Mabels

In case it wasn't obvious, Effie's life is dominated by the musical - each one having its own Effie'ized song and dance number reprise for us all to look forward to. This is a picture of Effie's Dolly Levi get-up from current musical fav "Hello! Dolly". She's also had a long-standing relationship with Pirates of Penzance so she was thrilled when I recently brought home a Beta to DVD'ized version of her Momma's early 80's performance as Mabel in Pirates (looking for a new line of work? buy a Beta machine and charge people $40 to transfer their crappy home movies onto DVD).

So here, for your "laughing with" not "laughing at" pleasure, is 16 year old Tiki as Mabel, followed by her daughter 25 years later. Note: not the highest quality "Beta to DVD to camera capture of 14" television image to youtube" video ever. Also note, in case its not clear, the outfit Tiki's sporting is indeed a "big pink dress". Also, also note, our buddy Margaretha is in the background there somewhere and I can't remember what the name of the guy playing Frederic is so we'll just call him "Smiley":

Unschooling lives

"Yeah, I was writing Chinese", Effie says.
Alrighty then!


Rain dance... Effie would prefer it to rain 365 days a year. Yes, that's a skirt she's wearing for a top.


"Momma, can you please hold up my frozen green water experiment while you're on the computer so I can take a picture?"


An impromptu fitness class broke out at the homeschooling day out...

"We love one another"

Here’s a 4 minute video recap of what we’ve been up to these past 3 months, minus the screaming, pouting, wailing and naked trampolining (because no one needs to see that!). The clip is set to the song Top Ranking by Blonde Redhead which perhaps could be viewed as an odd choice to soundtrack pedestrian familial images since the lyrics include “they have real shotguns, they were baby killers” and the refrain “they will burn down your house”. However the music fits the tempo perfectly, the vocals are other-worldly and there is some interesting lyrical imagery in there as well (amongst all those dead babies). Of course, all that means nothing when your daughter questions “why am I running through the sprinkler so slowly”. Its ART baby!

Computer-Free Day

Garden Candy

Fresh garden peas are like candy to the kiddos in the summertime. Of course, for them, candy is like candy too. Fergus is especially fond of the sugary version these days and can, for example, munch down a lollipop in no time flat. This he does in between mouth fulls of bell peppers and (strangely) frozen, low-quality, cut-up vegetables!

Some years we have a good crop of peas in our own garden. We didn't quite get around to planting them (yet) this year. Thank goodness Grandpa lives just 45 minutes down the road! Here's a photo of this year's crop (the brown earth). In the background are our apple trees that, once we plant in the ground, will hopefully provide us with some tasty treats some day. We may have to put stickers on them so the kids will recognize what they are!

Big Big

These days Fergus alternates between being decidedly a “big kid” and “just a little kid”. Mostly he prefers to be seen as big, but he also seems to feed off the attention that he feels is only afforded the smallest, as in “Mommy, I’m still your little kid right?”

Sometimes, such as when fires are being lit or alcohol consumed, he’s even an “adult”.

And this year, for the first time, Fergus has decided to participate in our summer soccer outings that we organize. Summer soccer, Victoria homeschooling style, means kids of all ages, no whistles, unlimited breaks and, if it should strike your fancy (which it often does for some), lying down on the pitch and picking clover with your best buddy by your side. As well, if you so choose, you can have a ball to your self during scrimmages - as demonstrated here by Fergus as he gleefully pots a goal with his ball while the others, foolishly, fight over the other one!

Trapper-dog

Here’s Trapper - the other member of our family. Tiki and Grannie found him under a trailer and brought him home when he was a puppy. I first encountered his dirty-paws-on-white-shirt routine when he was a year and a half and Effie knew him for close to four years. He died four years ago at the age of 12 but he remains with us in more ways than just through his grave, the many water dishes scattered about the property, and the “guard dog on duty” sign we have yet to take down. Trappy shaped much of who Tiki and I are and who we are as a family. Mainly, I think, because he was what others would describe as “anti-social” as well as stubborn. He also was never ever able to understand the term “heel” despite hearing it 56 million times, possessed a menacing bark, nibbled sometimes (and bit once - sorry AGAIN Raul) and he was prone to take off after deer, rabbits and other dogs. These challenging attributes pushed us in the direction of always being conscious of what he was up to, what his needs were, how he was interacting with other dogs and humans and how we were going to approach these situations. So, from tossing out the “how does your child measure up” bumf soon after Effie was born, through Effie leading us in the direction of unschooling and onward, we have - as a family - dealt with family life based on the foundation we gained in the years when it was just the two of us and the Trap-man. As silly as it may sound, in many ways our dog helped to define our lives.

I’m not even going to get into how it blows my mind how the boy Fergus, in so many ways, is Trapper-incarnate.

Trap was also extremely handsome, cuddly, kissy, loyal, energetic, funny and had the most wonderful smelling coat when he laid in the sun. Four years ago we buried our dear pal Trapper beneath a peculiar tree, off the side of a trail and within sight of the house. We all think of and speak of him often. Effie, especially, continues to take good care of both him (through tending to his grave with the occasional bounty of flower petals) and his memory (via anecdotal stories she relays to her brother). I think people know what he meant to us - it's rare that someone asks when we’re going to get another dog.

Trapper Bray:

Lazy Saturday

One of those days when you didn't think you did anything but actually did quite a bit - here's what we got up to around the place today...

Got monkey dressed for breakfast


Hung out with a fawn


Followed some dragonflies


Found an owl feather


Checked the snake homes


Tried to identify this fella


Flew a kite


Weeded garden


Jammed on the keyboard


Had burnt marshmallows for dinner!

Thrill Test

The kiddos are big gum fans - at least off and on. Fergus will chew pretty much any flavour/ any colour. There are a couple of types that his sister doesn't allow him to chew indoors because of the way the smell affects her. Last weekend, the Canada Day parade candy was quite uninspired - double bubble and tootsie rolls! Of course Ferg repeatedly combined the two that day into a chewy, gooey mess and thoroughly grossed-out his Grandma and Grandpa... and my shorts received nice pinky-brown splotches on them somehow.

Yeah, it's a slow blog day...

So recently I was telling an excited Effie about this gum we used to chew that tasted like soap. For some reason this intrigued her and for a while the daily question for me was "have you found any soapy gum yet"? I finally did and her enthusiasm was, predictably, short lived. Fergus on the other hand seemed unaffected by the soapy taste and kept on chewin. Me thinks gum says quite a great deal about our kids.

The Number One Pinball Player in Mehico City

Happy Canada Day

Had the camera on the wrong setting today so none of the video worked - one and a half hours of Canada Parade completely undocumented. Yikes! My excuse was that the sun was in my eyes, such as when taking this beauty of the clown with his hand covering his face - probably for the best.


So instead, here's what we got up to during last year's home-made parade. That was a blast... with unlimited candy for the kiddies. And documented to boot...

Unconfined joy is…

finding one’s hard earned, highly sought after, much anticipated Anne of Green Gables outfit in the mail. She knew exactly when this was to arrive because joy in today’s world is also, apparently, following a highly prized package’s route meticulously from Toronto manufacturing plant to rural Metchosin mailbox via the company’s web tracker. Yes it cost an awful lot - but she doesn’t make these decisions lightly. And yes, in terms of current rotation, dolly Diana's wardrobe just doubled that of her caretaker. Thanks to all those who helped contribute to this magic.

Medieval Times

We’re in the middle of “Medieval Village” week at Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Site. We discovered this event casually two years ago and last year Effie really got into it and attended each day in period costume (ie: one medieval dress). Full members of PARMA, the Pacific Association for Re-creating the Middle Ages, spend the week at the site in period tents acting how people would have in 1371 England. This includes a lot of weaving, spinning, washing, painting, writing, shoe-making, cooking, tool-construction, building, armour making, sword fighting and even some puppetry. All done at a pedestrian pace that seems ideally suited to Effie’s inquisitive, observant personality.

This year we’ve gone a step further with Tiki officially joining in the fun though she is limited by both Fergus’ greater interest in the adjacent lighthouse and the strict rule prohibiting modern day eye-wear as the village is open to the public. She’s able to sneak her glasses on occasionally, the same way the others duck into their tents for clandestine 21st century cell-phone calls. Fergus, a definite refusenik when it comes to costumes, does manage to follow certain customs of the day by sporting a funky pre-semiannual wash and brush hairdo.

Balloon Skate

In anticipation of Live and Learn 2007 in Asheville, NC, I had great plans to learn to skate this summer as stylishly as Albuquerque Dave. However, so far our lack of a non-public, flat surfaces has scuppered this lofty goal. Tiki’s big summer project is becoming more proficient at balloon twisting so she’s about to apply for a downtown busking license and inflict her talents on unsuspecting cruise ship visitors on 12 hour release. Terms of the busking agreement in by-lawed-to-death, no-fun Victoria indicate that she is only allowed to accept donations and that she must provide “entertainment”. Entertaining pictures to follow!

For a family that prefers to live life without an agenda, road map or targeted goals - all this is truly revolutionary for us. Here’s an inflatable minute brought to you by Addi, balloon supplies donator to L&L 2007, that combines both skating and funky balloon hats into one enjoyable experience…

Random Pics

At the ocean...


It was only a matter of time before we had a car up on blocks on the property...


The "garden" today...

This is what happens...

when a long-haired mountain-man Uncle climbs out of the bush for the first time in over a year and is greeted by his nieces and nephew:


when a girl sets up shop to sell her projects to extended family members for greatly anticipated doll clothes money:


when an Aunt meets her brand new nephew:


when you need a train - pronto:


when (comment deleted):


when you finally make it to the highway rest-stop after the boy closes a window on his fingers:

Okanagan

People think we're a bit lazy, a bit messy and a bit nutty but I tell you it pays to not clean out the car from one big adventure (April's trip to Oregon) when the next one is only a couple months away! We're currently hanging in Penticton with Tiki's entire family, smothering Grandad for Father's day weekend - and the best thing about the trip is that it didn't take that long to pack the car... all the toys, gear and Fergus' gum were already in place. But I forgot the little cord thing that connects the camera to the computer so here's a somewhat recent photo of a tiger at the Portland zoo in lieu of proper travel pics.

Cake

Yesterday I made Fergus a cake cause his fourth birthday was in exactly 3 months and two days and that day will never happen again. His favorite colour is green. His favorite food group is icing. His favorite canvas is his face. I perhaps created a bit of a monster as he totally got into the whole surprise birthday thing ("its MY birthday, I get ALL the cake for myself") and Effie has designs on a pink cake for HER surprise birthday. We invited the-people-who-live-down-the-road but it was late and they were hottubing and Tiki went into town bra* shopping in advance of our upcoming vacation to the hotbed of BC, the Okanagan, so it was just the three of us. Fergus wore a hat.

*Regarding "Bras"… today I yelled out "bras!" in public for what might have been the first time ever - I'm not certain. I was exchanging some of Tiki's purchases (this happens a lot for me - especially the day after they're bought - woe is my life!) when the "service specialist" at MEC poked his head out of the back room across the busy floor "those were t-shirts right?" and I replied with the aforementioned bra announcement. I felt very metro!