Caitlin's Wedding

On the most beautiful tax day I can remember, my cousin Caitlin got married.  Longtime readers of this blog may notice that I have already blogged about my cousin Caitlin's wedding.  I have two cousins named Caitlin.  (Not all that improbable with twenty first cousins--and they are on different sides of the family).

The church, though not far from our house, was one I had not visited before.   Dark wooden gothic beams spanned a seemingly impossibly large space.  White plaster walls stood out in stark contrast.  An elaborate pipe organ and stained glass windows gave it an elegant, turn of the (last) century feel.  We were seated next to Caitlin's dance teacher from childhood.  Her husband was the minister.

I wish I could remember the reading. It was an unusual reading.  But I liked it.
As part of the ceremony Caitlin and David planted a tree.  A daring move in a white dress, but a beautiful part of the ceremony.  It took the place of a unity candle.

After vows and rings had been exchanged friends and family greeted the new couple on the steps on our way out of the church.

The reception was in the Central Library.  Thoughtful library-themed bookmarks and little notebooks directed us to our tables.  Though I've been to this library many times, I'd never been in this wing.  Thousands of books lined the two-story walls. Classic library ladders lead up to clear glass catwalks halfway up for added access, and then more ladders.  Giant Ming vases rested on the stone floor.

Over dinner we caught up with cousins, and met Johnny, who had recently married into the family (this side of the family has had more small/elopement type weddings than not).  I also found out about my cousin Frank's new business venture, an organic CSA on the family farm.  

My uncle Bob gave yet another memorable father of the bride speech.  He started off with the daring assertion that he had a bone to pick with his new son-in-law because he had not asked permission to marry his daughter, but went on to explain how, in fact, they were perfect for each other and had his blessing.  Not a job I envy, but one he does very well.

Some of us hit the dance floor, but I admit, I felt a wee bit worried I would bump into one of those towering Ming vases, and left it to the younger set (how quickly the mid-thirties switch from feeling young to feeling, at the very least, middle aged).  

The night wound down sipping coffee among the stacks with my parents, sister, cousins, aunts and uncles.  I have never felt so elegant in a library.  We were having such a good time, I felt I could have stayed all night.

Kids' Book Club; The Giver by Lois Lowry

I have been running a middle school book club once a month this school year, while a couple friends have held a high school book club concurrently.  (I mentioned it briefly in my post about food from fiction). It has been tons of fun!  Modeled after the Homeschool Book Award book clubs we attended several years ago, which in turn took inspiration from The Kids Book Club Book, the aim is to have a fun, engaging book club built around the assumption that kids like reading.  Far too many book clubs and book activities I've run across are focused making kids prove they read the book, or try to bribe them with unrelated treats and freebees--either way, the assumption is that they don't really want to be there and that they don't really want to be reading.  That's no fun.  I try to do it differently.  Our format is discussion, a book-based snack and a book-based activity.  Now and then there might be a mini lesson on a topic brought up by they book.  I worry very little about reading level, or how the kids read the books--alone, aloud with parents, and audio books are all fine by me.  Below are pictures and a description of our last meeting.

Our April book club book was The Giver by Lois Lowry--one of my all time favorite books.  This dystopian novel was full of topics to discuss.  We started off with an activity illuminate the experience of a world without color.  The kids used a sample pack of theatrical color gels (used in stage lighting) to try and simulate black and white vision.  The most successful combinations used lots of colors and made the world very dark.  From there we talked about how we see color, the differences between rods and cones in our retina, why we see less color in the dark, and colorblindness.  Rods, don't register much color, are responsible for our night vision, while the red, green and blue cones allow us to see color when we have enough light.  One of the students brought up the possibility seeing extra color.  It turns out there are some people with and extra yellow/green cone, just as there are people with missing cones. They may see enhanced color.



I also showed the kids a number of photographs in black and white and asked them what information they might be missing that color would reveal.  Then I showed the same photos in color.  In black and white they saw; trees, a cloudy sky, plants, a clear sky, pencils, bananas, and a diamond.  In color they saw; fall trees, a sunset, poinsettias, a rainbow, colored pencils, red bananas, and an amethyst. Their favorites seemed to be the fall leaves and the sunset.  The red bananas surprised most people.  Neither were they expecting a purple gemstone.  They guessed the rainbow and the colored pencils pretty easily.



We discussed the concept of Sameness in The Giver, race, their process of assigning jobs (and if 12 was too young to decide) and life without knowledge of death.  Many of the kids were surprised when I said that the book took place in the future.  We talked about the technology involved in such a world, something Lowry largely glosses over.  We talked about euthanasia and a world without animals.  We discussed the terms dystopia and utopia.



To kick off a discussion about memory, I brought out a tray of twenty objects, showed it to everyone, then removed several objects.  I asked what was missing.  Everyone remembered some but no one remembered all.  One or two objects were unusual and hard to name.  Those were particularly hard for some, easier for others.  We did the activity one more time.  Some did better, others worse are remembering round two.  Alzheimer's, early memories and aging, and whether or not you can recognize the good without the bad were all part of our discussion.


Our snack was red apples, cheese  and water (though they probably wouldn't have had cheese in the book)--certainly the least interesting snack I've served for book club. The simple plates and napkins were chosen to go along with Sameness.  In The Kids Book Club Book, Lois Lowry suggests apple pie, but we stuck closer to the text.  While the kids had their snack, they thought about what would make a perfect world.  When we reconvened, we went around the circle twice and each person had the opportunity to say two things that they would have in their perfect world (a nice way to encourage everyone to participate in a large group--we had 18 kids).  We briefly debated the pros and cons of some of the suggestions.

The last thing we discussed was how the book ended.  For purposes of our book club, I requested we only discuss this book and not Gathering Blue, The Messenger, or Son, the three related books written by Lowry.  It created plenty of debate.  While most of the kids took an optimistic view of the ending, others were convinced it was far too unlikely to be real.  Fantastic discussions all around!

Note: The high school book club discussed The Odyssey.  I hear they had a great discussion and an amazing Greek feast for snack.

Leaning In to Winter

At the beginning of the winter I read an article about a Norwegian town north of the the Arctic circle where (to researchers' great surprise) people looked forward to winter, and seasonal affective disorder was almost nonexistent.  And so I thought--we could try that--we could try to love winter.

On the cozying front we got down comforters for all of the beds (lucked out on craigslist there). I kept a good stock of cocoa and tea.  Knitting filled my lap as little fair isle hats and sweaters grew into finished garments.  We hosted a Midwinter Game Night (a bit of a play on our last name), getting together with friends to play board games and card games.  The little girls and I read Laura Ingals Wilder's On the Banks of Plum Creek, Around the World in 80 Day and the first Harry Potter (next up is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz).


When it came to outdoor winter fun, opportunities abounded in Minnesota.  Ariadne's preschool took full advantage of the snow.  Working with other classes, the kids made a quinzee village, all perfectly proportioned for 3-5 year olds.  One class made mounds of snow, another hollowed them out, both added colorful ice decorations added to them for whimsey and fun.  All played it the miniature shelters.



Aria came home in December, excited about kick sledding.  In February, her class invited all the families to a kick sledding party.  Pushing off with one foot then gliding over the ice or snow with both feet on the runners, the kick sleds work similarly to dog sleds.  Kids and even adults sat on the front seat while intrepid kick sledders powered the sleds with strong kicks. All the preschoolers were expert at this activity by the time of the party.  The farm pond provided a nice open level surface, allowing for long runs and glides.  We kept warm despite the single digit temps.



In January, Charles and I were lucky enough to go up to the North Shore with a bunch of friends.  It was FREEZING--but, we enjoyed each other's company, lots of board games and a few very short outings.  The photo at the top of the post is from a stretch of Lake Superior's North Shore.



Ice skating entered out lives last winter, when there was precious little snow for sledding.  Large fast flakes of snow dropped a foot of powder in our neighborhood, closing schools and canceling plans across the city, making a little pocket of time to skate on the neighborhood rink with a friend.  By the end of the season, we were anxious to squeeze in just one more trip.  The picture below was taken the last day of the skating season at Centennial Lakes Park.



I took Nova and Solomon downhill skiing for the first time this winter. –≠≠≠ Last year I went downhill skiing for the first time in 15 years.  I had a great time (and didn't even fall down once).  I realized that I never would have tried it if I hadn't learned the basics as a kid.  Which made me want to give my kids the chance to get a taste of the sport before it seemed too intimidation.  At 14 and 11, Solomon and Nova were certainly old enough to give it a go. We went through a short ski school at a nearby hill.  A delightful ski instructor (and retired Psychology professor) named Rodger helped us get off to a good start.  By lunch time they had both graduated to chair lifts and longer slopes.


Nova is wearing her great grandmother's ski jacket and pants--GG Rose thought they might fit and gave them to her during our fall visit.

Charles and I went on the Luminary Loppet for one of our dates this winter, enjoying fire, ice, and cross country skiing.  Maybe I will get back to the 10k race one of these winters, but for now, the slow paced trails lit with candles glowing through ice make a nice outing.  Detours through fairy ice sculptures, fire dancers, and cocoa pit stops are tradition by this point.  Newer additions like rock bands, a beer garden, and allowing walkers, dogs, and snowshoers  on the course added a more lively (I might even say chaotic) atmosphere to the event.  Growing pains...they'll work it out.



Spotting tracks in snow and animals through the bare trees are another delight of winter.  How many deer can you see?  (I think there are two in the picture, but Nova sees three.)  Standing around for twenty minutes or so I eventually saw nine deer--though I couldn't get them all in a single photo.




Note on the affordability of Leaning Into Winter
I am aware that this might sound like pricey way to enjoy winter.  All of these things can be expensive, but they don't need to be.  Here's a breakdown on how we controlled costs.

Skating: I bought used skates in October and looked for rinks that were free (and also had cheap rentals for growing feet).  Skating fees in our area vary tremendously.

Skiing: We took advantage of a special Homeschool Ski Day at our local hill that cut the cost in half (or more).  Also, I did not bring all the kids.  If you are not a homeschooler, there are other promotions to be found.  In the past we've gotten in on Team Sports Day discounts and Half Day/ Twilight tickets (we usually couldn't keep going all day anyway).

For the Luminary Loppet, I made sure to get the early bird discount by signing up in November.  We decided to make it a date rather than a family outing, and got our equipment through an inexpensive (and little known) rental place run by college students.

Weekend Up North: There is power in numbers!  Going as a group we were able to split the cost of a house with several other adults, driving the cost down below single accommodations.  The house let us make our own meals, saving on cost.  We took turns cooking for each other, which saved on time (and was fun).  The resort's complimentary snow shoes and cross country skis helped hold down the cost too.  Carpooling to our destination kept gas costs low.  Finally, we chose our dates to take advantage of a promotional deal,  giving us our third night free. (Also, we haven't participated every year due partly to cost. )

Down comforters: Craigslist was key--otherwise we would have been priced out.

Books: Used book shops and the library.

Knitting: I knit small things, found free patterns on Ravelry, and repeated the same pattern when I could (so as to use up left over yarn and avoid buying new needles).

Hikes: We are lucky to have a free nature center nearby.

Thermostat: Last but not least, we kept the heat down.  The down comforters helped with this significantly, as did wool socks and sweaters.