Behind. . .and the Procession

There are little things and big that make me know I live in the right town for me.  I've lived other places; and thought about living other places again.  But, when I reflect, I know that this crazy little place, near the sea, in sight of the mountains, small enough to walk around, this is my place.

The Procession is one of those reinforcing things.  Here's basically how it works: it's a parade, it happens around Earth Day each year, nothing motorized is allowed, it's human powered in all ways, there is a community art studio leading up to it and people make these costumes, the bands are all rag tag, anyone can march, and at the end, everyone who hasn't marched so far falls in after the last band and walks the rest of the way to the end where there is a big party.  That's it.  Actually, the Procession always makes me cry because it is sweetness and community in the way that just breaks your heart it is so perfectly, genuinely human.  You could have one in your town too. . .and I hope that you do, really, it is a treasure.

We start with the city closing off the streets and passing out sidewalk chalk so all the streets are decorated.

 

Then the parade starts.  This year featured lots of little kids (as usual), bats and a bat cave, a really bid spider, birds, a razor clam dig, and whales, jellyfish, zebras, lemurs and others (not pictured).  Priceless.

 

 

 

 

Mommy and Liam watched the whole thing:

Artist, Artist, M'Bay Bay Artist

Liam has been looking at the atlas lately (after seeing a  Wonder Pets episode about Tibet) and is influenced by both the ideas and the visuals.  He explained to me that all these colors were places and what the places were called as he painted them, and I wrote a few down in order of appearance.

1.  Yellow = Olympia (home)
2.  Purple = Artist M'Bay (I have no idea)
3.  Blue = Artist, Artist M'Bay, Bay Artist
4.  Red = Olympia, Olympia, Wash, Wash, State
5.  Brown = Artist, Artist M'Bay, Bay Artist Washington DC, Wash
6.  White = Wash, Wash, Flower, State, State, Flower
7.  Orange = California
8.  Light blue = Artist, Artist M'Bay, Bay, Flower, Rain

I didn't write down the green or the pink.  He covers the entire paper.  He carefully puts each color down all by itself one at a time and he doesn't confuse the names.

A hard night tonight.  Liam is not good at falling to sleep, especially if he's had a nap.  He started a third day at school (daycare) this week, for a lot of reasons, and I know it will be good; but, at school he naps.  He won't nap for love or money at home, but at school, if I don't beg and beg and remind them every morning they will let him sleep for two hours.  And then he lies in bed and wiggles and squirms and complains and whines about not wanting to go to sleep for at least 90 minutes while I lie their and try to think peaceful thoughts and not about all the things I still have to do downstairs before I can go to sleep. 

So, now it's 10:02, I've been downstairs from epic bedtime for about 15 minutes, and it turns out these are going to be the only 15-30 minutes I get to myself today, because I had a long day at work and a long stressful drive home in hail and rain, and I can't stay awake myself much longer.  Another long day looms tomorrow, complete with another nap-induced bad bedtime to cap it off.  I know I have to come up with a better way, but so far, nothing I've tried has worked and I'm out of ideas for now.

Liam has been in mood to ask me lots of questions about Will's death again lately.  This is good, we were worried he wasn't talking about it; wouldn't talk about it.  Still, 9:15 at night mid-way through Long Bedtime is not when I want to field questions like "But, Mommy -- did the doctors hurt Daddy?" and "But, why, why, why did Daddy have the big sickness."  I would rather be on vacation in Artist, Artist M'Bay Bay Artist, wherever the hell that is.  I hope it's near the ocean.

Tiny sliver of a moon tonight when I let the dog out for the last time.  Tiny, far, bright, bright moon and breath that steamed the air.  I thought those days were done for the year -- but tonight, cold, cold again and almost clear.  Thinking warm thought about the fava beans, just four leaves each.  Stay with us small plants.

Dandilions

A day of almost no rain today.  Astounding.  We've been breaking all records for cold and rain.  It has been rain, rain, rain, rain.  Serious rain, the kind that falls as snow in the mountains one moment, and on snow in the mountains the next; and causes lowland flooding.  

Despite this, we have peas, kale, fava beans, shallots, romaine lettuce, and carrots up in the garden.  Strawberries putting on the green.  Rhubarb looking huge and bright and prehistoric.  The season changes despite itself.

And today clouds but no real rain until now, and a very slow walk to the park, filled with dandelion after dandelion until my pockets were stuffed.  And Liam said "Mommy!  Where did all these pretty flowers come from?  Where?"  And I said they came for the spring sweet boy, they mean it's finally coming on to be spring.