Anticipation

Anticipation

in red and purple
stiff petals reaching
for stormy skies

Frogs choruses
grow louder
as night comes later

until morning
when the birds take over
singing of Spring

Happy Spring!

Signs of Spring

My girls and I play a game on our walk.  We look for "Signs of Spring".  It motivates the girls to actually go on a walk, makes the walk fun and different, and teaches a lesson about the seasons.  As the girls point out signs of spring, I photograph them.

 

 Salmon berries are flowering

  

  

 Our climbing rose is leafing out

  

 Spring flowers coming up . . .

  

  

 Butterfly bush has leaves (above)

  

 Pussy willow, actually comes out in January (depending on the year).  This one is Stella's birth tree as she is a January baby and it was planted over her placenta.

  

 Maple trees have buds, soon to be leaves

  

 a few dandelions are blooming

  

 

Iris

  

  

 Nettles, ready to harvest

  

 Marina found something green

  

 Cat tails coming up in the pond

  

 Marina looking for signs of spring...

  

 Skunk Cabbage

May Faire at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School

Whidbey Island Waldorf School: http://www.wiws.org/

We had a lot of fun at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School's May Faire celebration. Here is a quick overview of what the school offered:

Open House ~ Face Painting ~ Seed Planting ~ Wool Butterflies ~ Petting Zoo ~ Archery ~ Cloth Garlands with fresh Flowers

I was very impressed that the school offers this and other seasonal events to the community, for free. Very cool. Keep an eye out for more great WIWS events. Checkout their website at: http://www.wiws.org/

Stella's latest obsession: climbing

Above & below: Garland making, both girls enjoyed this!

Face Painting

Above: checking out the May Pole

Petting Zoo, a fav

Above: Stella enjoys one of the many interesting buildings on the campus

Learning how to Celebrate May Day (Beltane) & Crafts for Kids on May Day

I have never celebrated May Day, also known as Beltane, the way I did today. Usually I get a bouquet of flowers at my doorstep and if I am really organized I leave one at somebody else's doorstep. This year I opted to study up on what the celebration is all about.

I enjoyed the description I found at: http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/Beltane.html
May Day is all about celebrating the Height of Spring and the Flowering of Life. The colorful ribbons around the May Pole, or in our case, scarves, represent the Rainbow spectrum. Beltane is a festival of flowers, fertility, sensuality, and delight. Circle Sanctuary describes the May Pole ritual as:

"The Goddess manifests as the May Queen and Flora. The God emerges as the May King and Jack in the Green. The danced Maypole represents Their unity, with the pole itself being the God and the ribbons that encompass it, the Goddess."

In light of my new discoveries concerning May Day I converted my new alder archway into my own version of a May Pole, I call it my May Archway (it rhymes!). It was quite beautiful and striking with the colorful play scarves tied to it (see pictures). Marina and Stella helped me decorate it and we even added some stuffed animal toys and dolls. We finished the night off with a whole family dance around the Archway and then some jumping on the trampoline, all the while enjoying the moon and the unusually warm evening breeze. Ahhhhhhhhhh

Checkout our May Day Pictures below: Here are some cool

MAY DAY CRAFT IDEAS FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

The girls' May Day baskets from "the Garden Faeries" filled with moss, flower petals, blue bells, and camellias, as well as a small note with each girl's name on it and a little message.

Stella's May Day Note, from the faeries

Marina's May Day Note, from the faeries

The girls surprised me with homemade baskets decorated with pen drawings and fresh flowers at my doorstep while they were spending time with grandma. How sweet!

flower bear rests on the climbing rose

Marina's birth tree: Magnolia blooms for the first time this year! Just in time for May Day

The Maple tree shows it's colors today for the first time this year, yea! Leaves!

Little Stella notices and enjoys the newly blooming rhododendrons.

celebrating with flowers on the front step

Marina probably tried on 5 different fancy dresses to dance in. This is a skirt as shirt, with Stella and the May poles in the background.

The may pole, our new archway from the parking area to our house. I just dug the poles in today and tied them at the top. They make a great may pole.

Stella enjoys the celebration with her butterfly doll and her sunflower doll

Our May poles are decorated with colorful scarves from Emily Day's Dancing colors studio

Dancing around the poles

Admiring the pretty colors dancing in the wind!

The Moon on a clear night

Langley is in full bloom: some recommended stops on the city flower tour

A Star Magnolia tree next to the Langley Library, 1st Street

Marina appreciates the flowers

There are flowers everywhere you look in downtown Langley. Tulips of unending variety, flowering trees, fragrant hedges, and many fruit trees exploding with blossoms. There are so many white blossoms on our cherry tree that it looks like it snowed again! Take a walk through town and enjoy the flowers, it looks like the city and business owners have been working diligently to beautify the city.

Langley Flower Tour, courtesy moi

UBCC: One of my personal favorites is the Useless Bay Coffee Company's gardens on 2nd street near the Post Office. Many of the plants they grow are edible, a testament to the range of possibilities and the practicality as well as versatility of vegetable & herb gardens. And the building itself is incredible. If you need lunch try the homemade paninis and in-house roasted coffee. Yes, you will be back again and again.

City Hall: Also checkout the City Hall across the street next to the library (on 2nd Street). Intermingled amongst the edible landscaping there is interesting art work.

Langley Village: on 2nd street, enter at the Langley Village Bakery and enjoy the colorful bursts of tulips, running water fountain, and fragrant bushes. Also enjoy some yummy pastries at the Bakery while lounging on the grass or at the outdoor tables.

1st Street: the city put in large planters a few years ago all along 1st street (commercial part of it). There they have trees and flowers and a view of the water.