So, Claire did get to see trees, smell flowers, and — thrill of thrills — stand at the creek side and throw stones into the water. She loved the ker-plunk sound and the splash. But it certainly wasn’t a pastoral experience. I believe I’ve hiked another part of the trail that was quieter; I need to find out where that entry point is.

Last night at dinner with some friends, a woman mentioned Penitencia Creek Park. I’d driven by it on my way to Alum Rock Park but not stopped. This morning on a whim I took Claire. This park, too, resides in the midst of urban life, but what a difference location can make! While we still heard traffic, sirens, and airplanes, it was all in the distance. The weather was gently warm and sunny. The creek burbled cheerfully as we walked by. Claire got to throw stones into it and to test what happens when you throw leaves into the water. (They rapidly float away!)

There is a pond in this large, green open space as well, and it is populated by Canadian and white geese, American Coots, and white as well as Mallard ducks. The pond is fringed with thick cattail plants which make a great landing spot for red-winged blackbirds to sit and sing. We saw a robin red-breast hunting for worms, and many fat squirrels chasing each other. And, while the trail was well-populated by people, it didn’t feel crowded. Claire found a large white duck feather which she used “to tickle the water” of the creek. And the best experience of all for her was an encounter with a small black caterpillar on the paved path. She enjoyed the feeling of it crawling over her fingers and declared, “Her name is Sam.” She put the caterpillar in the grass so it wouldn’t get squished.

As for me? For a change I felt my body relax with the release from all agendas; I was content to meander and look with Claire at whatever caught our eye. We spent a lovely hour there and came home content.

I opened the door, and was greeted with:

“Oh, Mommy, please go back to bed! I have to tell my friends about the time Piglet and I forgot to go to the grocery store.”

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She watches a show called Word World. It’s a neat concept; all the nouns consist of their letters shaped to look like the actual object. The main characters are Bear, Sheep, Pig, Frog, Duck, Ant, and Dog. Yesterday Claire kept coming into the kitchen asking me for cups of water and straws. First Sheep was thirsty, then Pig, etc. Soon the little table which serves as her “buffet” was strewn with these cups and straws.

At one point she said, “Bear is very sick. I bring her a cup of water to help her cough go ay- way.”

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Yesterday, we were waiting for our realtor to meet us at a house we were going to see. Claire’s barrette fell out. She asked me to fix it “so it will look nice.”

There is a wide array of books — inspirational books, children’s books, poetry — offered.

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If the embedded video doesn’t work, click here to see it.

I did some research and found helpful instructions. You can go to The Forester Clan for instructions.

I used food dye and rubbing alcohol, and here are some notations:

• I started using watercolor from my set, but the rice hardly absorbed the color. I used scarlet red, but the rice turned out pink (which is fine, but I realized then I should use food color and alcohol). It took longer to dry, too.
• At first I used only two teaspoons of alcohol in the zip-lock bag, with 20 drops of color and two cups of rice. This produced a batch of lighter colored rice with variations — some grains light and others dark.
• By using more alcohol — about two or three tablespoons — the rice took the color more thoroughly.
• I dried the riced in the oven on baking sheets at low heat, around 180-200F.
• I made some colors according to food coloring box, and in all I ended up with 14 colors: white (no dye), pink, red, watermelon red, raspberry, light orange, dark orange, light yellow, dark yellow, green, jungle green, teal, blue, indigo.
• I put it all in a bin of low height to make easy scooping. I kept the colors separate so Claire can have the fun of blending it all.

And here are the results.