Park!
Sparkle, Irish and I went for a lovely walk along the newly connected bike trail across the river to the park.
We wended our way through the woods, admiring the white and purple violets, and other wildflowers I can not name, but were very pretty. We also admonished one another to stay on the path, and I pointed out poison ivy to Sparkle many times: "Leaves of three, let it be! See the red stems?"
Sparkle actually gave a sigh and pout when she spotted one on her own, and ran away from me (and it) before I could say the poem again, crying out, "No more leaves of three!" I feel I still won, there.
We petted a cute, tiny doggie. Sparkle was amazed the doggie was so small, it was smaller than our cats (who to be fair to the doggie, ARE Maine Coons.) Sparkle was annoyed that the doggie wiggled so much, she couldn't do her usual stretch to the patient dog and touch its side petting, so she ended up not petting him.
Irish and Sparkle played on the playground a bit, and Sparkle went to go to use the latrines, and came back to get me to help her, because the women's room was "scary." She was leery of approaching the latrine, and I told her I was right there, she was fine. When Sparkle whimpered with real distress, I realized that it wasn't the dim light or dirt that was bothering her, but the idea that she might fall down the deep hole if she sat on the toliet seat. I asked her if she wanted to hold my hand so I was RIGHT THERE, and she accepted this solution with great relief. "Scary toliet hole is scary," Sparkle said in all seriousness after she was done, dithering about going close enough again to put her toliet tissue in.
We trekked over to the water pump, and the kids took turns pumping to wash hands and drink from the fountain. I was less than pleased when Sparkle suddenly darted in and dried her hands on my shirt front. Oh, yes, those texture/wet is icky issues!
Walking back along the river path, we saw many ducks and geese. There were many Hispanic families walking tonight, too. Sparkle would say "Hola!" if she figured out they were speaking Spanish, but usually, we just smiled happily at one another. The park put up a special pinata gallows so that folks would stop tying them to the swing sets and slides. The gallows has many dents in the wood!
Crossing the river back to our townlet, Sparkle picked up maple leaf seeds and dropped them far below to the river. Underneath us, a goose paddled after the seeds and ate them. Sparkle was charmed, and spent a great deal of time scooping up the seeds, dropping them overboard, watching them spiral down and be chased after.
She was flagging a bit coming back home. The neighbor's cat stalked us the last block along the neighbor's yard, darting from bush to bush in fine, crashing sneaking style. That cat ain't named Shadow for nothing! Our kitty-corner neighbor commented that we'd been gone on a LONG walk; she'd been on her porch the entire time and had seen us go and return. We agreed that the new trail was a wonderful thing, and she said she wished it'd been there when her kids were little. (Her grown up son is our next-door neighbor with Shadow the cat and the horses I've talked about before.)
I checked our route on myfastfeet and discovered we walked two miles round trip, not including any steps spent playing on the playground! I am thinking we shall all sleep well tonight. I'm pretty proud of ourselves, and pleased that Sparkle asked to go.
We wended our way through the woods, admiring the white and purple violets, and other wildflowers I can not name, but were very pretty. We also admonished one another to stay on the path, and I pointed out poison ivy to Sparkle many times: "Leaves of three, let it be! See the red stems?"
Sparkle actually gave a sigh and pout when she spotted one on her own, and ran away from me (and it) before I could say the poem again, crying out, "No more leaves of three!" I feel I still won, there.
We petted a cute, tiny doggie. Sparkle was amazed the doggie was so small, it was smaller than our cats (who to be fair to the doggie, ARE Maine Coons.) Sparkle was annoyed that the doggie wiggled so much, she couldn't do her usual stretch to the patient dog and touch its side petting, so she ended up not petting him.
Irish and Sparkle played on the playground a bit, and Sparkle went to go to use the latrines, and came back to get me to help her, because the women's room was "scary." She was leery of approaching the latrine, and I told her I was right there, she was fine. When Sparkle whimpered with real distress, I realized that it wasn't the dim light or dirt that was bothering her, but the idea that she might fall down the deep hole if she sat on the toliet seat. I asked her if she wanted to hold my hand so I was RIGHT THERE, and she accepted this solution with great relief. "Scary toliet hole is scary," Sparkle said in all seriousness after she was done, dithering about going close enough again to put her toliet tissue in.
We trekked over to the water pump, and the kids took turns pumping to wash hands and drink from the fountain. I was less than pleased when Sparkle suddenly darted in and dried her hands on my shirt front. Oh, yes, those texture/wet is icky issues!
Walking back along the river path, we saw many ducks and geese. There were many Hispanic families walking tonight, too. Sparkle would say "Hola!" if she figured out they were speaking Spanish, but usually, we just smiled happily at one another. The park put up a special pinata gallows so that folks would stop tying them to the swing sets and slides. The gallows has many dents in the wood!
Crossing the river back to our townlet, Sparkle picked up maple leaf seeds and dropped them far below to the river. Underneath us, a goose paddled after the seeds and ate them. Sparkle was charmed, and spent a great deal of time scooping up the seeds, dropping them overboard, watching them spiral down and be chased after.
She was flagging a bit coming back home. The neighbor's cat stalked us the last block along the neighbor's yard, darting from bush to bush in fine, crashing sneaking style. That cat ain't named Shadow for nothing! Our kitty-corner neighbor commented that we'd been gone on a LONG walk; she'd been on her porch the entire time and had seen us go and return. We agreed that the new trail was a wonderful thing, and she said she wished it'd been there when her kids were little. (Her grown up son is our next-door neighbor with Shadow the cat and the horses I've talked about before.)
I checked our route on myfastfeet and discovered we walked two miles round trip, not including any steps spent playing on the playground! I am thinking we shall all sleep well tonight. I'm pretty proud of ourselves, and pleased that Sparkle asked to go.