The Floods of Spring

Spring floods are annual event here in the midwest. The local tributaries of the Mississippi have swelled their banks every Spring for all of time. The regular depositing of river sediment on the shores has altered the course of the river, created new lakes, and maintained the river banks deep in fertile topsoil. Only since the 20th century have humans tried to tame the river with levees and dams. But the excessive constraints placed on the mighty river meerly pushed the rising spring tides ever higher.

In our hometown of Iowa City in 1993, the Army Corps of Engineers that manage our resevior just upriver from our house failed to adequately allow for as much as we got. As a result, the level the in resevior rose too rapidly and overflowed the spillway at the dam, swamping the dorm at the bottom of our street. Therefore, every Spring after heavy rains or snows, they lower the level of the resevior by pushing the capacity of the river to the maximum.

This year, the City Park where we go walking with my sisters, filled with water. We will have to wait for a few weeks for the waters to receed. Until then, we can enoy the more spectacular than usual rapids near the dog park.

Warm weather is coming and I am looking forward to walks in the sun, music in the park, movies on the lawn, and playing with puppies! Here's me reading a magazine about decorating with nature's forms. Pretty cool stuff!

Happy Easter!

On this very good Friday daddy picked me up from school and took me to Mimi's farm where I got to see her baby chicks - 14 soft little babies under a heat lamp. I was scared at first, but then I calmed down and became very curious. They are cute!

I had the same reaction when I visited a few months ago to meet the new saint puppies. There is something about that basement under Mimi's house that really creeps me out. But it's not just the basement. I cried the first time we went into the lower level of the barn to meet the goats. Maybe it's the smell of animals I am not used to.

Ironically, I am not frightened at all by the dogs in the kennels. Despite their fierce attempts to defend their territory and put on a show of aggression, I have always just smiled and even laughed at their antics. I know that my own sisters will engage in such behavior and it is not something to be afraid of (assuming they're behind cages of course!)

But freaking out when meeting baby saints, baby chickens, and baby goats seems immature and irrational. Daddy thinks I just need to confront my fears when I am a little older and have more frequent exposure to the farm animals.

Perhaps this summer when the grass is green and soft and the fields are carpeted with waving forests of corn. Perhaps when I can walk on my own in the gleaming sunlight and explore the farm more actively I will be able to conquer this odd phobia. I just can't let the farm animals become strangers to me- I still want to join 4H and make artisinal goat cheese and teach cousins Harper and Laura how to do all the farm chores.

One thing I did learn from my experience with the chickens is one of the meanings of Easter. The seasons in Iowa follow the calendar: when the date says March 21, the weather is suddenly more bearable. So the start of spring celestially (where the Earth is in relation to the sun), the start of spring apparently (the change in weather and temperature), and the start of spring spiritually (the date we celebrate death and rebirth) all coincide to one magical weekend. When Granmimi held that tiny, helpless chicken in front of me I thought of all the animals throughout the forest out my window. Daddy and I sit by the window listening to the call of the birds and look for the signs of nest building. Everywhere we can see that the long dark death of winter has finally ended and once again nature's miraculous rebirth has begun. I was born at the peak of this season of rebirth last time around. For this I was given a very special name: Maia, the Goddess of Spring, daughter of Earth and mother to Hermes.

Staring out my window, I know there is much wisdom that resides within the Earth, that is held aloft by the trees, and is carried about by the swirling winds. This is the moment when the Wisdom of Spring is revealed to us all.

Shake, Shake, Shake!

My exploration of classic rock continues, thanks to Daddy and his iphone.

I am often fussy when I get out of the bathtub- who wouldn't? One moment your spalshing away in the warm water, playing with your rubber ducks and magnetic turtles. The next moment, you're naked in the cold air being rubbed with a not-quite soft enough cotton towel. The other night, to distract me as he got me dressed for bed after the bath, he started singing "Ooo-Mau-Mau, Ooo-mau-mau-mau". I immediately giggled and forgot all about being cold, tired and frustrated! Daddy was so impressed by my response he immediately went to itunes on his phone and bought "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen. I love it!

Last night, it happened again. For no good reason, daddy starting singing "Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake your Booty" and I was immediately "taken by the rhthym". I started dancing and doing the twist (no kidding- mom was there- she witnessed it). Daddy went to itunes and bought the classic anthem from KC and Sunshine Band!

Aunt Jenny: I love my car! Mom likes to push me around on it and laugh the whole time. Its great- thank you so much for getting for me!

Dallas, Turner, Fairmont, and Boppy!

We arrived in Dallas today from New Orleans to spend a night here before going home to Iowa.  Mommy and daddy wanted to see the Turner exhibit at the Dallas museum of art.  Even better, daddy managed to get a deal on a suite at the Fairmont hotel across the street.  And best of all, Boppy flew out from LA to meet us there to go to the art show with us!  YAY!

We met Boppy at the airport and went to the art museum.  I had never heard of Turner before, but mommy really likes his material.  The museum posted poetry and literature alongside paintings and daddy read some of them to m

e.   This was my favorite, from Sir Walter Scott's Marmion:

"Day set on Norham's castled steep

And Tweed's fair river, broad and deep

And Cheviot's mountain's lone.

The battles towers, the donjon keep,

The loophole grates where captives weep.

The flanking walls that round it sweep,

In yellow lustre shone."

I found the paintings interesting for about 15 minutes but then I got pretty bored and daddy

 had to take me outside.  But mommy and Boppy loved it. 

 After we finished at the museum, we checked into our room at the Fairmont.  We got the LBJ suite!  It was so big and so beautiful!  It had lots of room to crawl around and make trouble.  The nice people there brought up a crib for me and even included bath products and sheets and blankets.  WOW!

I asked if we can stay here all the time, but daddy just laughed.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Hi loyal readers!  Mommy and daddy and I took a long weekend to visit New Orleans and Dallas.  Daddy has a meeting in New Orleans and we all went to join him.  Of course it was my first visit there but it was also mommy's first time!  We stayed at the Sheraton on the edge of the French Quarter and took frequent long walks along the old streets.

On the first day we visited Jackson Square with the St Louis Cathedral, where we found a really cool toy shop and also a kite shop.  It was the same kite shop that daddy bought a kite from and flew over the Mississippi on his first trip to New Orleans almost 30 years ago!  After shopping with mommy among the very expensive antiques on Royal Street, we visited Bourbon Street and got take out seafood-

 yummy!

The next day, we had breakfast at the world famous Brennan's, and I got my own baby version of Banana's Foster.  Mommy and daddy said that it was one of the best breakfasts they've ever had, but I think any breakfast is special when I get bananas!  When daddy went back to his conference, mommy and I went to the aquariums and saw all sorts of cool fish.  There was even a ghostly albino alligator.  If you look closely at his photo, you can see me in the reflection!

In the afternoon, daddy took us for a drive around town, from the devastation of the Lower 9th Ward to the quaint charm of the Garden District.  We concluded our trip with some luscious Louisiana barbeque and biegnets from Cafe Du Monde.

It was a great trip and I look forward to going back.  Daddy wants to take me on paddleboat and wants to fly a kite again when I am older- sounds good to me!

Next: Dallas, Turner, a suite at the Fairmont, and Boppy!