{this moment}

an occasional post by me, inspired by soulemama.com

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

(Yes, it's been photoshopped - it was a terrible picture, but a great moment.)

Celebrate [with] Friends

The second weekend in October we went to a spectacularly fun Tara Redwood Reunion in Capitola. Our lovely hosts, Laura and Jago hosted not only the crew from Tara, but also an extensive collection of friends and acquaintances - they are really interesting people who know really interesting people. I also suspect their may have been people who wandered in off the street wanting to join the fun. And fun it was! We had the bests seats in Capitola to watch the fireworks launch off the barge.

So many smiling faces I have missed this year! Max attended Tara Redwood School for five years. He really did a lot of growing up there, in the forest and in town. We watched him grow alongside many of his friends who are now all in different schools, except a handful of boys at Main Street. It was such a pleasure to spend time and share some laughter with these families again. Looking forward to the next gathering wherever it may be.

Fairwell Summer...Hello Fall

It's been a while...I took an unplanned break from this space. Our spring and summer passed without documentation. And that's okay! I feel a little rusty at the keyboard today, but I've got some pictures to share that will help ease me back into the groove...

Here's a little of what we got into over the summer:

The very first event that happened this summer was HAIRCUT-TIME!

Next up CAMP!

Coleman and Aaron at their first overnight camp on the left and Max's mountain biking group on the right.

The first week of summer consisted of football for Coleman and Max had a week of chilling out (I didn't take any pictures of either). The following week Coleman and his friend Aaron went to overnight camp at Frontier Ranch - fun was had by all. That same week Max did a week of mountain biking and I think he discovered how much of a blast it can be. He had a great time! Then it was Max's turn for overnight camp! Check out that smile! He had an unfortunate run in with a hornet. And was really homesick - he doesn't want to go back next year. But he made a new friend who lives pretty close by and we've already benefited from that. So it was worth it in the end.

Max chose the top bunk for his first overnight camping experience at Camp Campbell.

We made the obligatory trip to The Garden of Eden with our friends once and then with just the family (minus Kitty who really doesn't like water).

Sean, Coleman, Max and Aaron

We spent some quality time at the Soquel HS swimming pool!

We went to the beaches a few times, but surprisingly fewer than in summers past. The beaches are crowded in the summer and we seem to enjoy them most the other three seasons.

Next up we took a quick trip to visit friends in Seattle! We got to ride on a SeaDoo, go kayaking, fishing, motor boating and generally just had a blast with our friends!

 

We had a quick visit with Uncle Chuck one day! That's always popular with the brothers. And Nana came to stay with us for a bit in August! We went to a Scottish Faire in Monterey while Nana was visiting! And celebrated TWO birthdays! AND, Grandma Tania also came for Max's birthday week for a few visits, while she stayed with a friend not too far away.

 

Football season began August 1st! We've been getting into the rhythm of scheduled things since then and we're about to start school this Wednesday!

So, that catches you all up on what we've been up to since last I wrote here. I hope to be more regular and more interesting :) in the future!

Tell me what you did this summer! And what are you looking forward to this fall?

Happy School Year!

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

read: The Backyard Homestead

Every year around this time I get a little giddy about the potential of my yard to produce food, exercise and enjoyment for myself and my family. Where I live there is potential year round for this yard to produce all of those things for us, our friends and our neighbors, I realize, but there is just something about spring. Don't you think?

My Aunt Helen and Uncle Tom had a little pink house on a little lot in the city of Dorchester, MA. The stairwell walls to their basement were lined with loads of jars filled with vegetables from their garden. I'm sure they weren't the only people in the city who grew copious amounts of food on very little land, but I always found it a magical idea that they produced so much with so little land. This year I'm not going for copious, I'm just going for some tomatoes, blueberries, maybe some grapes, definitely some blackberries, figs, persimmons and lemons. Of course, most of that is already growing pretty grand - I've really just got to make the tomatoes happen and tend to the new grape vine.

Which brings me to The Backyard Homestead, Produce all the food you need on just quarter acre! by Carleen Madigan. I like the potential in the title; "all the food you need". I'm all about potential. Between the covers of this hefty book is a tremendous amount of organic growing wisdom. In it you will find information about raising small farm animals also; chickens, rabbits, goats and I think she also mentions cows. Mainly I bought it for the gardening wisdom it offers. Crop rotation, companion planting, getting the most out of a very little bit of land. It's chalk full of that stuff. I'm enjoying it. Though I do wish for colored photographs, the illustrations are charming and enjoyable too. The information in this book may once have been just knowledge that was passed from generation to generation. Even city dwellers used to grow food. Alas, we've really shoved that life aside for the convenience of running to the market and spending more time in front of one screen or another. I for one am going to get off this screen and do something more productive. You should too! See you outside.

grow

We've lived in this little corner of the world for nearly SIX years - in California for almost nine - that sounds like a really long time. It's taken a while, but I'm beginning to really grow into this place. I have some really wonderful friends whom I hope to know always. Friends make you feel at home.

The theme of the past decade has surely been about growth. Inwardly and outwardly, children, parents, animals and food. It's good to grow, even when it's hard. Struggle can produce grace and understanding, given the right attitude. I'd even say it can bring a peacefulness or at least a stillness to one's soul. Perhaps that's just resilience and stubbornness I sense. Overall, I think this place we're in, both geographically and metaphorically is right where we need to be.

The picture above is of our persimmon tree, the little flowers blend right into the green leaves and you have to look for them, I don't think I've actually seen them until this year. Eventually, when the fruits are mature the tree is bare of leaves and the fruit is a beautiful, deep orange. It is a truly spectacular site around Thanksgiving. The couple who lived in this house from 1948 until we bought it in 2008 planted it, along with a number of other now mature fruit trees on our property.  It produces upwards of 100 pounds (or more) of fruit. I'm going to weigh it this year so I know. This tree doesn't seem to need a lot of care, sometimes I remove fruit before it's ripe to prevent the branches from braking. I water it deeply once or twice during the summer, other than that it does all the work on its own. The chickens like to sit under it for shade in the summer when it's fully leafed out. And they adore the over-ripened fruit that drops from it in November and December.

I've planted four different tomato plants. The tallest one is already 36 inches tall! I can almost taste the warm, just picked fruit now. I think I'll be picking tomatoes in early July this year. They were the first thing I planted. Max planted a watermelon plant and Coleman is planning on planting leeks. That may be all I can handle for gardening this year, but I'm looking forward to a season that will be abundant with vegetables galore and as much food as we can get out of this place.

Until then, we can enjoy what we've got and keep imagining what can be some day.

::grateful::

  

We've been getting pretty warm weather here. Unusually sunny and lacking this season's marine fog which defines May and June. This weather is a contributing factor to the early and terrible fire season we have this year, and of course a reminder of the severe drought we've been experiencing for a number of seasons. It's easy to forget about all the serious and threatening changes in climate when you get to enjoy their effects at the beach, though. We spent the evening at the beach - the boys were able to frolic in the water and not feel bitterly cold and unhappy on our unexpected long walk back to our house. (I lost the key to the car, let's not get into that now - let's just say it was an adventure.)

I'm grateful for:

Linda coming to our rescue!

Chris,Coleman, Max and Kitty

my mother and father

sunshine

a favorite beach

pelicans

sea otters

seals

friends

another day

chirping birds

the coming of the summer season!

How about you? What are you grateful for today?

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

 

 

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

read: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain bear-hugged me nightly as I read. This is a fictional novel about the reality many returning veterans experience. Billy Lynn is a 19 year old hero just back from Iraq where he witnessed his best friend's violent death. And where he killed people. And it was all caught on film and broadcast by CNN.

The entire novel takes place over about four hours at a Dallas Cowboys football game on Thanksgiving. We live inside Billy's head for the duration of the novel, where he struggles to keep some of his more horrible memories at bay, and struggles with people's reaction to himself and his brothers in arms also attending the game. His inner struggle, so eloquently penned, pulled at my own mind and misgivings about my country's involvement in war over the past decade plus. Our involvement in this war is as long as the life of my oldest child who has grown up to only understand our country in the context of war and struggle.

Filled with lyrical, biting language. It turns the lens on the American people through the eyes of Billy Lynn. We look ridiculous, misguided, ignorant, pitifully misinformed or willfully uninformed. I loved this book. I think everyone should read it. I'd go as far to say that I think it's an important book for our times.

heal: The Lyme Diet, a book

Did you know that 70% of the cells that make up your immune system are in your gut? Now you do. Dr. Nicola McFadzean's book The Lyme Diet, Nutritional Strategies for Healing from Lyme Disease is a great guide for eating to support 70% of your immune system, and helping to heal from Lyme Disease, likely many other auto-immune disorders such as, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, MS, ALS, chronic headaches, including migraines, as well as anyone who just wants to improve their health through nutrition.

Dr. Nicola McFadzean is a Naturopathic doctor.  Her book is written clearly and is easy to understand. It isn't too much or too little information to get started on caring for yourself better. In the seemingly brief 216 pages she lays out very clearly what you need to know about nutrition as is related to health and healing from Lyme. In fact, even if you don't have Lyme or know anyone with it I think you could benefit from reading it. Methinks this book should just be called: The Healing Diet, or The Healthy Way To Eat Diet. We can all feel better when we eat well.

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

read: The Orphan Master's Son

I hardly know where to begin in describing this book. I can begin by telling you what Chris said when he finished the book: "I think that was the best book I've read in my life". This book is so beautifully written. I could hardly put it down. It kept me up nights.

The Orphan Master's Son, by Adam Johnson takes place in North Korea, roughly present-day. We follow the life of Jun Do, the son of an orphan master. The reader is completely enveloped in the harshness, random violence, fear and helpless nature of the life of the average North Korean citizen. The utter lack of control Jun Do has over the direction of his life is unnerving. I went from disliking his character - he was simply not a likable guy - to finding in him humanity. But it was a slow discovery, both for the character and for the reader.

This book had me at its beck and call night and day until I finished it. It was painful at times what happened to the characters. Beyond any individual character's fate, though, the fate of an entire people are what you are left considering when you finally put the book down. I hope you will pick up a copy and settle in for a read.

Healing Time

We've had an interesting year so far. It started out by getting stuck in Massachusetts in January. Not that I don't love having more time with my family. But we had timed our return so that we'd be home for the start of school. The snow made it impossible to go anywhere for a number of days and we got home a few days later than we had planned. Everyone (but me) was sick upon our return, though. By early February we had to get antibiotics for two sinus infections that just wouldn't go away. This started an interesting cycle for Coleman. He got sicker. And sicker.

I knew, at least suspected I knew what was happening to him because I'd gone through it myself a few months before. Finding a pediatric doctor who could actually help, that was a challenge. Five weeks after Coleman's appointment we got the news we were anticipating, with even more information than we expected. In addition, we got what we thought was a really good, carefully thought out treatment plan.

Coleman has been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, with a co-infection of Bartonella. There are a number of other complicating factors with his genetic makeup that make him susceptible to mold and viruses. To further complicate matters, it is difficult for his body to rid itself of toxins - I don't know if this is simply how he is or if this is temporary. This component in particular was likely what made him so very sick after being treated for a sinus infection. The skeptics among you will ask, how did he get it? Did he ever get a tick bite? A rash? I don't believe it. My answer is: I don't know if he had a tick bite. I never saw a bulls eye rash. But I know I had it while I was pregnant. I know I had it the entire time I nursed him. And there is evidence that either one of these conditions can cause infection. Indeed, I am being treated now for Lyme disease with a co-infection of Bartonella. It's possible he has had this his entire life. Believe it.

The big relief here is that we know what it is. We know also how to treat it. And finally we know Coleman will be a healthy young man again, soon. By soon I don't mean in a month or so. I mean a couple of years. He will still get to go to summer camp, hopefully play football (this remains a little up in the air - it's a highly strenuous sport, and they train hard) and in general be the goofball he is. We just need to keep it simple and mellow.

I'll be rolling out a series of posts about the "new" diet we'll be adhering to. It's an anti-inflammation diet and I've talked about it before: Gluten, dairy and sugar are all out. We've got a long way to get this one down. I, myself did it for years, but that is a trio of foodstuffs Coleman keeps near and dear to his little heart. So far, two days in and we're doing okay on the gluten part. Sugar seems the most challenging. We've used goat cheese which we got an okay from the doctor for.

This is going to be fun! Right?

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

::grateful::

 

I am grateful for:

spring flowers

friendship

Kitty

misty walks by the beach

the healing quality of a horseback riding lesson

a quiet moment to write this post

road trip to vegas

Spring break sprang itself on us and I didn't have a plan. I'm not even sure how I came up with the idea to go to Las Vegas. It was a thought, then suddenly it was a phrase whispered into the ear of one of my boys, then it was a plan to see my cousin, then it was a plan to meet up with friends and my brother. It just was. And it was swell.

It was a mellow and lovely visit with Mary Ann, Bill and Michael, and of course Daisy. They were patient and gracious hosts. It's been too long since we saw them last (close to a decade). And though the trip took nine hours it actually made me feel like I have family nearby. I like that. Michael, Mary Ann and Daisy brought us to Redrock Canyon National Conservation area. What a beautiful place to hike around. Next time we visit we'd like to spend an entire day hiking there. The boys were psyched to parkour around the rocks. We briefly hiked around before we set back for a dinner with friends and Chuck in town.

Before we hit the road to go home we went to the famous Gold & Silver Pawn. There was a line to get in. Crazy, right? It was not nearly as big as I thought it was going to be, but they had some pretty cool stuff in there. If you look carefully at the building in the distance that looks a little like the Seattle Space Needle, you are looking at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, and you can jump off the top of it if you want (attached to a bungee cord). Or ride up the needle part at 45mph then plummet down. Or dangle over the edge on a mechanical spinning thingy. I tried to talk the kids into a ride, but they weren't having it. Had they said yes, I'm not sure how I would have pulled it off. Maybe next time.

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.