Cleaning or cliffs?

So I wrote down ‘Clean House?’ on the to-do list for the weekend. Anytime there is a question mark at the end, I have a pretty good idea that it will not happen. Generally I give myself permission to procrastinate and move that back a few days. And that is just what we did. The sky was too blue and the weather too clear to be inside with stir-crazy boys. With Fall upon us, outside activities trump indoor ones, especially when it is cleaning.

Instead, we headed over to Dover, Kansas to visit Echo Cliff Park for the first time.

While it seemed small at first, we spent plenty of time examining the cliff, lifting rocks, and chasing and catching wee little frogs, plus a few big ones. Oliver observed Mike hunting for salamanders by lifting rocks and believed the only way he could find a frog was to lift rocks. Oliver did need a bit of help to catch one, but handled him so well once he had it.

Elliott got so good at catching things; he caught them before he assessed what he was going after. Luckily, Elliott let this little ‘sweet’ thing go quickly because this thing was not so thrilled to meet Elliott. Anyone know what it is???

The boys delighted in dirty hands, the tossing of rocks, and the hunt for little creatures. We found wolf spiders, water skeeters, and even a tadpole.

After plenty of water and dirt exploration, we found little trails. We did not travel far when we discovered paw paw trees. We knew they were here in Kansas as we saw some earlier at a more local park. But these trees must not be recognized by as many people visiting the park as an edible fruit since there was plenty for us to take. We took home at least a dozen fruits, some ready and ripe, some to wait for later. What a treasure to find!

This morning, I got myself to the grocery store for limes to squeeze over the paw paws for a tasty addition to lunch. I even found a few minutes to clean up the seeds to list on Etsy.  

And for house cleaning? Not on great Fall weekends like this.

'Moo-thees!

So while the goal was to start making more meals from scratch, ones we love that just take a little more chopping and a few extra bowls and spoons to make. I guess this was not the week for that.

Trying to use up ingredients in the fridge and cabinet became the main objective this week. So for lunch many items were wash and serve - grapes and berries - or a quick slice and serve - cheese and olive oil bread. But I also have had six tubs of yogurt  to use up these past two weeks. Uh, yes, six. Hoarding coupons for free yogurt meant they all expired at once! So enter instant breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack - smoothies! (Or as Oliver says "moo-thees")

It may sound hard to believe but this may only be the third time in my life that I have made smoothies. I used to not care for the texture or worried over what to put in to them. So at first I searched recipes. And then I quickly realized I would not have some suggested items, like almond milk or limeade or even orange juice. So instead we threw in spotty bananas, less than ideal berries, and yogurt. Voila! Instant slurpable food.

Imagine my delight later in the frozen fruit section when I discovered a bag labeled "Great for smoothies!" with pineapple, mango, peaches, and strawberries all mixed up for me. And in jumbo size. Now I had every excuse to serve up smoothies whenever I pleased.

Tonight was one of those nights. The boys wanted to play at the park and I wanted to stay as long as they wanted. But in the back of my mind I fretted over supper and the nasty scene that could unfold when we walked in the door. No matter how happy we are after the park, tummy grumbles set in instantly after you leave and that can be ugly. And of course, smoothies came to mind since it is the easiest peasiest solution.

The best part of smoothies? Both boys have participated in making them and it is the first food item I have let both boys work on together in the kitchen. One peels the bananas, another one puts them in. One scoops the frozen fruit in, another presses the blend button.

So go see if your freezer has some jumbo bags of frozen fruit and go buy six tubs of yogurt. Okay, you do not need six tubs, maybe just four or five! And feel no guilt over smoothies for supper. I don’t because right now, with full bellies, Oliver is playing with his cargo trailer and Elliott is making his pirate outfit.

* To be fair, this was not their only supper. But it did buy me time to get out some leftovers and heat them up, which they likely won't eat much of anyway!

After the storm

Last night a powerful storm can through our area. We got only a part of it, but it felt intense, especially being in a second floor apartment with winds whistling and 'whooing' through the cracks of glass. Power went out, lighting flashed and filled the sky, and rain pelted down so hard we could barely see through it on the balcony. Even a cicada took shelter on our window screen for the duration of the storm.

This morning we found ourselves wondering how the animals at the zoo felt about such a storm. Elliott felt sure they all had shelters and were okay. Since we could pop over and find out, we headed out after tossing a few drinks and snacks in my bag.

The storm did a lot of damage to trees within the park, but the animals were out, doing their regular zoo thing. Oliver was tickled to see the 'raff munching newly fallen leaves. And Elliott enjoyed seeing a trumpeter swan like Louis.

Raff! Raff!

Meeting a Trumpeter Swan like Louis

After the zoo, a relaxing train ride around the park finally afforded me the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the park and train.

The train headed for the tunnel of screams

Oliver and me (ill-timed, getting a chewing picture!)

My favorite nook in Gage Park -
a pond by the rose gardens with bridges and a wishing well

After posting yesterday, thinking nothing could possibly ruin all the good feelings I have forming for Kansas, my mind was changed a bit last night when I started thinking about the power of the storms we might see. A tornado could really come through this area, could really take out this apartment while we hunker down in the laundry room, and that might dampen my fond feelings a bit (maybe more than a bit). Still though, the storms are impressive and until that moment comes, I think I can even find something to enjoy in the storms.

Falling in love with Kansas

Everyday I have had moments that draw me up and make me pause, where I realize how lovely Kansas, and Topeka, is to me. Yes, everyday, often many times a day. And each reason is different from the other which leaves me in a constant state of wonder and amazement. The wave of emotion is intense, strangely intense. You see, when Mike was hearing about jobs, Kansas quickly became the state I absolutely dreaded moving to. I had reason upon reason for not moving here and I was looking at the move with some dread. After a short spring visit to scope out apartments and the landscape, I had a suspicion I might feel differently once we got here.

I just was not prepared for how much better I would feel about Kansas. These past three weeks have let us discover Gage Park. A zoo, a children’s museum, a dog park, a carousel, a mini-train, a large public pool, flower gardens, fishing ponds, and numerous playgrounds offer up so many choices that it seems the park may never get old. But the green space, wildlife, and trees are truly the best part. There are lots of spaces to be alone and explore little nooks, run and kick balls, to wander around and unwind, to picnic. Today I was struck with how we can just nearly walk out our door and be there, much like our own personal land to explore. We have been enjoying it, to the point of failing to take a camera along to capture any of it, except for my phone camera today. So we have few pictures, and not good ones at that. 

Oliver, constantly on the run (from us!)





Another special discovery was MacLennan Park. It has hiking-biking-running trails, over rolling wooded hills. Hills! Ah, visits there are bliss. This summer, I discovered a love of trail running while at Punderson State Park in Ohio. Finding these trails and plotting the next time I could get out on them made me want to jump up and down with such a thrill. Actually, I think I might have when suggesting ideas to Mike. Breaking out into sprints through these zig-zagging, dirt paths feels so refreshing, like I can conquer nearly anything. At least for the hour I am out there! And the pleasure the boys can take from seasonal walks in the woods at a moments notice is quite satisfying to a my motherly wants for my children.

Even indoor spaces are taking me surprise. Today I wandered the Topeka Library, in awe of its size, with lovely spaciousness and cozy feelings all at the same time. I got to marvel at how friendly the staff was, how easy it was to find my hard-to-find books, and how much my boys will love their selection and the coral reef fish we cannot have.

And seeing a sky like this one tonight is delicious. To me, Kansas sky seems so much more open than skies in the Midwest. The land in Kansas seems wider and more open, yet it still has many trees where we are at. It might be cresting hills everyday, opening the world up, making it a bit bigger than before.

Evening sky over MacLennan Park

I wonder if these amazements will cease, if I am idealizing too many places, events, and minute details. But surely, I cannot for everything that is making me giddy with excitement and happiness. I hope I can still get this same inner thrill (like butterflies in my stomach!) months from now over little discoveries.