No to be outdone, here’s Maddie with her wheels
The beautiful, beloved bicycle
The shiny red car (especially shiny after the rain)
In celebration of the lowly dandelion
After my sister CCAP told the story of how my dad used to love dandelions and would bring my mom bouquets of dandelions and purple thistle flowers, Cuppa and Anvilcloud were inspired to photograph dandelions they saw on their bike treks. Linda also revealed, in her list of 100 things, that she’s fond of the dandelion (as long as they’re not in her garden). Their inspiration and revelations were contagious, and so, after the rain, I wandered outside with my camera and took a few photos of the abundant dandelions on our yard.
So, today, I encourage you all to celebrate the lowly dandelion with us. They’re overlooked and underappreciated, and yet, the people who have commented to the various posts show me that there are lots of closet dandelion-lovers among us. Come on everybody – be bold, and claim your love for the down-trodden and outcast among us – the dandelion! (I could wax poetic about how the dandelion represents those of us in life who feel less beautiful than the celebrated rose or orchid, but I’ll leave the analogies to your imagination.)
Things I learned tonight
1. If you burn a pot of lentils, dump them in the garbage, and then carry the garbage bag out to the trash bin, the bag feels exactly like a poopy diaper. How do I know this? Don’t ask.
2. Raw onions turn Maddie into a monkey. Her words, not mine. She grabbed a piece of the onion I was chopping, said “um yummy” and popped it into her mouth. When the taste registered in her brain, she made a delightfully disgusted face and spit it out. On the way back from the garbage can, she said “those are yucky! They make me turn into a MONKEY!”
3. If you burn a BIG pot of lentils, even though it LOOKS like the burnt stuff is only at the bottom, you can taste it all the way up at the top. Again, don’t ask.
4. Marcel thinks “wench” is an acceptable name to call his sisters. Hmmm.
5. She may be nine, wise beyond her years, and know WAY more about pop stars than I do, but Nikki still lets me in on little secrets now and then 🙂 But, once again, don’t ask, ’cause I WON’T TELL!
6. There is at least ONE person on this earth whose children use the word “boring” as often as mine. (Cheers Kim!)
7. When you want your husband to come home early so that you can go to the store to buy more lentils, he’s sure to show up late. (Oops… just heard the door open – he’s home so I’ve gotta run to the store!)
P.S. Bet ya wanna know what all the lentils are for! Maybe I’ll tell ya later.