Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Portraits (part 2)

Our homeschool playgroup came back to the farm today, for Andrea to finish taking her portraits of the moms and for everybody to get to collect crystals. I'd like to spend as much time there as possible before it gets hot (any minute now). However, despite having a great time there yet again, frolicking with friends in the creek, the mud (and even in the decomposed compost) Jesse's habitual response to "let's go to the farm" will continue to keep he and I from being there too often. He thinks he would rather eat nails (well, technically, he'd say "eat eggplant"). This feeling of his in turn keeps me from burning out on the farm experience. Because truly, I wouldn't want to start having permanently cracked, black nails, irritation at the farmer being my boss, constant vertigo from bending over, freezing cold hands from washing greens in the winter, serious swooning from the heat in the summer, even more freckles, MIL overkill (Helen is great but no one wants too much of a great thing), and no energy left for other parental and creative pursuits - all of which was true when I was, for three long years, a real farmer's wife.

But I digress.

Here is Andrea taking my portrait (while I take hers) :Isn't she beautiful? I have better ones of her but I want to show them to her first.

I stuck with my normal, crazy, curly hair. It is more me. Plus, I really didn't feel like blow drying it this morning.

Many of the kids believed that the crystals held magical properties. Three-year-old Hazel hoped that she would be able to use hers to shrink down to three inches.I overheard a nine-year-old and a four year old discussing together how they would use their magic - both wanted to do whatever they wanted, whenever. I think I'd use my magic crystal to bring people I am missing to me.



What would you do?

9 comments:

Angie said...

Can't wait to see the portraits!

helenw said...

Dashiell wanted to know if he could wash the crystals so all the soil was off of them, put them in water and then drink the water and receive magical powers. . . he thinks it's just a matter of unlocking the secret!

Madeline Rains said...

Angie, I can't either. I hope she lets me post them or link to them here.

Helen, I love that! I think he has unlocked the secret.

kelli said...

Yes! Portal crystals would be awesome. Diana and I keep saying that it will be an unschooling who invents a portal, well.. it could be an unschooler who discovers the crystal :)

Molly said...

i love your candid description of what farm life is really like - it's good for those of us who romanticize life and work on a farm. my kids would have a field day (haha) hunting for crystals! we have piles and piles of quartz they have brought home to pulverize in search of gold. as for the magical powers, i'd want the power to be in more than one place at a time.

Heather Jefferies said...

I would want to feed people. Lots of people.

And I totally agree with drinking the crystal water, by the way. Been doing it for years, just never told.

Deanne said...

I would use the crystals for teleportation. That way, we unschoolers who are scattered across the world could easily get together whenever and where ever we wanted! XD

I love your new picture at the top of your blog! I feel the joy. ;)

Akkire said...

i would be able to heal people, both mentally and physically.

Madeline Rains said...

Thanks Kelli and Deanne for the name for what I want - "portal crystals" and "teleportation"

Molly, I almost wrote a disclaimer on the blog, but didn't, so I'll do it here - you, and many other vital, farmer type women would looove being out there everyday. Truly. I did, for the first two years. There's nothing like being outside all day, breathing so much fresh air, not having many people (though that appealed to me less than to some, being in the earth. My main problem, seriously, was my sudden lapses of energy due to chronic fatigue. You would be such a great homesteader/farmer - I often think it when I visit your blog.

Alecto and Erikka, what awesome answers. Alecto, you already do feed so many.