Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Drag
Is it the stress of identity theft (three more charges posted to the account, the grand total is now $1000)?
Was it the traditional Finnish cuppa at Tiina's yesterday afternoon (complete in Moomin cup)?
Was it the unusual twofer of crisis conversing with friends in the evening, one in a neighborhood pub and one in the blue chair in the bedroom as the clock hands approached 11:00?
Perhaps the not waning fast enough for my waters full moon?
I finally drifted off to sleep around 4:30am.
Slogging through my morning routines (Qigong has fallen out of favor yet again) and rolling to Kelly's soon. This afternoon: tidying the place up for Anna and her crew who are descending for the weekend. Hoping to get my hands going and soul rapturing on some peach pie, too. I've got 10 lbs. of ripe luscious peaches from the orchard chilling out in the fridge.
Two books have arrived from the library: Children of God, the sequel to The Sparrow, and Clean, a book about self-healing through detoxing the body.
Time...it is slipping and sliding through my fingers...
Was it the traditional Finnish cuppa at Tiina's yesterday afternoon (complete in Moomin cup)?
Was it the unusual twofer of crisis conversing with friends in the evening, one in a neighborhood pub and one in the blue chair in the bedroom as the clock hands approached 11:00?
Perhaps the not waning fast enough for my waters full moon?
I finally drifted off to sleep around 4:30am.
Slogging through my morning routines (Qigong has fallen out of favor yet again) and rolling to Kelly's soon. This afternoon: tidying the place up for Anna and her crew who are descending for the weekend. Hoping to get my hands going and soul rapturing on some peach pie, too. I've got 10 lbs. of ripe luscious peaches from the orchard chilling out in the fridge.
Two books have arrived from the library: Children of God, the sequel to The Sparrow, and Clean, a book about self-healing through detoxing the body.
Time...it is slipping and sliding through my fingers...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Plummet
The hormonal emo-PMS started sometime during common meal. I made good food, bathed happily in my friends' proclamations of satisfaction and gratitude, but could feel myself slipping into a quiet place. A familiar cocoon.
It's been a busy few days of doing, doing, doing, fueled by a burst of energy and of necessity. (update: Cap had a friend bolt cut his cast off two nights ago and he has an appointment with a second ortho doc next week. He's been in e-mail contact with our trusted family doc who has been advising him---before and after the fact of his journey as the case may be---along the way.)
By the time I'm done cleaning and shutting down the kitchen for the night and then scrolling through my Reader items, it's approaching 10pm and I'm too tired to help the kids with showers, but will the energy to give them massages. (Sag's lasts only a couple of minutes as he finds them very giggle-inducing.)
By the time I've tucked them in, blessings recited for all (Sag has some stuffed animal 'bros' who each get one, too), it's almost 11pm.
Last night, by this point, my blood was beginning to do the hormonal boil. My patience was flatlined and I hated the way I sounded. I went in to apologize and was forgiven on the spot.
A kernel of remembrance brought me back to the computer (the previous night I was surprised at the dip in our balance) and I logged onto my bank account. And there I saw it: someone(s) else has been busy, too. Using my hacked debit card number to help themselves to cash.
Anger, anxiety, a sense of invasion and hopelessness. (I feel exposed and brought into violent community against my will. And I know this is nothing compared to what millions of other souls experience day-to-day in terms of being 'brought into violent community against their wills'. This strikes horror in my heart.)
(Our bank has shown itself to be equipped to handle this type of situation seemingly efficiently, so far. The amounts should be credited back by the beginning of next week pending our faxing them back an affidavit which they have already e-mailed me a pdf of. $700. Scary.)
An episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia helped last night. It smoothed out the frazzle enough that I could fall asleep sometime past 1am.
This morning there were some more charges that hadn't yet posted last night. Felt like another blow to this psyche made tender by hormones. It should all be over soon. The account number has been flagged as stolen, a new number has been generated, life goes on. I wonder how much money banks lose over this kind of thing every year? I know they still make plenty of profit. It's all kind of messed up.
Woke to the sound of rain hitting air conditioner metal.
This morning the kids are watching a Harry Potter movie they picked up at the library yesterday. I'm heading into the kitchen to roast a chicken and put away the (clean) accoutrement of common meal. This afternoon, a play date at Tiina's. Tonight a planned phone date with a beloved friend.
Peace to you today.
It's been a busy few days of doing, doing, doing, fueled by a burst of energy and of necessity. (update: Cap had a friend bolt cut his cast off two nights ago and he has an appointment with a second ortho doc next week. He's been in e-mail contact with our trusted family doc who has been advising him---before and after the fact of his journey as the case may be---along the way.)
By the time I'm done cleaning and shutting down the kitchen for the night and then scrolling through my Reader items, it's approaching 10pm and I'm too tired to help the kids with showers, but will the energy to give them massages. (Sag's lasts only a couple of minutes as he finds them very giggle-inducing.)
By the time I've tucked them in, blessings recited for all (Sag has some stuffed animal 'bros' who each get one, too), it's almost 11pm.
Last night, by this point, my blood was beginning to do the hormonal boil. My patience was flatlined and I hated the way I sounded. I went in to apologize and was forgiven on the spot.
A kernel of remembrance brought me back to the computer (the previous night I was surprised at the dip in our balance) and I logged onto my bank account. And there I saw it: someone(s) else has been busy, too. Using my hacked debit card number to help themselves to cash.
Anger, anxiety, a sense of invasion and hopelessness. (I feel exposed and brought into violent community against my will. And I know this is nothing compared to what millions of other souls experience day-to-day in terms of being 'brought into violent community against their wills'. This strikes horror in my heart.)
(Our bank has shown itself to be equipped to handle this type of situation seemingly efficiently, so far. The amounts should be credited back by the beginning of next week pending our faxing them back an affidavit which they have already e-mailed me a pdf of. $700. Scary.)
An episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia helped last night. It smoothed out the frazzle enough that I could fall asleep sometime past 1am.
This morning there were some more charges that hadn't yet posted last night. Felt like another blow to this psyche made tender by hormones. It should all be over soon. The account number has been flagged as stolen, a new number has been generated, life goes on. I wonder how much money banks lose over this kind of thing every year? I know they still make plenty of profit. It's all kind of messed up.
Woke to the sound of rain hitting air conditioner metal.
This morning the kids are watching a Harry Potter movie they picked up at the library yesterday. I'm heading into the kitchen to roast a chicken and put away the (clean) accoutrement of common meal. This afternoon, a play date at Tiina's. Tonight a planned phone date with a beloved friend.
Peace to you today.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sign of life
When my mom gave up the house in Queens, the childhood home of my memories, she gave up a seasonal cast of flora with which to express her art in tea ceremony.
Our yard, for which I can take virtually no credit, sometimes provides her with a spark of color, a bit of the outside brought in. When we went over on Sunday, my mom made a small request and so I brought her some of this. (The only bloom, other than the hydrangeas, in a yard that has been the scene of a lot of hot, dehydrating weather.)
I like being a bridge between my mom and the natural world.
In the kitchen
Seaweed soup simmering.
Black and kidney bean 'mush' resting.
White rice cooking (for onigiri making).
Agave-sweetened red bush tea icing.
Bag of Yukon Golds waiting.
More cooking tomorrow, Wednesday night common meal is back on and we're hosting.
Black and kidney bean 'mush' resting.
White rice cooking (for onigiri making).
Agave-sweetened red bush tea icing.
Bag of Yukon Golds waiting.
More cooking tomorrow, Wednesday night common meal is back on and we're hosting.
Monday, July 26, 2010
A good day
A cold front came through last night. Sag and I slept together in the living room (he's been having some intense bouts of "bad thoughts" at bedtime). The windows were wide open all night. I love that. I slept like a baby.
I lassoed the morning with some structure and organization. After breakfast the kids and I spent two hours together reading, playing Chutes and Ladders (hopefully not again anytime soon, I can't stand that game), and writing. More structure means I'm going to have to do some planning and prepping. Re-enter one passion, another will have to exit. (So it goes in my world of musical interests/activities.)
We spent the afternoon at Danielle's. The kids played, I did a bit of food shopping, and D and I got to spend some time hanging out which we haven't done in awhile. It was wonderfully relaxing.
I read aloud a chapter of The Middle Moffat after we got home. Put some rice in the rice cooker and then the kids and I watched last night's episode of "Next Food Network Star". I made a patchwork type of dinner: three different types of sandwiches for three of us, rice for the fourth, anchoring it all with sautéed zucchini, onion and garlic from the farm.
Cap took the kids to the comic book store for some birthday gift shopping. And once I got the kitchen cleaned up, I caught up with my online stuff and then opened the box that arrived in the mail this morning.
me and my cone.
I lassoed the morning with some structure and organization. After breakfast the kids and I spent two hours together reading, playing Chutes and Ladders (hopefully not again anytime soon, I can't stand that game), and writing. More structure means I'm going to have to do some planning and prepping. Re-enter one passion, another will have to exit. (So it goes in my world of musical interests/activities.)
We spent the afternoon at Danielle's. The kids played, I did a bit of food shopping, and D and I got to spend some time hanging out which we haven't done in awhile. It was wonderfully relaxing.
I read aloud a chapter of The Middle Moffat after we got home. Put some rice in the rice cooker and then the kids and I watched last night's episode of "Next Food Network Star". I made a patchwork type of dinner: three different types of sandwiches for three of us, rice for the fourth, anchoring it all with sautéed zucchini, onion and garlic from the farm.
Cap took the kids to the comic book store for some birthday gift shopping. And once I got the kitchen cleaned up, I caught up with my online stuff and then opened the box that arrived in the mail this morning.
me and my cone.I'm going to enjoy tonight's episode of The Closer with my gelati from Rita's. A hormonal treat which may also teach the kids the value of finishing one's truly small portion of vegetables...you never know when dessert is going to be something as sweet as Rita's.
On deck for tomorrow: washing the kitchen floor, playdate with Melody and her boys, the Stix-n-Stitches birthday yarn sale (I have a gift certificate!), CSA pick up (veggies! fruit! chicken! eggs!), and an appointment with Vinny.
Ongoing: falling back in love with reading...
On deck for tomorrow: washing the kitchen floor, playdate with Melody and her boys, the Stix-n-Stitches birthday yarn sale (I have a gift certificate!), CSA pick up (veggies! fruit! chicken! eggs!), and an appointment with Vinny.
Ongoing: falling back in love with reading...
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Today
The big event will be the show: Walking with Dinosaurs at Madison Square Garden with my mom. She's into theatrical productions big and small. When I was little she took my sibs and me to see Annie, Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat and Beatlemania on Broadway. She also encouraged us to sing in the church choir and perform in the annual children's theater shows.As an adult I've been less enamored with musicals, but have enjoyed aspects of performances she has taken me to, including Phantom and Damn Yankees. Honestly, she's taken me to see so many productions I'm sure I don't remember all of them. But, they are all in me, bits and parts of art and music and wonder and emotion...and I am grateful.
As the kids have become beings who can sit and tolerate the sights and sounds of live theater, my mom has begun to take them to performances, as well. I think the first one was The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. Then last year it was Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk. This year, it's Walking with Dinosaurs.
It will be one of those hot days in the city that I remember well from my childhood/adolescence. The shimmers and smells that bake onto themselves as you waft in and out. Each movement and moment in seeming slow motion. The melting pot temperature on super boil as any breeze attempting to break through the fortress gets turned away.
No mind though, as my mom's perfected GFCF Japanese style pan fried chicken will be our dinner. Yum, yum and yum.
Yesterday afternoon Shannon hosted a lovely get together. We watched some episodes of Arrested Development. (First we indoctrinated Elizabeth into the Church of Bluth and yesterday it was Joan's turn :-) We ate delicious fruit, veggies and dips. We sipped root beer and coconut water. We talked, shared and laughed.
Last night I started reading Last Night at the Lobster. I'm still reading On Writing, but the memoir part is over and now it's about writing. Still good stuff, but not quite the lyrical experience I need to unwind at the end of the day.
Hope you're having some lyrical experience this weekend :-)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Where I'm at...
• bumping into inspiration and laughing out loud and welling up while reading On Writing, loving Stephen King. (have loved his writing since I was a teenager)
• loving each incredibly savory drop of my Williamsburg souvenir. a (big) bottle of Falconero extra virgin olive oil (scroll down the link to read info). purchased at A Chef's Kitchen (where the grown ups had a delightful dinner while Uncle Takai hung out with the kids one night), bottled in western Sicily where my parents happened to be before they returned to NY for our trip.
• noting the resistance I feel to spending too much time in the kitchen. I've fed the kids frozen shoestring fries twice in a week. the CSA veggies mock me every time I open the fridge.
• realizing the toll (it's absolute) of not getting enough sleep for over a week takes. a week later I am just about recovered.
• feeling too tired to practice Qigong, which is one thing I know will restore energy...a bind I began to loosen this morning.
• this Summer has been frakking hot. did I hear correctly the other day that it is one for the record books?
• feeling that back-to-school energy beginning to flow through the veins. an unschooling mom who loved school growing up. makes me smile. looking into swimming lessons, instrument lessons, concocting a writer's workshop with Cap...
• maintaining visual on the need to keep up with accounting.
• thinking about this quote from the book cover of On Writing: "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." considering increased diligence in this area.
• knitting mojo perking up. looking forward to the arrival of my first cone of yarn. received an e-mail coupon this morning from Stix (they turn 5 today) and thinking of going yarn shopping. (I've had a bday gift certificate waiting in the wings.)
• getting my hair cut today and am thinking colorful tips.
• hanging with woman friends tomorrow, heading into the city to see some dinos on Sunday.
• supporting my man while he deals with a cast put onto his right hand/forearm. his thumb needs to be immobilized and the hope is that the (10 week old) torn ligament will heal. this is his writing hand and he needs to write, a lot, between now and handing in his tenure packet at the end of August. the situation is very "gulp" worthy, but he's taking it all in stride, admirably.
Peace and love my friends, have a great weekend.
• realizing the toll (it's absolute) of not getting enough sleep for over a week takes. a week later I am just about recovered.
• feeling too tired to practice Qigong, which is one thing I know will restore energy...a bind I began to loosen this morning.
• this Summer has been frakking hot. did I hear correctly the other day that it is one for the record books?
• feeling that back-to-school energy beginning to flow through the veins. an unschooling mom who loved school growing up. makes me smile. looking into swimming lessons, instrument lessons, concocting a writer's workshop with Cap...
• maintaining visual on the need to keep up with accounting.
• thinking about this quote from the book cover of On Writing: "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." considering increased diligence in this area.
• knitting mojo perking up. looking forward to the arrival of my first cone of yarn. received an e-mail coupon this morning from Stix (they turn 5 today) and thinking of going yarn shopping. (I've had a bday gift certificate waiting in the wings.)
• getting my hair cut today and am thinking colorful tips.
• hanging with woman friends tomorrow, heading into the city to see some dinos on Sunday.
• supporting my man while he deals with a cast put onto his right hand/forearm. his thumb needs to be immobilized and the hope is that the (10 week old) torn ligament will heal. this is his writing hand and he needs to write, a lot, between now and handing in his tenure packet at the end of August. the situation is very "gulp" worthy, but he's taking it all in stride, admirably.
Peace and love my friends, have a great weekend.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Sparrow
Wow.
What a great book.
I bought it to bring with me to Virginia. (Lolly put it on my radar...she is another Knitting/life blogger who I feel quite connected to despite never having met her and mostly lurking on her blog. We have many shared interests and similar tastes.) I started it there and finished it at home.
It's futuristic, very character-driven, and one of those novels where you know there is so much research/knowledge behind it, yet the prose flows effortlessly off the page.
I highly recommend checking it out.
On deck: On Writing by Stephen King.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
I'm here
The kids and I are back from our vacation, which was a blast (see photo :-)
However, my body has been in serious post-vacation blues mode. I have been resting, a lot.
Will be back, hopefully by week's end with updates and photos.
Peace and love.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
It all began (again) with a list
I made a list this morning. I hadn't done that in awhile. I made a list of things to do today.
The good part of making such a list is that I truly gain distinct feelings of satisfaction during the day as I check items off, or think about checking items off. And those heady sensations of accomplishment, they vibrate deep. They feel really good.
The bad part is that I realize, clearly, that I have too much to do...that I want to focus on too many things. I didn't put "blog" on the list today. That I am choosing to blog right now, well, that means I will take something off the list. (Something I learned from one of my ADD books...which sit primly on my shelf waiting, patiently (oh, they get it), for me to finish them someday.)
It may be that it wasn't realistic to have the list I had. I am okay with having 'goals' on my list, but I also like (and think it's important) to have a list that is, essentially, doable. It's not a wish list, more a beacon to shine light on my path, to help me stay focused.
My list:
• Qigong
• a grid meal plan of breakfast, lunch and dinner for me and for the kids
• packing tape
• accounting
• computer desk
• thank you cards
• library
• Tiina and kids
• Qigong p.m.
The thank you cards are the only thing on the list left completely untouched (well, the night time Qigong, too, but that's for right before bed). The accounting is a work-in-progress (seemingly) always, as is the clutter on the computer desk. But, I did work on both those things for periods of time. So, thank you cards come off, and go onto the list for tomorrow. (I need Gem for this task anyway, and he's not home.)
I am particularly happy that we spent a few hours with Tiina and two of her kids which included going to the library together and continuing on to the park. We often manage to have great conversations and today was such a time.
Also thrilling: requests from both kids for "more Swiss chard, please"! Having a list and meal plan for the day trumps the 'best of intentions' which, honestly, have a less than 50-50 chance of my getting a well-rounded meal on the table which includes the choice of two vegetables.
When the kids and I returned home from the park, Cap was home from work. The kids vegged out to 'screen time' and Cap and I chatted about work and whatnot. I was much more relaxed during this late afternoon/early evening time than usual because I had a much better internal sense of what I had done during the day which translated to a calm I don't usually possess as I face what often feels like the onslaught of dinner and the rest of the evening.
I felt free to chill out was much more present with my partner than I usually am. One of the topics that came up was my giving haircuts to all three boys. I was able to communicate clearly that since I had forgotten to put that on my list, I needed to take something off. Which led to Cap deciding that we could put it off till tomorrow afternoon. No stress, no anxiety, no defensiveness, no heightened feelings of not being heard or understood.
This all sounds so good, I realize as I'm writing. And it is :-) But, there is something to the 'too much' thing. Yes, being a grown up, especially a grown up with kids, there is no end to the "to do" list. There is an inevitability to that. I believe that there's plenty of cultural conditioning to that, too, though.
I miss knitting. I miss reading. I want to spend more focused time with the kids on their interests and push them to expand their skill sets in order for them to accomplish all the things they want to do. I want to dig deeper and practice Qigong every day and eat even more mindfully than I already do. I want to think more about and explore more freely the ideas floating in my head around aging, beauty, the body and the mind.
But, the things that take up my time I also value: cooking (cooking and eating with the flow of the CSA has been very rewarding), decluttering/organizing, playdates/socializing, blogging, my techie stuff (e-mail, Google Reader, Facebook), cleaning, accounting, reading to the kids, etc.
So, yeah, I don't have enough time for everything. Recognizing there is a problem is the first step to solving the problem, right? Figuring out ways to increase happy chillaxing time and less personal sturm and drang around feeling like I'm not doing or being enough? That would be awesome.
locally grown sugar plums (they're bite-size!)
The good part of making such a list is that I truly gain distinct feelings of satisfaction during the day as I check items off, or think about checking items off. And those heady sensations of accomplishment, they vibrate deep. They feel really good.
The bad part is that I realize, clearly, that I have too much to do...that I want to focus on too many things. I didn't put "blog" on the list today. That I am choosing to blog right now, well, that means I will take something off the list. (Something I learned from one of my ADD books...which sit primly on my shelf waiting, patiently (oh, they get it), for me to finish them someday.)
It may be that it wasn't realistic to have the list I had. I am okay with having 'goals' on my list, but I also like (and think it's important) to have a list that is, essentially, doable. It's not a wish list, more a beacon to shine light on my path, to help me stay focused.
My list:
• Qigong
• a grid meal plan of breakfast, lunch and dinner for me and for the kids
• packing tape
• accounting
• computer desk
• thank you cards
• library
• Tiina and kids
• Qigong p.m.
The thank you cards are the only thing on the list left completely untouched (well, the night time Qigong, too, but that's for right before bed). The accounting is a work-in-progress (seemingly) always, as is the clutter on the computer desk. But, I did work on both those things for periods of time. So, thank you cards come off, and go onto the list for tomorrow. (I need Gem for this task anyway, and he's not home.)
I am particularly happy that we spent a few hours with Tiina and two of her kids which included going to the library together and continuing on to the park. We often manage to have great conversations and today was such a time.
Also thrilling: requests from both kids for "more Swiss chard, please"! Having a list and meal plan for the day trumps the 'best of intentions' which, honestly, have a less than 50-50 chance of my getting a well-rounded meal on the table which includes the choice of two vegetables.
When the kids and I returned home from the park, Cap was home from work. The kids vegged out to 'screen time' and Cap and I chatted about work and whatnot. I was much more relaxed during this late afternoon/early evening time than usual because I had a much better internal sense of what I had done during the day which translated to a calm I don't usually possess as I face what often feels like the onslaught of dinner and the rest of the evening.
I felt free to chill out was much more present with my partner than I usually am. One of the topics that came up was my giving haircuts to all three boys. I was able to communicate clearly that since I had forgotten to put that on my list, I needed to take something off. Which led to Cap deciding that we could put it off till tomorrow afternoon. No stress, no anxiety, no defensiveness, no heightened feelings of not being heard or understood.
This all sounds so good, I realize as I'm writing. And it is :-) But, there is something to the 'too much' thing. Yes, being a grown up, especially a grown up with kids, there is no end to the "to do" list. There is an inevitability to that. I believe that there's plenty of cultural conditioning to that, too, though.
I miss knitting. I miss reading. I want to spend more focused time with the kids on their interests and push them to expand their skill sets in order for them to accomplish all the things they want to do. I want to dig deeper and practice Qigong every day and eat even more mindfully than I already do. I want to think more about and explore more freely the ideas floating in my head around aging, beauty, the body and the mind.
But, the things that take up my time I also value: cooking (cooking and eating with the flow of the CSA has been very rewarding), decluttering/organizing, playdates/socializing, blogging, my techie stuff (e-mail, Google Reader, Facebook), cleaning, accounting, reading to the kids, etc.
So, yeah, I don't have enough time for everything. Recognizing there is a problem is the first step to solving the problem, right? Figuring out ways to increase happy chillaxing time and less personal sturm and drang around feeling like I'm not doing or being enough? That would be awesome.
locally grown sugar plums (they're bite-size!)Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Is seeing believing?
I enjoyed a talk with one of my local mama friends while our kids played this afternoon. She said something interesting which totally hooked into something I've been thinking about (a complete coincidence).
She made the observation that her husband, because he is overweight, has stopped seeing himself. The implication was that he is not happy about his weight, and therefore his appearance, and so his brain has brought down the shutters. Out of sight, out of mind.
A couple of weeks ago, while Barbra and I were staying at my mom's in the city, I was stopped in my tracks, in total shock mind you, when I happened to see my mostly undressed body in a full length mirror.
My reality and my reactions, when it comes to my weight and how I look, are a tangle of ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Not clear, not linear, not consistent. Lately, there's a healthy dose of facing aging thrown in there, too.
I don't want to parse all that right now.
But, it did occur to me, as the echo of my friend's words faded away in my mind: maybe some of us don't see in the same way to start with and that is how they "let themselves go" in ways that they didn't choose.
She made the observation that her husband, because he is overweight, has stopped seeing himself. The implication was that he is not happy about his weight, and therefore his appearance, and so his brain has brought down the shutters. Out of sight, out of mind.
A couple of weeks ago, while Barbra and I were staying at my mom's in the city, I was stopped in my tracks, in total shock mind you, when I happened to see my mostly undressed body in a full length mirror.
My reality and my reactions, when it comes to my weight and how I look, are a tangle of ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Not clear, not linear, not consistent. Lately, there's a healthy dose of facing aging thrown in there, too.
I don't want to parse all that right now.
But, it did occur to me, as the echo of my friend's words faded away in my mind: maybe some of us don't see in the same way to start with and that is how they "let themselves go" in ways that they didn't choose.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Hot, hot, hot
I may try to eat seasonally, but I sure don't 'be' seasonally. As the mercury hit 'bout 100º today, I made home fries. Gem's been jonesing for them for awhile and well, he could no longer be denied.This morning, the kids and I headed out to the post office where I shipped a bunch of the books I've sold. So far, I've made about $125. It took awhile at the P.O. because I was filling out address labels and figuring out which envelopes were for Priority Mail, etc. and there was, of course, only one window open. But, the kids were chillaxed for the most part and we were soon out of there.
We then strolled to the bookstore where the kids searched for 'vacation' books. Sag ordered some Pokemon books and we'll be going back to pick them up Thursday.
I finagled a short trip to the library out of the kids and dropped off Rufus M. (which we finished last night) and picked up some more books about Jamestown and colonial Williamsburg.
Once home, while the kids ate lunch, I made the base for blueberry ice cream I'll have the machine crank out tomorrow.
We headed back out to pick up our CSA share and then Cap (who as up at school having completed his first day of camp). As we drove past one of the town pools on the way home there was much excitement and longing.
Cap took the kids to a free Lego mini-build at our local Lego store (neither of us grown-ups was in the right frame of mind to head out to a pool) and I put away the veggies, cleared out the fridge some, e-mailed book customers, had some solo dinner (nice when I can catch it :-) and prepped the basil from today's share to make pesto only to realize we have no fresh garlic.
Everyone's home now. The Red Sox game is on, Sag is drawing, Gem is relaxing on the couch, Cap's tying away on his laptop... I'm off to make the kids' dinner.
The headache that played peek-a-boo with me all afternoon has abated. I'm thinking it was related to dehydration...
Weather-wise, more of the same for the rest of the week.
Äiti's intuition
Something kept me up tonight. I wasn't sure what it was, but I understood, simply and for sure, that I was to stay up despite the latening hour.
So I chose a catch up episode of Treme which would take me past 1am and began to watch. (It's a great show, worth checking out on DVD when it comes out if you don't have access to HBO.)
Then, just past 1:00, Gem came out of his room, tousled and mostly asleep. I walked him to the bathroom where he did his business, he asked me to turn on the sound machine, and he crawled back up into his bunk.
Seconds later, he was full on back to sleep.
You never know when something is going to click into place. Whether it's staying dry at night or staying up late for no apparent reason. I say, be open and relaxed...trust and be okay with not knowing everything.
So I chose a catch up episode of Treme which would take me past 1am and began to watch. (It's a great show, worth checking out on DVD when it comes out if you don't have access to HBO.)
Then, just past 1:00, Gem came out of his room, tousled and mostly asleep. I walked him to the bathroom where he did his business, he asked me to turn on the sound machine, and he crawled back up into his bunk.
Seconds later, he was full on back to sleep.
You never know when something is going to click into place. Whether it's staying dry at night or staying up late for no apparent reason. I say, be open and relaxed...trust and be okay with not knowing everything.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Wheeling and dealing
I was not made for this.
My maternal grandmother came from a merchant family and grew up in her family's shop. I wish I could activate some of that DNA.
I'm doing the right thing. Re-selling books I bought mostly while living in Sacramento, to a small but ardent community (Waldorf-inspired homeschoolers). My family can use the coin. But, man, my shoulders are so tight right now.
Hours spent on the computer listing the books and composing e-mails that are polite, specific, not wordy, and clear. About quality, shipping, handling, sales that are pending, sales that are final.
I'll be making multiple trips to the post office this week. And trying to keep track of names, addresses, Paypal transactions, and the rest of my life packing the kids and myself up for our week away next week (among other things).
Time to take a breath. And remember the good parts of this: the books will be going to people who truly want them and will use them, and, these sales will generate a bit of income where there otherwise would have been none.
My maternal grandmother came from a merchant family and grew up in her family's shop. I wish I could activate some of that DNA.
I'm doing the right thing. Re-selling books I bought mostly while living in Sacramento, to a small but ardent community (Waldorf-inspired homeschoolers). My family can use the coin. But, man, my shoulders are so tight right now.
Hours spent on the computer listing the books and composing e-mails that are polite, specific, not wordy, and clear. About quality, shipping, handling, sales that are pending, sales that are final.
I'll be making multiple trips to the post office this week. And trying to keep track of names, addresses, Paypal transactions, and the rest of my life packing the kids and myself up for our week away next week (among other things).
Time to take a breath. And remember the good parts of this: the books will be going to people who truly want them and will use them, and, these sales will generate a bit of income where there otherwise would have been none.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Bresson's brie
Brie, France. 1968During her visit, Barb and I saw the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at MoMA. I loved many of the images and learned some things. Their postcard selection was very limited. But, I did like this one. Made me stop and take a look.
"In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotif." —Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lucky
My sis and bro-in-law came over today so Cap and I could go out for a bit. While the kids played baseball and soccer with their aunt and uncle, we went out for lunch. Time was of the essence (the blueberry pie took a bit longer than expected) so we nixed Indian food in Jersey City and cruised down Bloomfield Avenue to see what our options were.
The Indian place was closed. Mesob was not. Ethiopian it was.
vegetarian sampler for 2.
he loves his Miser Wat.
seasonal, local, organic yum.
The Indian place was closed. Mesob was not. Ethiopian it was.
vegetarian sampler for 2.
he loves his Miser Wat.
seasonal, local, organic yum.I am a lucky girl in many, many ways.
Fab fotos
Barbra sent me some lovely pics, taken when she and Cara and I went out for lunch at Terra. We had a lovely time catching up. ♥
Inimitable insomnia
Woke at 4am, got up, went back to bed, tossed and turned, finally got out of bed at 5:30.Threw open windows to take in the last of the cool breeze before a bank of hot and humid air comes and sits on us for a week.
Ingredients tossed into trusty bread machine. Chicken prepped for roasting. Brain tickled by panes revealed. Soul soothed in glow of early morning screen lemon aromatherapy fingertips pressed on face.
Yesterday. Fed dear friends who are now back in Germany for the Summer. Was fed by dear friends in celebration of their oldest turning 10. Hugged by Finn-ness ran out of time to take a sauna.
Last night. Finished reading aloud a chapter that found Rufus in a desolate amusement park as heavy fog rolled in. Sag burst into tears deep-seated fear of getting lost unlocked. He expelled his emotion, (was) held (by) Cap, drew a picture of himself hitting a homerun on a self-adhesive label and stuck it to his forehead (a literal visualization), and returned to bed spent and satisfied.
Today. Blueberry pie (our 20 lb. shipment of local organic berries arrived this week). Fresh bread and roasted chicken. Sister and brother-in-law. Lunch out with Cap may have to be rethought due to insufficient funds. Breathe in the cool and fresh till the cool and fresh are no more.
Namaste.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Vibram Five Fingers
Gem wondered why they are not called Five Toes. He also noted that people will likely laugh when they see my new shoes.
I've always had a soft spot for shoes. I remember vividly my back-to-school shoes for first grade. They were an earthy saddle shoe with bands of red and tan leather. In high school I loved and wore both American Indian moccasins and cowboy boots. My first pair of Birkenstocks. The wondrous red suede shoes made in Germany I bought with my first public school teacher paycheck. My first Danskos.
The comfort of my feet and body have always been a critical part of my shoe experiences. I wore Pro-Keds all through elementary school, but once I began traipsing about Manhattan in junior high, suddenly they didn't offer enough support and I stopped wearing them. Once I started wearing Birkenstocks I only wore Birkenstocks for nearly a decade because they elevated the combination of functionality and foot comfort to a new level.
The Keens I bought in Sacramento have always been 'fine'. Recently, I had some weird pain that was clearly connected to them, albeit not debilitating. I bought my Danskos last year and went for the snazzy frosty blue 'snakeskin' which, as predicted, doesn't really 'go' with much of my wardrobe. (This was after I wore my old ones into the ground...the soles were so thin they started taking on water when it rained. I then waited about a year to find just the right pair to replace them with.)
As I rediscovered while walking the streets of the Big Apple with Barbra last week, I have foot twisting issues with clogs. And I began to think about the upcoming trip to Virginia which is going to involve some serious walking and standing around.
My friend, Lisa, swears by her Vibram Five Fingers. They've been on my radar for a few months. They seemed like good candidates for travel shoes. I visited the website and realized a store in town carried them. I went down, tried on two different styles, liked what I felt...
Voilà.
They're wacky looking. No way around that. :-) They feel completely natural and surreal. Trying to put them on, I was amazed and humbled by how unused to experiencing my toes as individual digits I had become. Apparently, wearing and walking in these shoes strengthens muscles otherwise not used.
I'll let you know how it goes :-)
I've always had a soft spot for shoes. I remember vividly my back-to-school shoes for first grade. They were an earthy saddle shoe with bands of red and tan leather. In high school I loved and wore both American Indian moccasins and cowboy boots. My first pair of Birkenstocks. The wondrous red suede shoes made in Germany I bought with my first public school teacher paycheck. My first Danskos.
The comfort of my feet and body have always been a critical part of my shoe experiences. I wore Pro-Keds all through elementary school, but once I began traipsing about Manhattan in junior high, suddenly they didn't offer enough support and I stopped wearing them. Once I started wearing Birkenstocks I only wore Birkenstocks for nearly a decade because they elevated the combination of functionality and foot comfort to a new level.
The Keens I bought in Sacramento have always been 'fine'. Recently, I had some weird pain that was clearly connected to them, albeit not debilitating. I bought my Danskos last year and went for the snazzy frosty blue 'snakeskin' which, as predicted, doesn't really 'go' with much of my wardrobe. (This was after I wore my old ones into the ground...the soles were so thin they started taking on water when it rained. I then waited about a year to find just the right pair to replace them with.)
As I rediscovered while walking the streets of the Big Apple with Barbra last week, I have foot twisting issues with clogs. And I began to think about the upcoming trip to Virginia which is going to involve some serious walking and standing around.
My friend, Lisa, swears by her Vibram Five Fingers. They've been on my radar for a few months. They seemed like good candidates for travel shoes. I visited the website and realized a store in town carried them. I went down, tried on two different styles, liked what I felt...
Voilà.
They're wacky looking. No way around that. :-) They feel completely natural and surreal. Trying to put them on, I was amazed and humbled by how unused to experiencing my toes as individual digits I had become. Apparently, wearing and walking in these shoes strengthens muscles otherwise not used.I'll let you know how it goes :-)
Friday, July 02, 2010
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Along for the ride
The kids and I are going to Williamsburg, Virginia with my side of the family in a couple of weeks. (Cap can't come because he will be working one of his camps that week.)
This is exciting for many reasons. We've never vacationed en extended famille before, we'll be bunking in some fancy digs (three pools! a kitchen! whirlpools! a jacuzzi in the room! a washer and dryer!), the area is historically interesting, there is a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's within a couple of miles of the hotel, and one of the best restaurants in town has a gluten-free menu.
My parents are gathering us together to celebrate my mom's 70th birthday. It's going to be really nice.
Last week I lugged home a bunch of library books about Jamestown and colonial Virginia. My big Bean tote was overflowing. I also borrowed a book for myself. The Birth of Black America by Tim Hashaw. I started reading it tonight and am loving learning about the context and content of the first African Americans. Did you know that they were here before the Pilgrims first laid eyes on Plymouth Rock?
Are you taking a vacation this Summer? Where are you going?
This is exciting for many reasons. We've never vacationed en extended famille before, we'll be bunking in some fancy digs (three pools! a kitchen! whirlpools! a jacuzzi in the room! a washer and dryer!), the area is historically interesting, there is a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's within a couple of miles of the hotel, and one of the best restaurants in town has a gluten-free menu.
My parents are gathering us together to celebrate my mom's 70th birthday. It's going to be really nice.
Last week I lugged home a bunch of library books about Jamestown and colonial Virginia. My big Bean tote was overflowing. I also borrowed a book for myself. The Birth of Black America by Tim Hashaw. I started reading it tonight and am loving learning about the context and content of the first African Americans. Did you know that they were here before the Pilgrims first laid eyes on Plymouth Rock?
Are you taking a vacation this Summer? Where are you going?
Hey nature lovers
I am thrilled to post a link to my friend Erica's online shop. She is an amazing artist and a dear friend from university days. Go check it out!
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