Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

... barn stories: iggy's storm

A storm is on the horizon, the wind is fiercely pushing it our way. With the wind comes unrest, riding it's coat tails. All the animals are edgy, they spent yesterday in the barn out of the wind because it was blowing so hard and now they just want to get outside but it's not much fun in the icy wind.

Iggy is having his own stormy day, his dear friend Rocky is no longer a nose away, he can see him but they can no longer joust across the fence line. Iggy is two and a half years old and with spring on it's way, he is growing. Playing with Rocky involves rearing, growth spurts with joints enlarging are not a good mix with rearing. Iggy is not happy, letting me know this is just not right. You can see it in his face.

He and the storm have a lot in common, both expressing on the very same day, change in its magnificent beauty and fright.

Both expressing their strength and might letting out all that is tucked so tightly inside, those thoughts not finding understanding, natures elements raging in plain sight.

Iggy and the clouds both shimmering in the light, tossing about as both take flight.

This dear almost stallion, maturing in front of my very eyes as the storm does... forming, bringing forth his individual gifts. He and I have had a stormy relationship, he was so sick for so long, I was the one giving him shots, rubbing ointments onto his bed sores that would not heal until the immune system caught up. About a year ago biting became a way of expressing his discontent. Just like the storm, it was a way he could let it all out, it was a tricky situation for me. I decided just not to touch him for a while, he had had enough of that. I respected his space and in doing so over time he started respecting mine.

Trust came slowly, at first it was passing his nose over my side while I changed his water. I had to trust him that he would not bite, it took all my might to do so. This has been going on now for months and to my amazement he no longer tries to bite. When blanketing him, he moves for me so I can get all the buckles done, when changing water buckets he move out of my way even while eating, which is his most favorite thing to do right now.

To storms in all their shapes and sizes, may we all weather them and learn from them, of course, over time...

~ Deb

P.S. Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a beautifully illustrated book with a wonderful message and a sweet little handcrafted Ladybug Fairy.

*Last time in Barn Stories: Gray Day NYC

... kowing green: ombré sky show

This past Friday night the most wonderful thing began to happen. I had heard in the newspaper that the crescent Moon, Venus, and Jupiter were going to align.

So as the sun set over the Rocky Mountains I took a look up. Of course the crescent Moon and Venus were visible immediately because of their intensity. Then as the sun sank deeper out of sight, pulling the last of the days light with it, Jupiter began to shine.

Just like that, there they were, almost perfectly lined up. But this was just the beginning of the weekend's celestial activities...

By Sunday night the Moon had formed a triangle with the two planets. To look up into the ombré of the dimming night sky was like watching a waltz between the Moon, Venus and Jupiter, how wonderful! The Moon has since set below the horizon before this sight can happen again. But luckily Venus and Jupiter will soon be only five degrees apart in early evening come mid March, providing ample entertainment during sunsets.

 

Happy Star Gazing!

 

~Jordan

 

* Last time in Nature: Soundscape Adventures

... nature walk: elysian park, california

This week's lovely nature walk comes to us from Elysian Park, California.  There Florence and her family explored the hills looking for colors and textures, appreciating the oasis of nature right in the middle of an urban environment.  Thank you Florence for sharing this great trip!

 If you would like to contribute to our weekly Nature Walk series, you can learn more about submitting photos here, or you can also visit our Nature Walk Group Pool on Flickr to add your adventures to the collection.

Thanks again Florence for sharing!

P.S. Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a beautifully illustrated book with a wonderful message and a sweet little handcrafted Ladybug Fairy.

*Last time in Nature Walks: Indian Peak Wilderness, CO

... lemon meringue pie cookies

For the past few months I've been wandering.  I've been on a long, roundabout path to the west and now I finally have a permanent home again.  After four months of traveling, I put my suitcases away, the dust is beginning to settle and it feels... good.

Particularly because I now have a lemon tree growing in my yard (not to mention that it's 70 degrees in February...something this Colorado native is not used to in the least).

So what do you do when you have lemons growing outside your door in February?  You make Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies.

As I was looking for what to make with my lemons I came across this great idea. But I wanted something a little more flaky and chewy so I set to work...

... and ended up with this. First I made this wonderful recipe for lemon curd from Ina Garten (after making this, I will never buy lemon curd again! What a world of difference). Then I used my favorite simple pie crust recipe to make lemon shaped pie crust cookies (simply make pie dough as directed and then roll and cut out lemon shapes with a cookie cutter or by hand making sure to pop them in the freezer for a moment before baking them at 350 degrees until golden on the bottom)...  and finally I went back to this recipe for chewy meringues to top it all off.

Stack them all together and you'll get one amazing little lemon meringue pie cookie.  Flaky pie crust, sweet/tart lemon curd, and chewy crunchy meringue.

Best of all, since all the pieces are kept separately until the last moment, they're perfect for kids to assemble and they'll last for days!

~ Sarah

 

P.S. Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a beautifully illustrated book with a wonderful message and a sweet little handcrafted Ladybug Fairy.

*Last time in Recipes: Divinity Kisses

... tell me a story: am i really different?

 We all grow up feeling just a little bit different, or sometimes a lot different. But as we grow we learn that those differences are what make us who we are, which is such a wonderful thing!

 Just like the ladybug, we all have different spots.

 For the ladybug in this story, the number of spots she has is a matter of great concern...

 ... all the other ladybugs have lots of spots, but she only has one.

But why? Why do all the others get all that spots, and she only one?

I don't know about you, but i think that one spot is pretty darn cute! This is a story about celebrating our differences, so lets do just that...

... by giving you the chance to win a copy of this beautiful book, and a sweet ladybug fairy to go along with it!

  For a chance to win a copy of this book and the fairy, simply leave a comment on this post by 8am MST Thursday March 1st. The winners will be chosen by random number and announced later that day.

 

Good luck everyone!

 

And the winner (chosen by random number) is  Susan who said:

"This looks like a great book. Great giveaway!"

Thanks so much for participating everyone and for your wonderful comments about your sweet little one-of-a-kind wonders!

 

~Jordan

 

*Last time in Books and Stories: Botany in a Day Giveaway