{life with a curious and crazy 12 yr old}
Creativity abound, this little peach wakes up with new worlds on her mind. She’s always making new outfits, new dance moves, new jokes and car games. Yesterday she helped out by saving rain-soaked Scarlet Bee Balm from the driveway, bringing in a huge basket of stalks that I processed into Iced Herbal Tea from the petals and dried the leaves for (hot) tea – because she loves making ‘fancy drinks’ (mostly including lemonade variations). In the afternoons she finds herself at the top of the hill sketching mountains and pine trees or trying out natural ink (made from grass or ground stone) or drawing on different surfaces (like paper towels or canvas or homemade paper). In the evenings she unloads her travel easel (recently acquired and filled) and paints, upping her ‘portrait of a sitting lady’ game or draws new characters. At late eveing quiet time in her room she builds disco’s for her Barbies out of blocks and Lincoln Logs – making them new clothes and furniture. The other day she sat on the front porch and whittled some magic wands (I think for the cat). Books she’s been ripping through for ‘skool’ have been on Greta Thunberg speeches, Because of Winn-Dixie (Kate DiCamillo), Coraline (Neil Gaiman), Danny the Champion of the World (Roald Dahl), and of course Captain Underpants. I have been lamenting the lack of cookies in the house so she perked up and made a delicious batch of Chocolate Chip the other day. And we are trying out a new co-operative game (it’s fun – Forbidden Island, a low commitment co-op game) despite her competitive nature (she was a little disappointed that no one won our first game – but it only works if we all win). This week is the Pittston Fair (Maine’s Friendliest Fair!) and next weekend both the Maine Grains Bread Fair (in Skowhegan) and Colby Community Day (at Colby College in Waterville) where locals are treated to local yummy ice cream, arty activities (like printing from Pickwick Press and other student sponsored bits) and to tour the excellent art museum (looking forward to the current exhibition of Andrew Wyeth drawings and the newly acquired photo collection, classic favorites like Maya Lin, Romare Beardon, Betye Saar, David Driskell, and various Alex Katz), and then the midsummer holiday. A busy but fruitful couple of weeks coming up!
May all your days be as creatively diverse as this Duende!
Rock Bottom Homestead 