What’s been happening around here in the past week? Weeding, weaning and closet cleaning. Sounds so exciting, I know, but I think they are symbolic of deeper things, and I’ve written some poems about them.
Here, I thought I’d write a bit about each topic. The poems are posted below.
Weeding:
For years (at least 2) I’ve wanted to get rid of the weeds in the small piece of our property that is behind our garage. But it seemed like a huge task and I didn’t know how. Yet I felt guilty since our neighbor’s backyard – the nice brick patio they put in last year by themselves with much toil and labor – abuts and overlooks right into this mass of weeds. And, in the way our neighborhood has been designed, along with the elevation of our property, all the neighbors can see this ugly sight.
We’re talking waist-high weeds. We’re talking nettles, grasses, Scotch broom and thistles. We’re talking tree seedlings and dandelions. We’re talking neighborhood eyesore.
So I went and got a new tool (I’ve been planning to blog about this as its own piece so I’ll skip a few steps here)….and after some labor, the patch of land has been cleared, and, as of today, black weedcover cloth placed over the dirt.
Weaning:
Last Tuesday, September 16 was the last time I nursed Elisabeth. She and I seem to be adjusting all right. I’ve gotten pretty teary-eyed during the other two’s weaning, or at least for Abigail, I remember weeping, when I didn’t know if I would have any more children. But this time was peaceful. I think we were both ready. Of the last 63 months, I’ve spent 39 nursing babies: a ratio of 13/21, or almost 2/3 of the time. And another 18 of those 63 months I’ve been pregnant. So – selfishly? – I’m having fun being more relaxed about my diet: by that I mean eating things I wouldn’t eat if I were nursing, and getting a little more rest for me…also wearing clothes I had forgot I had, clothes that don’t accommodate those special stages of motherhood…..
And now, in her newly-weaned days, Elisabeth has started calling me “Mama”.
While writing the weaning poem, “Cord Cut” also came out.
Closet Cleaning
The beginning of September and cooler days signaled the need to find new clothes for the kids. Combined with Elisabeth’s birthday and weaning, this meant a lot of packing and boxes to move around. I packed up the baby blankets, the pump I never used with Elisabeth, and other baby items as well as a box of clothes she outgrew over the summer.
After years of keeping clothes, thinking someone will finally fit them, I’m now paring down the collections. In addition to many generous gifts, we have also received donations from at least three or four families. So we have been blessed with plenty of clothes, and I’ve tried to keep them all! The girls all have big heads, so no more keeping things that have tight necklines, too hard to pull over. Other kinds of clothes, like overalls, I’ve deemed too complicated, especially if they need to go to the bathroom by themselves. And worn out items I’ve turned into rags. And especially if neither Michaela nor Abigail has worn it, I’m not eager to keep it for Elisabeth.
Abigail and Michaela are getting close in size for some items, so I packed all their summer clothes together in one box; next summer we’ll get them out and see who fits into what. Elisabeth won’t be too far behind them. That will make life simpler – rather than the first few years, during which time, I’ve tried to pack the clothes into boxes and label with an age range and some content details, in a somewhat organized fashion.
After moving boxes in and out of the garage (at least 3 to 4 each way), we went to Goodwill where I gave 3 garbage bags of clothes. One or two clothing items were mine. I have some stuff in my closet I should probably donate also……
Weeding, weaning, closet cleaning and writing….
