Sick Day Fun From Canada

So last week, my third postcard arrived in the mail. A lovely challenge to write poetry about the woods:

Unfortunately, the Weaver household has been like an advertisement for why you should take Emergen-C and not bite your nails (or in Elisa's case, attempt to consume your hands) since last Tuesday, so the only poetry around here has been along the lines of "Cats in the garden, playing with the roses. Cats in the bedroom, tickling our noses..."

A quiz about how viruses are the great levelers of ideals. Which of the following has Melissa's child done in the past twenty-four hours? 

A. Eaten a chocolate chunk cookie for snack (and later heard the words, "I hope that's a cookie.")

B. Drank both green and Chik-Fil-A sweet tea

C. Been offered (and accepted) conciliatory chunks of butter "resembling course crumbs" in the midst of an ill-timed attempt at making coffee cake 

D. Watched Sesame Street from a link now on the desktop

E. All of the above

But I digress. 

Today, Daddy came home early so Mommy could recover a bit from a two front battle. He and Elisa brought home a new challenge from the mailbox: 

This we could do (although I hope to get to the poetry this week, sweet friend!). 

Patrick's contributions to my nature list: waterfalls, cliffs, lions, tigers and bears.
Oh, Men. 

The three boxes: things found in nature, things you use every day, words you like. I made the lists, chose my words, and got out my art supplies: 

Note the serendipity in the origin of the cup!

Here's the finished product, an art project to make this sick mama lighten up a little. 

Inspired by our mountains and this crazy solar panel I just read about off the coast of Japan: a water bottle with a solar-powered water filter inside. The panel can also heat the water for some tea on the go.When the water is safe to drink and nice and hot, dawn rises up the black bottle and you can "seize the sip!" 

Now, if this makes me the big bucks, you and I can go hiking in B.C., Kathleen. You provide the tea. 

For now, I'm going to sip on this sweet one from Sweet Beth and her mama, and pretend it's a big glass of wine with hints of Rhubarb and Balsa, in honor of the book they brought me to enjoy: 

Cheers, friends! Please drink to our health!