Education, anxiety, and dreams of flying

Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. I was perhaps the weirdest kid in the world, I loved going back to school. Though Texas hasn't been very obliging with Autumn weather, summer has officially come to an end with a return to school. My kids seem to have inherited my unusual attitude about organized education and have enthusiastically returned to academia. Auburn is starting her senior year at the Katherine Ann Porter charter school, and she loves it. Orion made the decision to go back to the public junior high instead of homeschooling as he had planned. He loves his classes, is excited about playing the saxophone again (especially because this year he's likely to be first chair) and he's ecstatic about being chosen to be teacher's aid to his favorite teacher. Rheannon returned to the Montessori school thanks to her very generous teacher and administrator; and she loves it. Rowan and Willow are still home schooling and for the first time Rowan is really excited about learning new things.
Despite my earlier statement about loving the return to school, I found that I wasn't very excited about it this semester. I could be graduating in December but instead of being relieved to be so close to done I was anxious about how I could manage with all my other obligations. Ultimately I decided to focus on a mere four things- starting my massage business, home schooling the little kids, writing a book/screenplay, and parenting all of my kids. I know it seems lazy of me but what can I say, I've always been lazy.
Orion has renewed his interest in making and breaking things that fly. He discovered video of an ultralight model plane and is certain he can build one. He looked into the cost of the parts and discovered he could buy a model airplane for less and after he crashes it (and if history is any judge this should happen very soon) he can use the parts to build another plane. He ordered the plane and asked every day (EVERY DAY- 10 to 20 times a day!) when it would arrive. Thankfully it appeared on our door step exactly on time- lest the stress of waiting cause my 14 year old son to suffer a coronary or worse an unfortunate strangulation at the hands of his irritated mother.

Orion loves several things passionately; fishing, flying, building things, breaking things, and his all time favorite past time- opening things. So the arrival of something he could open, build, fly, and break could only be topped if he somehow manages to figure out how to fish with it. Does he look excited or what?

driving, diving, and barefoot play

More big changes around here. Auburn bought a car- a little Geo Prism, got her lisence, and learned about insurance and registration. She's a good driver and a responsible young woman so I don't worry too much about her out there on the road. Actually Cailyn pretty much broke me of that habit- she blazed a wide trail and I'm sure one day her siblings will thank her for having worn me down before they got to dating/driving age.

The other kids are spending as much time as possible in the water- it's regularly over 100 degrees here. Orion gets taller everyday and can catch 4 knots- this is an accomplishment that has profound meaning in his life. "Knots" refers to the number of times the ring-swing chain is knotted, thus making it shorter and the reach to catch the ring harder. Locals know all about "the ring" and the history and culture (including lingo) that is associated with it. Jon grew up "catching the ring" and sharing that part of his childhood with his kids has been important. Our big girls are part of a very small female contingent of ring jumpers and I'm proud to see Rheannon joining that group.

Houston, Baby!

Virginia had a Microsoft conference in Houston and invited the kids and I to spend a few days with her. Cailyn was unable to go, at the last moment, a fact that disappointed everyone. Still the other kids had a great time. I think Auburn was in her element- it took her two seconds to notice every detail of the skyline, a remarkable occurrence as she once asked me, "when did we get goats?"- uhm... over a year ago. I'm glad to note that she's not too refined just yet, she still had enough country girl in her to flop down in the grass and roll down a hill with her siblings.

They all were quite at home in the heated, rooftop pool, enjoyed the end-of-conference firework display, contemplated fine art at the Museum of Art, ate like I hadn't fed them in weeks, and played hard anywhere and everywhere they could. I did enjoy watching them like that, they don't get much opportunity these days to just play- especially the older kids with the younger ones. What an amazing group they are- kind to each other, helpful, considerate and very bonded. We are so fortunate. And Thank You Virginia for the wonderful vacation.

Orion turned 14! The boy hasn't gained an ounce in over a year but I swear he's grown six inches. He's like pulled taffy, longer and thinner by the moment. As usual he wanted fishing gear for his birthday though this year it's fly fishing that has his interest. Rheannon motivated the other kids to pitch in for a fly tying kit. He has already made every fly in the pamphlet that came with the kit and has invented several of his own. Now if only there were a good place to go fishing.

Cailyn (and I) graduated from massage school. A remarkably anticlimactic event, or non-event. It seems increasingly obvious that the school is far more interested in what it's students can do for the school than in what the school can do for the students. They told us to invite our families, something a few of our classmates actually did, and then these 'guests' were expected to stand along the wall while an instructor we had never met prior to that day passed out 'diplomas' that didn't even have our individual names on them, or any reference to what we were graduating from. I know Cailyn should be proud of what she has accomplished, she's a very good massage therapist, but obviously she's less than thrilled with the pomp of these particular circumstances.

Changes

So many changes happening around here. So many milestones reached, so many new trails blazed, so many dreams conceived. I like this photo because it's so representative of who we all are; not just of Auburn who is the literal funky, barefoot driver here. We are all going new places and doing so in our own unconventional ways.

Cailyn no longer "lives" here. She's finding her own way in life and doing an amazing job of that. She quit her job hostessing and waiting tables in favor of a summer job cleaning cabins at a nearby retreat. She likes the laid back atmosphere and even enjoys the work. She's not finding time for painting but is realizing that she needs to make time if that is what she wants to do in life. We all hope she doesn't let the mundane demands of life drain her creativity from her.

Auburn is working at a local graphic design studio and is very good at her job. She has also conquered the challenges of driving a standard and feels a sense of satisfaction that she can do something that many adults can't do, figuratively and literally, change gears. She is getting the opportunity to create almost daily and I never cease to be amazed at how many different mediums she has mastered.

Orion is splitting his time between working with his dad and trying to catch the biggest fish in the river. He spends hours watching youtube video about fishing and has learned more than I ever wanted to know. More and more he is living up to his nickname, Huck Finn. I wish we lived in a world where he could take a raft and spend a week or two navigating a river. Still, in spite of life's limitations he does a fair job of finding adventure.

Rheannon is growing in leaps and bounds and is no longer a little girl but every bit the adolescent. I get a kick out of hearing the older girls say, "Rheannon is the prettiest one." I don't know that any one of them can claim that title but I do respect that they don't feel the need to compete for it and are willing to just award it to their little sister. (I do suspect that Willow thinks the title should be hers and no doubt in time she'll demand it.) Rhea is home more than any of the older kids and so has taken it upon herself to entertain the younger kids. They have been building a fort in the barn and playing all manner of creative games. I do wish that girl had the opportunity to have the childhood we had. She needs a horse and thousands of acres of wilderness to get lost in.

Rowan and Willow are just busy discovering the limits of their existance. What happens if I break this? What happens if I mix these things together? What happens if I throw all this stuff up in the air?...... they are spending time learning how to swim and that is at least productive.

For those who didn't know, Jon and I are divorced. We are both doing well and are even friends. Jon has started persuing music again and is being paid to play at the local wine bar. He's writing new songs, picking up instruments I think he forgot he had, and even spending time making music with his brother. It's good to see him creating in that way and I think he feels like a part of him is waking back up.

I'm not finding the mental time to write but I am drawing and even painting again- something I really haven't done in years (except for the few paintings that were required for art class). We are likely to freak out the whole world by becoming a pair of bohemians while actively trying to raise more of the same.

Young at Art Show

Three of our talented kids participated in an area wide art show- currently on display through July at the community center- and Cailyn was interviewed for the local paper regarding the show and her artistic philosophy. I enjoyed reading how each girl described what art meant to her and had quite a chuckle at how revealing those statements were. Cailyn's read: "Art is my meaning, a beautiful philosophy of my human potential. It is truth, the connotation that perhaps is the only way to accurately convey dreams. It is who I am, packed full of symbolism of my being." While Auburn's statement read: "Art is how I express myself without having to use words, which can be tedious and usually meaningless." And Rheannon simply said, "Art is joy."
I'm with Rhea on this one, their art definitely brings me joy.