We all went to Hidden Villa today to wander around in the sunlight and look at baby pigs. This where we go when we feel the need for recharging. It's like walking uphill through the stream of time, back to a space where life unfolds at a crawl, rather than a reckless run. It does wonders for one's state of mind, especially when the pressure of modern life starts to crush sinew and bone.
The flowers are blooming everywhere. The baby pigs frolic in the mud while somehow managing to stay relatively clean. A large skink peeked out from behind loose bark on a tree stump. Other families wandered around, more tentative about stomping in puddles than ours.

Here's Willow reacting to small pigs.




And here's Hidden Villa's resident turtle, still in the pond where we relocated it a couple of summers ago. The pond and the turtle are both covered with Duckweed, which is a non-native, invasive species. It also tends to make ponds look like lawns. I remember leading a tour past this pond and being too late in preventing an enthusiastic kindergartener from jumping on the "lawn." He got quite wet.




And finally, here's Willow making sure that the water in every puddle she passes is displaced.




She was quite sad when it was time to leave, but Nate had to get to a party, and so did I. Of course, Nate was going as a guest and I was going as a performer. I got tipped $40 too, which helps with the budget somewhat.