Birthdays, national and familial

Since last we posted, Time has continued its mad career--forward, ever forward, relentless, implacable, inexorable. Inevitably, as Time flies on its fabled wings of lightning, the calendar rolls over on itself and certain anniversaries must be marked. In recent weeks, our country turned 234 and our oldest daughter turned 6. More on the festivities later.

One of Julia's final acts as a Kindergartenerin was to make a mask. Here she is behind her horse--an Apaloosa by breed, for the equiphiliacs out there.

Now we would like all of our readers to take note that not only does our family now have fun as fun has rarely been had before, we also have joy. One member of our family, whose initials are Elisabeth Dorothea, has had so much joy in recent months that she had conferred upon her a degree in the matter. Here she is, our proud Joy School graduate:

There really is nothing like receiving a diploma, even when one only gets to don the funny hats, and not the black robes, of the false priesthood.

In one hand, a Joy School diploma; in the other a jillion-dollar free agent contract as the newest addition to the Miami Heat.

Meekly joyful.

Julia cracking a witticism before appreciative friends and an even more appreciative Katharine.

Julia's sixth birthday party involved a Quest--an idea partly conceived by Lia and partly plagiarized from my older sister, Rosalyn, who concocted something similar for one of her kids' birthdays. Julia and her fellow questers had to make their way past a plethora of perils en route through Edgerton Park to save Julia's sleeping sister, Princess Eli, from the clutches of a ferocious monster.

Along the way they were met by a giant, a witch, a Medusa, a troll, and finally the monster himself. Each foe greeted the questers with a defiant riddle, expressed as a poem, that contained the key to the foe's demise.

Said the giant (John Thompson):

I am a giant, filled with wrath;
I’m sent to guard and block your path.
You’ll never save your princess dear,
So long as I am standing here.
I’ll stand here till the crack of doom,
Till birds don’t sing, nor flowers bloom—
Unless through music’s gentle trap

You lull me to a giant’s nap.

The questers conquered the giant by playing dulcet tunes on a host of recorders. The giant fell asleep and the questers pressed on.

Said the witch (Kim Thompson):

I am a secret, black, and midnight hag,
A witch of fearsome, frightening powers.
I dwell alone in filth and rags,
A stranger both to baths and showers.

My strength stems from the mud and grime,
It’s dirt that makes me cruel and mean.
You’ll never reach Eli in time,

Unless you somehow wash me clean.

The questers did wash the witch clean, battering her with a barrage of soapy bubbles.

Next came the Medusa (who should have been played by the mother of a fellow quester; instead the role was foisted on an unsuspecting park-goer), who howled:

I’m Medusa of the serpent hair,
You fools! who’ve entered this my lair.
To escape my den and breathe free air,
Is something, friends, surpassing rare.
Then guard your eyes with special care,

Or turn to stone beneath my stare!

The questers avoided this stony fate by covering their eyes with magic sun-glasses. The foiled Medusa stepped aside, and the intrepid questers quested on.

Until they met the troll (Brian Knudsen), who thundered:

I am the troll of Ro-Thock bridge,
Guardian of this fearful pass.
Attempts to cross have meant the end
Of many a merry lad and lass.

If you would cross, and fill your quest,
If you would bridge this great ravine,
Then you must pass this simple test:
They only cross who cross unseen.

The questers managed to cross unseen by shielding themselves in cloaks of invisibility. The defeated troll raged in despair as the invisible questers crossed his fearful bridge.

The end of the journey now drew near. The fellowship spotted Princess Eli, lying asleep on a blanket in a meadow near a giant oak tree. Armed with a bow and a quiver of darts, Julia ran to rescue her sleeping sister.

Elias the brave followed close behind.

Unfortunately for Julia and the other questers, the monster--in all his majestic ferocity--emerged from behind the tree, rending the air with howls confused:

The monster of the misty deep,
I guard your princess, fast asleep.
You may fight me, but you’ll fight in vain;
For I tell you I cannot be slain,
Unless the region near my heart,
Is pierced with an enchanted dart.

Then bravely, bravely, bravely, bravely . . . Julia ran away.

Elias fired enchanted arrows from a distance, but none reached the monster's vulnerable heart.

The monster let forth a deafening cackle, taunting the questers with claims of immortality.

The questers refocused their efforts, but to no avail. He was even impervious to the maddening music of Madilyn's recorder.

Finally dauntless Anjalie, who arrived at the quest late, but just in time, approached the giant, dart in hand, and engaged the fiend in mortal combat.

She reared back and struck with all her might what she hoped would be the fatal blow.

It was. But though the monster lay vanquished, Princess Eli still lay sleeping. A note contained the clue for her arousal.

The monster’s dead, but Eli sleeps,
And all the kingdom mourns and weeps.
The dark art of the beast ensures,
Though he is dead, the spell endures.

To break this soporific curse
You must invoke the charm of verse.
To save the girl and bring her home,
You must read Eli’s favorite poem.

Providentially, a tiny volume of Emily Dickinson lay on the ground, conveniently close to Eli's sleeping frame. Julia opened to where the book was marked and read aloud "I Robbed the Woods."

Eli awoke, and the fellowship rejoiced. They called for a feast of fat things, which was immediately furnished.

The monster even rose from the dead to join in the celebration, wondering the while how he was defeated by a band of rising first-graders.

The bubbles that had spelled the witch's doom became a font of merriment for the questers' kid siblings.

Julia, feted and triumphant, still thought she could use some additional archery practice.

The fellowship:

And their foes (from left to right: troll, monster, giant, witch, junior witch, and Medusa):

And who wouldn't love, celebrate, and adore a birthday girl like this?

One who even shows clemency to erstwhile monsters and quandam foes.

Happy birthday Julia!!!

And happy birthday, America. Here I am, pretending to have fun with sparklers.

And here's Lia, not pretending at all

Here are half the kids in the neighborhood, entranced by basic fireworks. Things really got exciting later, however, when John Thompson and I began firing dueling bottle rockets.

This was Katharine's 4th of July outfit--period dress for a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party.

Don't Tread on Me!