanted to paint it a dramatic dark, dark teal, but Dustin vetoed that idea quickly. So, cream. We’ll see. 

It felt good to finish something. I’ve really struggled lately with the nature of my position as a housewife. My work is just never, ever done. Painting a wall did a lot to remedy that.

Remember last October I posted this picture on this blog:

Well, here’s this October:

Can you believe that? So much more happens in the life of a child in one year than in adult lives, don’t you think? I mean, Blake was barely a bean, and now, look at him!

Also, Halloween and bears. So, on Halloween Dustin was out-of-town and the afternoon just dragged into eternity for my excited 5 and 3-year-old. I mean, percentage-wise, those 6 hours between school and trick-or-treating. Well, they are just so long. Finally, (finally!), we were putting on costumes – giraffe heads, and jaguar ears and whiskers and LOTS of lip gloss because, well, because we can, and fifteen more minutes of waiting seemed completely unbearable now that my little animals were all dressed up. I heard neighbors calling to each other out in the cul-de-sac, so I sent Claire and Avery out to wait with them (we were planning to go with them anyway). Out they went with breezes of excitement swirling all around their fresh little faces.

I mean, I’m sure the bears felt them coming from all that excitement.

Yes, bears! (Probably these very same bears who were in our trash the day before:)

I proceeded to gather last-minute items and dress Blake as a monkey. Then, I hear a shout, and I feel the breeze of excitement rush into the front door in an explosive burst of WINDY excited fear.

“Mom! There’s a bear!” Claire exclaimed.

I poke my head out and hear the neighbor shout:

“Sally! The mama bear and her cubs are going up Margaret’s driveway!”

I turn my head and in the dusky light see that big mama bear and her rowdy cubs lumbering up my next-door neighbor’s driveway. The very neighbor that I was meeting up with to trick-or-treat at that exact time. 6:30.

I shut the front door with force simultaneously realizing that I had literally just sent my children out to 

the bears.

Just breathe, right?

After some phone discussions and waiting and watching, we decided to venture out as planned in our very large trick-or-treating group. I waited at the front of Margaret’s (do you recognize her name? she just had BEARS in her driveway) front stairs with Blake in his stroller. The girls went inside.

The breezy excitement encompassed the adults as well. Only it was very tinted with a jumpy fear, so when another neighbor trudged up the drive to trick-or-treat, I sensed before I saw:

The MAMA bear is back. She is coming down the driveway of Margaret’s neighbor straight toward me and baby Blake!

What have I done?! My baby and I are right in her path! So, I grabbed Blake’s car seat and ditched the stroller and we went inside, too.

How was trick-or-treating for you?

P.S. We did go trick-or-treating after all, but when we left the group a little early because our kiddos are the youngest, well, that walk back to our house. .  . It was a little more spooky than a  normal Halloween if you know what I mean.