Lots of seasonal discoveries happening right now. Autumn in Sicily is not about colored leaves, acorns, or big pumpkins. It's chestnuts,apples,pomegranates, grapes, and olives. We have been doing lots of tasting, observing, and gathering. So many new tastes, textures, and interesting finds. Our nature table is getting full again. Want to learn more about nature tables and see some inspiring ones? Check out this recent post on The Magnifying Glass.
Last Sunday: kids, hill, and cardboard boxes.
Our kids now have the freedom and space to play in a way that seems to be a rare in the States these days. Roaming freely with friends on bikes, creating their own games without an adult giving suggestions or parameters, having to work out conflicts on their own, digging through the recycling bins to find the perfect piece of cardboard for grass sledding or using it to build forts, hours of endless outdoor play, bug collecting, and the novelty of not having to lock our doors.
I had initially planned to post this pic and a few words about how happy it makes me to see our kids living a "free range" life. A few words explaining why we made our decision to live on-base. And then in the last week several things made me think even more carefully about what our children are experiencing right now. The first is this article by Michael Chabon on the Wilderness of Childhood. I had read the article earlier this summer via Heywood's Meadow. At the time it confirmed my long held belief that children need to have time for outdoor adventures and exploration. But reading it a second time last week, I was focused upon the connection between imagination, literature, and true adventures. One of the most exhilerating aspects of our current situation is that Noah has found a friend with similar interests. They not only spend hours together playing and roaming around the neighborhood but while doing this they are engaged in what they call "the game". It is essentially an on-going series of elaborate and complex narratives. Developing characters, acting out scenes, negotiating the plot together. I have never seen or heard anything quite like it before. They are totally immersed in another world. I am sure that part of it is their age, their excitement in their new friendship, but after re-reading Chabon's essay I also think this newly found freedom has ignited in their imaginations in a way I never would have expected.
And then there was this post at Motherlode which left me wondering about cultural perceptions and differences. Ofcourse, the Italian case is a shocking and extreme one, but doesn't seem quite right to generalize it on such a broad level. In our limited time here, I have been impressed by the strong family ties and cohesion rather than alarmed or disturbed by it as the Time Magazine article implies. And then I heard the sad news of this case. Having recently lived in the part of Florida where this tragedy happened, I am of course shocked, sad, and wanting to hold my children even closer and yet these comments on Free Range Kids help to keep things in perspective. So much to juggle and weigh. Feeling very lucky that we are living in this little bubble right now. Free from the tv, free from the scary headlines, free to roam, roll, ride, and wander.
It's hard not to notice the olive harvesting that has been happening around us. Yards, orchards, and even some roadside ditches are full of activity with families and farmers. Two weeks ago we helped Bina and Antonio pick their olives. And then last Sunday Bina took us to the local press where we watched thousands of olives transform into that liquid gold known as olive oil. It was fascinating to watch families arriving with their olives and their large plastic containers ready to be filled. Very different from the American method of acquiring a small, expensive bottle of olive oil on the supermarket shelf!
