A quiet Friday afternoon at home, and you can find us in the yard, digging in the dirt, pulling weeds. While Kara is riding her scooter and hiding from passing cars, Sam begins to collect worms. He digs a hole, with his bare hands, his bare hands mind you. I am bent over the Antique Hollyhocks and am quick to provide the appropriate recognition for this feat of strength. He moves worms from all over the bed, to tangle in his pit. We begin to call them Pit Vipers, although with Colorado family we know full well the true identity of a Pit Viper. Family lore is replete with tales of Rattlesnakes, where they've been seen, and how many have been killed in the yard each summer. In renaming a common worm a Pit Viper, we've added an element of excitement to this mundane afternoon. When Arden joins the game, he soon wonders if worms like sunshine, and becomes their Protector, their Shade Provider. The first canopy design was rejected because it covered the hole entirely, and while the worms may have been happy, the Tamer of these wild garden creatures could not see his work. You see before you the second design that worked with the angle of the sun and allowed for access to the shade sheltered worms (who were no where in sight when I wandered back out with my camera, ingrates).
Thinking back over the whole day, this product of imagination and concern for living creatures was one of the sweetest moments. I'll bet you know the recipe for these moments, and engineering projects, as well as I do: time, quiet, one engaged mom, and a couple kids. Optional: add dirt. Dirt never disappoints.
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