Nimbus, Nectarines, and How not to make a Kite

Edit: This should have been chunked into three posts rather than being thrown out all together. And it needs some heavy editing too… Sorry…

Aside from having a bit heavier work load than usual, and all of us feeling ridiculously tired, we’ve had a fun few weeks. If you don’t mind a boring blog entry, I figure I’ll fill you in. If you do mind boring blog entries, I’m really not sure what you’re doing here 🙂 Maybe for the advice? Well, I’ll share that first then.

I’d been wanting to take an afternoon to show my kids how to make and fly a kite. Their dear daddy thought the idea of MAKING a kite was silly, that the supplies alone would cost as much as buying three cheap delta-wings at Wal-mart, and the whole thing would be a big waste of time. I considered that option, since I apparently wouldn’t have help managing the project. But then I found out a friend was in town, a friend who also thought the idea of making kites would be lots of fun. So with that support I set out to make a big diamond kite.

Well, Maile couldn’t come after all. So the kids and I spent about an hour, maybe an hour and half fixing our sticks, stretching string around them, and covering the whole thing with a piece of plastic tablecloth for strength. Not the best project for four kids under age 6 (we had a few school friends with us). Then we spent about 30 seconds trying to fly it, before the little sweeties accidentally snapped it in half. You can see a picture of the results in the extended entry.

Thanks to Ethan’s awesome teacher and FamilyFun Magazine
though, I did learn of a way to make SIMPLE kites with the kids next time. You can read about that here, or you can go on and read the rest of our adventures and misadventures for the week.

Have I ever said my yard is a bit overgrown, and that I like it that way? And that my opinion is highly unpopular? Well, officially now, half my yard feels sad and barren (and rather hot in the afternoon I might add), as my husband and the neighbors conspired to cut down all the large trees on the west side. Still, I got ONE pleasant surprise this spring. Presumably, some kid was eating a nectarine in the tree fort and decided to toss the pit into the wild vinca below. At least I’m guessing it was a nectarine. You’ll have to look at the picture and tell me. You know what they say, when one tree is felled, a new one grows in its place. Er. Maybe they don’t say that, but I think they should.

*On the popular bit, I just remembered something Mary said that made me laugh a few years back. I should write it down before I forget. In fact I’ve forgotten half the story, only that I was startled to hear the word ‘Popular’ tumble out of a little 4 year old Mary’s mouth, in reference to which game she wanted to play or which dance she wanted to dance, or which shoe she wanted to wear. Something along those lines, and she’d said, “Well such and such is more popular than this and that”. She hadn’t even been to pre-school yet — how could she be possibly be concerned with popularity? The conversation that ensued went something like this:

Me: “What do you mean when you say popular?”
Mary: “What do YOU mean when YOU say popular?”
Me: “I didn’t think I said it.”
Mary: “On our walk you said, ‘Look at that big popular tree!'”

In other news, we’re getting a kitten. Nimbus is fluffy and all-grey with eyes the color of the sky after a storm — for now at least — I’m told they’ll turn yellow; we’ll see. For weeks we’d been told Nimbus was a girl. Then I took a look myself and noticed a few extras I would never expect in a girl kitty. In case anyone is wondering or has been told otherwise: male kittens have nipples, so looking for them is not a reliable way of determining whether a kitty is a boy or girl. Nimbus also has a “sister” named Misty who has extra bits. Maybe they can change his name to “Mister.”

Anyway, here he is winking at me:

And last but not least, here’s our lovely kite: