First snow

What is it about the first snow, even just an inch or so, that makes us all run outside like fools to throw snowballs and whirl around with trying to catch snowflakes on our tongues? All worries seem to take the sidelines. There is nothing more important than rolling balls of snow around the yard to make the year’s first snowman. Even the fire, which has been burning regularly in the fireplace lately, takes on a new – a more essential – glow. Hot chocolate and warm blankets are ready when it finally gets so dark you can’t see, and the workers come inside. And afterward we turn off all the lights to see our new snowman by the light of the moon.

When Life hands you wormy apples

 . . . what do you do?

 

 What else? Cut out all the nasty parts. Slice it up into managable pieces. And make applesauce!

 

 

And then eat it for desert. Warm. With vanilla ice cream on the side.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things I love about our “throw some shit in the ground and see what happens because we really should have started this garden a month ago” garden:

1. Finding worms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Eating fresh green beans every other night

3. Standing in the fresh morning light while I water the potatoes

4. Fresh herbs in almost all my cooking this summer

5. The loamy feel of the compost as I mix it into the soil

6. Muddy feet and cool water from the hose

7. Finally knowing what sorghum looks like

8. and that it grows LIKE 13 FEET TALL

9.  Did I mention the fresh herbs? Because the smells in the evening when I cut them are glorious

10. Watching Towhead check out the rolli-pollis with her magnifying glass 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Seeing so much green when I look out my kitchen window

12. Realizing that my garden doesn’t have to be perfect or well planned to give us lots of good food

13. But really, THIS has to be my all-time favorite

Bikes and Beer

Last night, after dinner, CT and I took my bike and the bike trailer to the park to play around for a bit on the swings. Mr. A brought the dog and his beer and walked behind us. There was a slight wind gusting through the dusky light. The frosty chill still hasn’t disappeared from the spring air, but three boys had also gravitated to the park to play basketball.
“Hey boys, whatcha doin’?” yells CT. Mr. A rolled his eyes and drank more beer.

Seriously, people! This is not what CPS was designed for!

So I just heard this week that a mom was reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) for making her kids walk to school after they missed the bus. The mom and dad in question had told her kids that if they missed the bus they would have to walk the 1.4 miles to school. When this happened, the mom followed through, but made sure to follow the kids in her car to monitor their progress. When the kids arrived at school one of the teachers called CPS, citing the mom’s actions as child abuse.
WTF????!!!!!!
Child Protective Services was designed as a means to address physical abuse and to remove kids from unhealthy or damaging situations. Not to tattle because one adult does not like how another adult is raising their child. Were these kids at any point in danger? Were they physically hurt by walking that far? NO. This is not worth the time it took CPS to answer the phone call! Seriously people!

Link to the local Spokane story, reported Thursday 12/4:
http://www.krem.com/topstories/stories/krem2-120208-schoolinvestigation.24702db7.html

Am I living in a Bristish comedy?

As kids begin to get a larger vocabulary, you begin to wonder at your own habits and where they hear certain words. Crazy Towhead is entering into a very talkative and very imaginative state of development. As she wanders around the house talking to the dog, the tv, her dolls, or me, sometimes I hear my own inflections and tone of voice. Other times, I stand bewildered or just plain weirded out by what comes out of her mouth.

For instance, explain to me how “bugger” and “wanker” became part of my child’s vocabulary?! Yes, we watch a lot of PBS which has a number of British comedies on later in the afternoon, but we only watch these on occasion. I have met only one Brit in Spokane, and even then only one afternoon in the park. Agreed, I let her watch Love Actually once, which maybe I shouldn’t have. But really, when did “bugger, bugger, bugger” become a mainstream epithet in this country?

Maybe one of these days we’ll take her travelling and she can figure out that she wasn’t a weirdo, she was just on the wrong continent.

Being Whole

I found one of my favorite quotes today, rumaging through past journals.

“Life, death, preservation, loss, failure, success, riches, poverty, worthiness, unworthiness, slander, fame, hunger, thirst, cold, heat – these are the alnernations of the world, the workings of fate. Day and night they change place before us and wisdom cannot spy out their source. Therefore, they should not be enough to destroy your harmony; they should not be allowed to enter the storehouse of your spirit. If you harmonize and delight in them, master them and never be at a loss for joy. If you can do this day and night without break and make it be spring with everything, mingling with all and creating the moment within your own mind – this is what I call being whole in power.”

Breathe, flow, extend your energy, and settle into center - it all comes back to this. Again and again, it all comes back to this.

Species Preservation

Sometimes in dealing with Crazy Towhead I genuinely wonder how we survive as a species given my frequent urges to strangle the girl. Yet every once in awhile she says or does something that answers my question and I remember why I love her so much and why she still yet lives.

Example, I am mopping the kitchen and cleaning up last night’s dishes. CT grabs her broom and yells, “I’m gonna go clean my room!”

Evesdropping on the Towhead

While making dinner, I overhear the following out on the deck:

Mr. A: You my babygirl?

CT: No

Mr. A: Why not?

CT: ‘Cause I’m a big superhero!

 

Sitting on the couch having a conversation with Mr. A I am interupted by a very adamant, attention-hungry kid. This is what followed:

CT: Mommy, Mommy

Me: Yes?

CT: I wanna talk to you

Me: What did you want to talk about?

CT: Well (sigh, pause) we’re having a class today.

Me: Really? What’s this class about?

CT: The sky.

Me: What about the sky?

CT: Well, d’ere’s stuff in the sky.

Me: Oh, like what?

CT: Birds.

Me: Anything else?

CT: (thinks) No, just birds.

Me: What about clouds?

CT: (sighs) OK.

Deer Heads and Chainsaws

I came home today with a new/used chainsaw we bought for chopping firewood, and a garbage bag full of deer heads to stick in our freezer. I prayed the whole way home that a cop didn’t pull me over because I wasn’t sure I could explain the combination without laughing. I have no problem explaining that the heads arefor a class at the dept. of fish and wildlife on Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in White-tailed deer, but I just don’t think the chainsaw and the two-y/o in the back seat would inspire a lot of confidence.

I have told Mr. A that for future reference he needs to decide whether our new chest freezer is for bloody animal carcasses or preserving fresh veggies for winter and that he really can’t have both. He says I’m being unreasonable – the freezer has plenty of extra room.