SEP’ 20

26

 I had a very busy end of the week but, now, having served a breakfast of hash browns, frittata, and slices of tomato from the garden and CSA to the masses, I find myself in the luxurious position of sitting alone at the kitchen counter to write.

Willa's godparents have come to stay with us for 3-4 weeks. They drove out from Seattle to do some adventuring and camping in Yellowstone and the Tetons before making their way down here. Leading up to this visit, we had several conversations to make sure that we were aligned in terms of the precautions we are taking to stay healthy during this pandemic. And, so, now, Willa is outside showing off her new tree house to her godparents. Davis is working out in the garage. I am here, at the kitchen counter. Alone. Marvelous.

I finally finished Bettelheim's book on children and literacy. The big takeaways are:

- Encourage your child to develop an intrinsic desire to read.

- Do this by providing interesting and reasonably challenging books.

- Approach errors in reading with curiosity- they may have a cause other than a lack of technical proficiency.

I am now onto Madeline Levine's Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World. I read another book by her, The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids, a year or so ago. So far, I find the book very comforting. It confirms some of my thinking about schooling, education, and how to be in the world- for a child but also for the parents too.

The days are growing noticeably shorter. The profusion of zucchini, eggplants, cucumbers, and tomatoes has slowed. Our pumpkins are slowly turning orange. Myenergies are being redirected from gardening to gathering- I have all sorts of hopeful plans for celebrating the Chinese Harvest Moon Festival, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc. And, the bake sale continues! I am taking this coming week off but have a pretty exciting lineup of treats for October and an organization that I am excited to bring attention to and support.

Well, I had better get going. It's beautiful outside- cool, a little overcast, quiet- I can hear the birds. Going to rejoin our temporarily expanded family. Life is good.