Rewrite of Gwilminawyn

Despite my perception that rewrites are supposed to get shorter, this one seems to be getting longer, much longer. But, I hope it is also a little more interesting. More like reading a short story and less like reading a long, boring, and overly verbose, history.

The silence was not complete.

Outside, the wind still wound its way through the piney broughs. Scattered bird calls punctuated the early afternoon and the occasional chipmunk chattered. Silvered notes of wind chimes kissed every current of the air. Outside, the mountains breathed their melody with stately grace.

All these lovely sounds traveled easily through the arched stone of the tall windows where inside, four elves sat in stillness and silence.  Their loss was yet too new for words or sounds.

It seemed impossible that she was gone so soon, so suddenly.

Gradually, Gwilminawyn became aware of a new noise in the room. A few soft sobs slipped into their sorrow. No sooner did she hear them, than she realized they were her own.

How could she be gone?

Gwilminawyn pulled her shaky breath back in, felt her mother’s gentle fingers slide through her hair. The young Gwilminawyn, seated on a floor cushion at her parents’ feet, leaned against her mother’s legs and rested her head against her mother. She took a deep breath and let herself slip into an elven reverie as she delved into her memories of Evelyn.

---

Only the slightest pause separated the soft, rapping from the turning of the door handle. Gwilminawyn and her mother looked up from where they sat on the floor drawing flowers. Blossoms were scattered on the smooth stone floor where the mother and child sat drawing. Gwilminawyn sprawled on her stomach, and just as much colored chalk had made it to her fingers as did her paper, but she, as all young artists often are, was quite pleased with her efforts.  The interruption surprised her, not that someone would come calling, but that someone would let themselves in without waiting for a response.

As the door swung open and a man in dark grey cloak stepped in and wiped his wet feet on the small rug. The hood of his cloak was pulled up and hung low over his face to keep off the rain...the same rain which kept the ladies drawing their flowers indoors rather than out. The man turned and closed the door behind him, but something about his movements struck Gwilminawyn as awkward. It was then she realized in one arm, the man carried a bundle under his cloak. 

In one smooth movement, her mother rose to her feet. Gwilminawyn, who had never known any danger, remained interested, but unalarmed on the floor. 

“Eruarwen,” the man said. “I did not mean to startle you.” Using his one free hand to pull back the hood of his cloak, he added, “Surely, I have not been gone so long that my own sister fails to recognize me?”

“Galanian!”

Gwilminawyn could hear the excitement in her mother’s voice and found herself smiling and standing as well. Uncle Galanian had come home at last.

Eruarwen nimbly stepped over the flowers and the pads of paper to greet her brother, but drew back from his embrace as soon as the first kiss of greeting had been exchanged. Gwilminawyn, close behind her mother, stopped short, wondering what was wrong.

“What have you there, brother of mine?”

Galanian took a deep breath and gently opened his cloak. In human, he said aloud, “It’s all right, Little One. See, this is my family, which I told you about.”

Gwilminawyn, even after stepping around her mother to get a better view, did not at first understand what she was seeing.  Her uncle seemed to be holding nothing more than a bundle of coarse fabric. Neither did his words make any sense to her. Why switch to a different language than their own beautiful elven? And, though Gwilminawyn was diligent in her studies, she must be translating her uncle’s words in correctly, or why would he be introducing Gwilminawyn to her own mother?

When the coarse bundle moved on its own, Gwilminawyn gasped and jumped back.

“Little One,” her uncle still spoke in human, and now Gwilminawyn realized he was speaking to the bundle, “will you let my sister see you?”

The top part of the bundle shook its head no. Gwilminawyn crept closer and found a little foot protruding from the bottom of the bundle, and a little arm coming out the side of the bundle, with a tiny little fist clinging to her uncle’s tunic.

“Oh!” gasped Gwilminawyn, “It’s pink!” Instantly she clamped her mouth shut, realizing she had spoken in haste, and was likely very rude. She looked up at her mother, regret on her face, and received her mother’s gentle nod of pardon.

Her uncle chuckled. “Little One, look, there is another little girl here too. She wants to say hello to you.”

On cue, Gwilminawyn, in what she hoped was good human, said, “Hello, my friend. My name is Gwilminawyn. What’s your name?” But still, the bundle didn’t move or turn its face away from where it was buried on her uncle’s chest.

“Nevermind, Galanian,” said her mother, also now speaking in human, “the little dear is cold and wet and frightened. Introductions can wait. Let’s get your wet cloak off and some warm tea served.  Little One will meet us in time.”

Two for Tuesday: Summer Favorites

It is summer!

(yes, brilliant statements like that is what keeps my reader membership soaring.)

Anyway, I have two of my all time favorite summer recipes to share:

Quick and Perfect Corn on the Cob  and  Strawberry Cream Pie

Now, you might think corn on the cob doesn't need a recipe per say, but keep reading.

Quick and Perfect Corn on the Cob

I was at Meijer two years ago in July. There in the produce section next to the end cap bin of fresh sweet corn was.....THE CORN WHISPERER.  He wasn't a Meijer employee; he was just a sweet elderly gentleman that really liked corn. He seemed to be spending his afternoon hanging out by the sweet corn chatting with shoppers about....corn.

The Corn Whisperer showed me how to pick out an ear of corn without pulling down the husk. (You pinch the leaves between the top of the corn ear and where the silk comes out. If there's a lot of soft, squishy silk there, then not enough kernels were properly pollinated. If you feel the silk is fairly lean up there, then the ear is full of plump, juicy kernels.)

But, said The Corn Whisperer, don't peel the leaves back to check. (Nevermind the pretty and highly misleading photo. My camera is gone, so I can't take my own pictures. But I felt like a picture, even a misleading one, was still desperately needed.)

Of course, said The Corn Whisperer, you should buy your corn on the day you are planning on cooking it. The fresher your corn is, the better.

When you are ready to cook your corn.....do NOT husk it. Got that? You leave the husk on the corn, the way Nature intended it to be.

You place your corn ears in the microwave, husk and all. You might have to do just a few ears at a time. (Don't try to stack a dozen ears in your microwave.) I have five in my family, so I put in five...but really I should only be cooking three or four at a time. Depending on your microwave and on how crispy or how tender you want your corn, you microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per ear of corn. 

I like this method, because it doesn't involve a big pot of boiling water adding heat and humidity to my kitchen.

I also like this method, because the corn comes out perfect EVERY TIME.

Let your corn cool for a few minutes, then husk. Be careful, the corn is still very hot. You might want to use a dishtowel to hold the ear with. The beauty of this is that the silk just falls away from the corn.

Serve. Butter and season as desired.

Every summer meal is more like summer with fresh, hot, corn on the cob.

And, the most perfect summer meal calls for the most perfect summer dessert, which happens to be:

Strawberry Cream Pie

WARNING: This pie needs several hours in the freezer before it can be served. Be sure to fix it well in advance of when you need it. The day before or the morning of works perfectly!

Ingredients:

• 1 (18 ounce) jar strawberry preserves (I used Smuckers)
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups diced, fresh strawberries (see directions)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, plus additional for garnish if desired
• 2 (8 or 9-inch) prepared graham cracker pie crusts (or homemade crusts)

 Directions:

1.  Rinse and hull several strawberries. (I think I typically use about 2/3rds of a plastic produce container.) 
2. Place the strawberries, a few at a time, in a food processor. Pulse just enough to have tiny pieces of strawberries, but don't puree them. Keep doing this until you have 1 and 1/2 cups.
3. In a large bowl, mix the strawberry preserves, the strawberry pieces, the sweetened condensed milk, and the lemon juice.
4. Fold in the whipped topping.
5. Spoon into two prepared crusts.
6. Freeze for at least 4-6 hours.
7. Take out of freezer 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with additional whipped cream or fresh strawberry slices if desired.

Be prepared to have a new favorite summer dessert!

Dear Organization Guru....

I'm considering a career in arson. I think that might be the quickest, easiest way to get my house cleaned out and organized.

School starts in three weeks. I have a filing cabinet full of paperwork....90% of which I don't need...but 10% of which I do need. For the sake of the 10%, I'm stuck with going through the rest of the 90%.

School starts in three weeks. I have yet to assemble portfolios for each of my children so that we can submit them for an academic assessment, which I need to have completed to mail my letter of intent for this coming school year. This is further complicated by the fact that I have no camera, and the computer scanner and I aren't on speaking terms. Last year, I did their portfolios on my blog, mailed our assessor a link to the blog posts, and everyone was happy. I'd like to do that again this year, but the no camera portion is making this difficult. What I need to do is assemble their portfolios, write up the description, and then get the Jedi to scan some images for me. This requires more pre-thought than I usually do.

School starts in three weeks. Last years school books are still occupying the space on the school shelves. I'd love to take them off and put them away....but I have no away place to put them.

School starts in three weeks. I was going to get several closets and craft corners cleaned out, sorted, and organized during the summer. I got as far as the gaming bookshelf. I cleared off two desk surfaces, but now they are both covered again, because there is no away place to put stuff.

School starts in three weeks. Toa of Boy's closet is a disaster that literally avalanches all over his room every other day. I don't know how to fix these.

School starts in three weeks. But arson only takes a few minutes.

Facebook Friday

5/11
I have a list of stuff that I need to do this afternoon, and none of it sounds fun or interesting. I thought that there must be a word to describe this situation, and then I remembered, oh yes....it's called "work".

5/11
The last homeschool day of the year was brought to a close with a sneak super soaker attack!!!

5/12
I dislike measuring out shortening. So, I gave the job to Toa of Boy instead....thinking that this would let me avoid a shortening mess. Um, yeah.

5/14
I just STEPPED on Toa's fish. One of those smooth moves that puts one in the running for worst mother of the year award. :(

5/17
Making birthday pinatas today. Toa of Boy wants a fish pinata. Great! No problem! Sweetling wants a lazer tag gun. Really?

5/18
Second layer going on the pinatas right now.

5/20
Quarter till 9 at night. I am literally waiting for some paint to dry. Then I'm covering two pinatas with fringed crepe paper.

5/24
What I should be doing: Baking and decorating 24 to 30 puffle cupcakes.
What I'm really doing: Wondering how difficult it would be to turn the old sand box into a frog pond.
The moral of the story: Homeschooling friends shouldn't share their tadpoles with other homeschooling friends.

5/25
And now the rest of the morning's to-do list goes like this: dishes, cupcakes, pinata, lunch. Sadly, it does not quite fit the meter of the Dora the Explorer chant.
......>>I don't know...it kind of fits the meter as I run it through my head! Dishes, cupcakes, pinata, lunch...dishes cupcakes pinata lunch...d-d-d-d-d-dora, d-d-d-d-d-dora

5/25
Thirty-three Puffle cupcakes boxed up and ready to go!

5/26
How fun was the birthday party? It was five shaving cream cans worth of fun :)

5/28
Conversations I just don't understand--
Me: Go brush your teeth.
Toa of Boy: Awwww...Do I have to?
Me: Yes.
Toa: Awwwww.....
Really? This isn't a new or unusual requirement

5/28
Turned down the blankets tonight to tuck Toa into bed and discovered a lego man graveyard. Clearly, a great battle had taken place there

5/29
Dear Wii Fit,
Before you get all snotty about how many *months* it has been since I used you, I would like to remind you that your cute little balance board lives within mere feet of a second story window.
Thank you, that is all.

5/29
Dear Wii Fit Balance Board,
I'm so sorry. I didn't really mean it. Please come out from wherever you are hiding.

5/29
Tonight's conversation:
Me: Ok, time for bed.
Toa of Boy: Awwww.....I wish I was a dragon. Then I wouldn't have to go to bed.

5/30
Guess what I'm doing at quarter till midnight on a weeknight? If you guessed making another pinata, you'd be right!

5/31
This morning's conversation:
Toa of Boy: So, what's your craft at babysitting today?
Me: We're making suncatchers and blowing bubbles. Fun summertime things.
Toa (excited): ooooooo! What's a suncatcher??
Me: It's just something pretty and colorful that you hang in a window to let light shine through it.
Toa (disappointed): Oh, I thought it might be something that would trap the sun and destroy the world.
Me: No, it's not that.

6/1
Pre-seven this morning found me outside in the pouring rain, huddled under a gulf umbrella, scooping water out of the frog tank because both their large rocks were completely submerged and I didn't want them to drown!

6/2
T minus 11:50 until my niece's birthday party, and I *just* finished the pinata!

6/4
i am a google map addict. I practically can't go anywhere without first printing out a google map!

6/4
A final farewell to our sweet amphibian friends. You go on to a fuller life in your natural habitat, but you leave behind a nine year old boy who will miss you dearly.
.....>>Dear skinny lady, we, the native amphibians want to thank you for sending bob, kevin and tammy back to live among us, however, they now seem to expect people to hold umbrellas over them on rainy days and they think food just drops to them from the skies. they are creating a terrible new religion based upon these outlandish ideas and supplanting our true gods. You have ruined our world forever.

6/6
Snack time for me---bring on the nutella!

6/7
A successful boys' playdate ends with the quote, "Do not get blood all over her bathroom."

6/11
This morning's conversation--
Toa: Do I *have* to sort my laundry?
Me: Do you want clean clothes?
Toa: Um.....
Me: Do you want to go naked to camp?
Toa: Um......
Sweetling: Just go sort your laundry.

6/11
One of the many reasons I love my family: we can have a debate in the van over whether the Tardis should count as an animal, vegetable, or mineral for a game a 20 questions.

6/12
I snuck in two goodbye kisses while we were standing in the line to sign Toa in for camp. He made a face at me both times, but none of his friends were around to see, so I think I didn't violate any serious Mommy-behavior rules. ;)

6/12
What I have learned tonight: deleting large blocks of emails absolutely must be done with "pa-chow" sound effects.

6/13
How is it that *decades* after we put a man on the moon, we still don't have house-cleaning robots? Clearly, this is an inexcusable oversight in our technological development.

6/15
Two hours till I leave to pick up my boy. Not that I'm an anxious mommy counting down the time....oh wait, yes, yes I am!

6/15
some unnamed person left her clothes on the floor of the bathroom after her shower. I think the only reasonable response is to send me, um...her, strait to bed for the afternoon. that's justice, right?

6/18
This morning's shout out goes to our wonderful neighbors who were kind enough to give us some 500 piece puzzles a while back. I keep them in my game closet for times like last night. At 12:30 in the morning, Toa of Boy is standing at the side of my bed, because he can't sleep. I got up, assessed the situation (not sick, not scared, not sad) and let him pick out a puzzle to work on the kitchen table. After he was all set up, I went back to bed. He stayed up for another hour, then went to sleep on the couch. Happy, easy solution for all :)

Tuesday
Hmmmm....fold laundry OR create a penguin scavenger hunt? Decisions, decisions.

Wednesday
I took all the drawers and shelves out of my fridge and gave everything a good washing. the fridge hasnt' been this clean since it came home. Now, anyone wanna lay odds on whether or not I can get the drawers and shelves back *in* the fridge?

Friday
Somewhere in America, people find loose change when dusting. In my house, I find five legos, a bionicle mask, a nerf gun bullet (though we don't own a nerf gun), Rory the Beetle, a planet Mars bouncy ball, Haruhi's plastic stand, a 1970's fisher price person, a Canadian penny, and one thin dime.

Happy Ninth

This post is progressing without much input from the birthday boy. In fact, Toa of Boy isn't even here. He's at camp. Without me. For a week. One of us isn't adjusting well to the separation.

And yes, this post is also getting written nearly a month after his actual birthday. Because somehow sitting down and contributing to Mommy's writing process wasn't high on the boy's priority list.

Meanwhile, my blog has been held hostage since obviously I can't write a birthday post for Sweetling and NOT write one for Toa of Boy. What kind of mother would that make me?

My first photos of Toa of Boy for his ninth year don't have Toa of Boy in the photo. Just his creations.

We were blessed this year with a HUGE tub of Lincoln Logs passed down to us from another homeschooling family. This was the first of many villages constructed.

But it was certainly not the last...

In fact, going through my photos of last year, there's a lincoln log village in nearly every month of the year.

But Toa didn't confine himself to Lincoln Logs. His real construction love was in Legos. While many months had a lincoln log village....nearly every week has an amazing Lego construction.

He kicked off his year of Legos with the Statue of Liberty last May.

Other, Mommy selected highlights of the Lego year include a two dimensional Puffle Mosaic.

And a complex, room by room, museum.

(We have close up photos of each room, but I'll just put the overview here.)

In addition to everything Toa built at home on his own, he also took a Lego Creation class at co-op this year and so came home with a portfolio full of photos of his classroom Lego construction projects.

One other building project I have to make mention of was his popsicle stick trestle bridge. This was a endcap project to a unit on industrial age construction and engineering. 

Not only did Toa take a Lego Creation class to hone his already sharp engineering skills, he also took a class on chess. Which put him way out of Mommy's league. I used to be able to hold my own against him, because while last summer Toa understood how the pieces moved and was quick to take my pieces if I was foolish enough to leave them unprotected, he didn't yet have any overall game strategies.

NOW, now, NOW he kicks my butt. He was already just sharp at chess...now he understands opening strategies and end game strategies and he lays cunning traps for the unwary. Look at him about to steal my black queen just a few moves into this game. His maniacal grin isn't quite visible in the photo. Pity that. (Pity me too!)

He also loves to design his own board games, and made a huge, choose your path adventure game which we all enjoyed playing. This photo is just one of 10 to 12 panels of this game board. Each panel had its own theme and its own challenges.

AND he made an amazing Perry the Platypus car for a pine car derby race!

AND his own cardboard box miniature golf course which took over the living room and had to be set up in shifts for each 'hole' to fit.

AND he finished his first TNT book for Awana. (Which I somehow cannot find a picture of him with his awards from the award night. boo hoo.)

AND he had a sizeable speaking part in the children's spring musical.

AND he studied the solar system and had some cool, boy-oriented hands-on activities.

AND he earned his high blue belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Look how old he looks there. What happened to my Little Guy? How did he grow up so fast????