france in vermont

we just got back from the park after a wonderful day of visiting france in vermont. the reason why i say that is because every single day since we've been here has been utterly leisurely. i can't really deal with the ringing of 2 adverbs strung together, but that's the only way to describe it. in the spirit of france, we're having baked brie and a baguette and fruit and a huge salad for dinner. and in the morning we're having crepes. and to get the vermont feel, we're going to douse some things with maple syrup. i love the fact that most things here are infused with the stuff: whipped cream, lattes, cookies, jams, ice creams, and not just desserts, but things like salad dressings and meats and mustards as well-- all things we've been enjoying in the past week, some of us in more moderation than others.


but back to our day. we spent most of it at the river--playing, reading, collecting rocks and singing songs. and that's almost the same thing we've been doing every day-- swimming in clean ponds in rain or shine and coming home sand-and-gravel dusted. over the weekend we were also graced by our dear friends erica and alicia who drove up to celebrate ace's birthday, which was spent well. it culminated with a candle-lit barbecue on the porch with lots of excellent food and a collection of ace's friends who i've been hearing about for years. we got meat from hollister farms, which was a highlight for me because of what the transaction was like. they have this tiny little store you go into, with 3 or 4 freezers full of responsibly raised meat, and you basically just go in, take what you want, and leave some money. there's a box full of cash that just sits on the counter (no cashier) and people just casually go in and support this farm directly. they also have a huge barn full of animals that you get to go and visit, and the piglets have tire swings to play with in their pens. i also took the opportunity to explain to adah, after witnessing the nursing sow turn over almost onto her 10 or 12 piglets, that sometimes the milking mama just needs a break. we're working on that currently and are experiencing much disequilibrium.

in conclusion, and on a totally different note, here is some spoken word by adah, an exact transcription of what she said as she was carefully coming down a huge flight of slide stairs:

i found a leaf.
it's our lucky day!
it's our lucky day!

i found a leaf
it has my name written on it!
it has my name written on it.
it has my name written on it!


i found this leaf.