Zen

The leaves are starting to turn but it is slow going with this Indian Summer we are in the throes midst of.

I am waking ache-y and fatigued every morning.  The aches fade but the enervation continues into the day on and off.  My mood is definitely improving.  But, I look like I've been punched in the eyes they have such dark circles underneath.  Last night I broke down and asked Cap to make me a grilled cheese and fried egg sandwich.  Comfort food with a touch of cane sugar in the bread.

Gem is taking a programming class this Fall which means that I get 45 minutes to myself at my favorite café once a week.  Yesterday I enjoyed a pot of peach apricot rooibos tea with local honey.  It was amazing.  Flavorful and nourishing.

I lucked upon Joe Hill's latest novel on the "new" shelf at the library.  I was mesmerized by the first chapter.  The dude shares a sensibility with his father, Stephen King (one of my longtime favorite authors).

As I wade through the heavy waters seemingly felt only by my body, working with the kids, drawing up menus for next week, compiling a food shopping list, dreaming of granola, and waiting for my appointment with Vinny...  I keep peeking at this wonderful photo that Jamie posted this morning on her blog.  Truly, the embodiment of a moment of zen.

Peace.

Étrange

Have been still today. 

Slow to wake (kept falling back into dream-filled sleep until 9:30am).  In a state not quite tired.  Blank of energy.

Read Johnny's memoir. 

I lost count of how many GFCF cupackes I've consumed (leftover from last night's common meal, homemade by Cap). 

Immune system powered up, I believe.

The rain all day didn't help.

I am loving my new phone camera and the filters on Instagram.

Peace.

Got a lot on my head

After a couple of days of feeling on the listless side, I have been like a ping pong ball today.  A seemingly random one.  Going from one thing to another in my mind and with my body.

• how I woke up: weepy child in bed frustrated by my not following "the rules".  when I stated it was confusing (in retrospect, not the best choice of words...honest, but not careful) to have him happy when I break the rules when it benefits him (being flexible) and upset when I break them and the result is not to his advantage (being a jerk...not his word).  I was shocked when my observation sent him into a tailspin of self-loathing ("I'm sorry I'm such a bad son!")  oh my.

• farmer's market run.  dammit.  Anthony had me all psyched when he said he had a small pork shoulder...and then plunked down a huge one.  when I explained, again, that I didn't think it would fit in my slow cooker, he brought out the other shoulder and it did look narrower...so I bought it.  the pork is big.  I hope pulled pork freezes well.  also picked up eggs, ground sirloin and a ribeye steak.  and apple cider from Ginger. 

• after I put the meat, eggs and cider away, I realized I had just enough time to go food shopping.  I took a risk and did not meal plan...I didn't have time.  went a bit over budget, mostly because I bought a number of items for Gem's lunch tomorrow.  we're going to be out and I wanted to make sure he did not feel left out while Sag had fun sampling food from food trucks.  Gem's lunch will include: steak (I got a smaller one, also grass-fed), organic raspberries and chocolate soy pudding.

• while Cap took Sag to swim class, Gem chilled out (he is feeling much better) and I took a semi-hard look at my surroundings.  the decluttering/organizing happens in spurts and there has been a fallow period.  I made a decision and then made two phonecalls to figure out how the decision would play out.  made plans with Danielle to go to Ikea next week.

• cleaned the kitchen.  not top to bottom.  but I did tend to the floor which hadn't been swept in awhile.  moved my body to some tunes.  prepared some grazing food for Gem.  remembered I have to make an appointment for a donation pick-up.  it is amazing how one can become blind to piles in corners.

• Sag bounced in.  he loves his swim class and loved getting a slice of Sicilian on his way home.  he still smelled like chlorine.

• took advantage of Cap being around and went up to the bookstore.  remembered to make a list, but failed to remember everyone I needed to.  four gift cards and two gift books later, as I was opening the car door I realized there's another kid in our life who has a birthday in October.  finally dropped off a pair of pants to the dry cleaners.  they'll be ready in time to wear on vacay.

• called an order of saag paneer in and drove over to pick it up.  such a great restaurant.  a warm space full of irresistible aromas.  the smart manager remembered a mistake had been made last time I ordered and asked to make sure things had been resolved.

• saag paneer lunch with a Starbucks Indivisible coffee follow.  tea with honey for the boys.

• started thinking about my trip.  gifts, devices (think I'll go with the iPad), clothes, etc.

• paid the rent.

• took a look on CraigsList at rentals.  Cap and I had a talk yesterday and have decided we're here for at least four more years (starting this Summer).  part of me would love to move to an apartment more to our liking.  specifically hardwood floors, a bigger kitchen and, ideally, a washer/dryer in the unit.  but, another part of me blanches at the thought of moving.  that's a lot of work before and during.

It's chilly in the apartment today.  I am wearing my colors and keeping cozy.  Big drop in temp the last twenty-four hours.

Yesterday, Vinny exclaimed in delight over my t-shirt.  He loved that it said "be flexible" in green because green is the color associated with the liver, which governs emotions.  He said the blue of the shirt is associated with the kidney and that these were two systems good to have "covered".  I was delighted by his delight.

After reading apartment-for-rent ads, I was spinning a bit.  (You probably can't tell in the pic, but inside I was racing!)  Blogging helped calm me down.  Ahhhh...

Tomorrow, Maker Faire New York and an early dinner with the cousins.  Maybe ices and tortillas, too.

Happy birthday to blog reader and childhood friend, Karen!!!  Hope you are having a wonderful day being celebrated.

Peace and love.

P.S.  The Avengers was fun.  But our kids won't be watching it till they're older (they trusted us to preview it for scary-to-them stuff).

Recent eats

Almost a week ago I made the final shift to grain-free, sugar-free and dairy-free.  Ostensibly, I wanted to clean up my system before I eat my way through the Bay area (I depart in a week!)  I desired as blank a canvas as I could achieve before indulging in a series of wonderful aromas, flavors and textures.  Clearing the palette, so to speak.

As per usual, flushing sugar, grains and dairy from my system has brought about opportunities for new awareness.  This time, I have been fascinated by the cravings of PMS.  Since yesterday, my body has been wracked with waves of craving.  But, because my sugar/grain/dairy/seed oil receptors have essentially been neutralized by just a week of non-use, I am not craving anything in particular (ie. ice cream, potato chips, onion rings, pizza, grilled cheese, chocolate, etc.)

It is wild.  Being with craving while not actually craving something specific.  It is a lesson for me to realize that there is no satisfying this craving.  Well, except the passage of time.  Nothing instant.

Really opens my eyes about the relationship of what exactly is it that we are satisfying when we experience instant gratification.  There are layers of craving, certainly multiple ones that are chemical (food related, as well as, hormones), as well as, those that are emotional and mental/psychological.

Personally, I see and experience more and more that my challenges stem from the chemical stuff.  I have come of age at a time when, for a lot of women's issues, the emphasis of diagnosis and treatment has been placed on the emotional and the use of band-aids in pill form.  Talking therapy, which helps a lot of people, never resonated with me.  (I get a lot out of talking to people I know and trust, but that's different somehow.)  I wonder if that is because, somehow, my body knew it wasn't what I thought and felt that could use tweaking, it was something else.

Anyway, I have dropped Kerrygold as my cooking fat of choice.  I have started using the olive oil I picked up at Fairway and it is fantastic.  The food in Barcelona was out-of-this-world.  I am certain that a multitude of factors went into that.  However, I confess, it never occured to me that an ingredient as "common" as olive oil, may have been a significant factor.

This oil, made with olives grown in Catalan, is...scrumptious.  It is light, mesmerizing, flavorful and sweet.  It elevates a plate of veggies, eggs and an herb to "heavenly".

I braised some short ribs and kept it Paleo by using coconut aminos and coconut nectar that were in the pantry.  The kids tasted no difference and the dish was a hit.  The beef came from the farm.  Yum.  My plate remained Paleo with the addition of sauerkraut as my side instead of rice.

Last night, I knew I needed something snack-y to tide me through thoughts of ice cream (even though I wasn't actually craving it, we had some in the freezer and I didn't want to trip up).  So before I settled down in front of the telly (Last Resort and Project Runway), I toasted some pecans and pistachios in a little bit of coconut oil and seasoned them with red sea salt, cumin and smoked paprika.

Coffee has become my friend.  I drink tea, too, but coffee is what really powers me through.  I have noticed that my favorite teas have tasted differently.  Probably due more to the womanly cycle hormones rather than the reverting to Paleo ones...but who knows.  A little lonely without the familiar comfort of Raspberry Earl and Irish Breakfast...but coffee to the rescue.

So many low pressure systems the past few weeks.  Look at how the shot of the coffee machine is so drained of color, naturally!  That was taken this morning around 9:30.  I kept thinking I'd turned the machine on and would go to pour myself a cup...and see that there was no coffee ready yet.  Third time was the charm.

Peace and love.

Push

Slept about seven hours and was woken up by Sag apologetically asking me a question that could not wait (for him).  I felt like I could have slept some more, but awake was awake.  My body ached and felt leaden.

The light was bright out the windows and the air felt dry (yesterday was muggy, sheets of heavy cold rain washed it all away during the night).  I pushed myself forward.  Turned the laptop on and pushed past the urge to check my email.

Repeated my practice of yesterday.

Notes:

• feeling a lot of energy/stagnation resolutions (current quick-n-hot spots) at my bottom and top.  evacuations out the bottom have been purposeful and efficient.  I'm guessing most of us are constipated to some degree and don't even know it.  my head...this one is going to take some time.  but, I wish I could drill a tiny hole at the top of my skull to let out the energy faster.  there's more pressure there than I'd like.  when I practice, especially Dragon's Way #10, my head starts pulsing a song of swelling.  (stroke runs in my genes...hope practicing can assuage this malady somewhat.)

• every time I have gone grain-free and sugar-free I have felt ache-y.  and irritable.  today is no different.  practicing definitely helped take the edge off.  we will be spending the afternoon in Brooklyn, outdoors, at the Brooklyn Book Festival.  part of me feels it might risk the feelings/better opinions of whoever I am around, but a larger part feels this will be a good way to stay out of my head: reap the benefits of sunshine, friends and the letters.

• my thumb is much better this morning.  surprisingly so.  it really hurt last night.  I have wondered if it was my body's way of forcing the issue of my unbalanced laptop use.  I use my right thumb to manipulate the trackpad.  this morning, after a night of rest and practicing, I can feel there is tightness running up my right arm...could be from favoring my thumb to the disfavor of other muscles...also could be another part of the message.

• after our hike yesterday, I felt tired/sleepy.  the air had been, and still was, very heavy.  since it was Cap's night to make dinner, I decided to practice the Dragon's Way movements (#1-#8).  felt better afterward, perked up, and had a good rest of the evening (except for the thumb injury).

• DW #7: felt a nub of stagnation/pain so "I am here, you cannot ignore me" on the inside of my left foot...it was shocking.  I never feel much of anything doing this one, and when I do, it feels good.  interesting.

Okay.  Kid waiting to use my laptop.  Gotta fly.

Peace.

Jagged and jiggy

Egads.  I have no words for this humidity.  110%.  There's low pressure bearing down on us.  And high winds.



I am fortifying myself with leftover slow cooked pork.  It was freaking delicious.  Probably due in no small part to the high quality meat.  I loved the simplicity of Nom Nom Paleo's recipe.  Served the pulled roast with guacamole, salsa verde and sour cream on the table.  Yum.  (Sis and BIL came over last night to pick up my n'er used bicycle.)

I am listening to lots of music.

I am alternately wafting/awash and pinging/ponging.

I am hyper and held still.

Anyway, I have managed, between compulsive online nattering and pollinating, to be productive here and there, too.

I have paid bills.

I have made phone calls.

I have fed children a balanced meal.

I decluttered the coat/bag hooks.  (Clutter on the bookshelf there, your days are numbered...)

And then, I made shore onto the Isle of Knits.  While poking around and setting things to rights I came across two (deeply) hibernating projects and was shocked to see that I had made progress on both that I had completely forgotten about.  (When did that knitting happen?)

On top is a sock for Brian.  He has big feet.  That is not an optical illusion.  I promised him these socks...maybe three years ago.  I had no idea I'd finished one and am now motivated to finish the pair.  I have to dig for my notes to see what size the needles were...

On bottom is a lap throw I started for Gem...years ago.  I bought a lot of ten or so balls of this yarn (Noro Matsuri).  I was stunned to see there were only two balls left.  I could easily finish this in a week if I put my mind to it.

Interestingly, a third project I was expecting to see was nowhere to be found.  I must have frogged it and cannot recall.  Weird, this knitterly Alzheimer's/ADD...

Off to get some sauce on for the kids' dinner.

Peace and Supremes.

Up-to-date

Did I mention this book here?  Here is my Goodreads review:

Ahhh. This book challenged me. The four star rating is for quality. I can't say I "really" liked it.

The structure, I thought was generic/uninteresting. (Alternating chapters of past/present.) However, in the end, I could see how it was almost necessary (even if awkward) not only as a device, but as a metaphor for how memory can layer in gentle folds or jarring bumps.

The characters...I really liked how well drawn the "minor" characters were. The mom, and particularly, the sisters. It was a feat to have the girls bloom before our eyes to such life.

The novel freaked me out within the first pages. I gave it a couple of days. By the end, I was riddled with anxiety. It almost didn't matter what happened. It was so harrowing...just wanting to get to the end and be done with it overrode any "pure" interest in the whodunit.

(Full disclosure: the reading of this book did coincide with some personal, unrelated, real life anxiety.)

So, did the book do its job? Yes. And it did it well. In some ways the writing seemed unrecognizable from the first book. All in good ways.

But, I did not enjoy it. Unlike my experience of her first novel, I found it very difficult to access "humanity"...the beauty found in quiet moments (or even chaotic ones) of even the most wrenching narratives. The restlessness found amongst these pages was relentless. Such hollows everywhere. 

We have enjoyed what I imagine were the last of the season's peaches.  The apples have begun.  This beauty was a Gala.  This afternoon I fell in love with a Macintosh (a variety I rarely favor).

We are easing into a schoolish schedule.  The energy has been chaotic.  Such shifting: weather, light, availability of friends who go to school, Cap's academic schedule, table activities...  I keep pausing when I remember to...orient myself towards true north...and resume the rush.  Rinse and repeat.

Gem's jellybeans.  Cap bought him two pounds of Jelly Belly jellybeans at an "Ye Olde" type of tourist trap candy shop in Williamsburg which turned out to be a pretty cool place.  I was stunned and delighted that night, after our celebratory family meal at Fat Canary, because Cap hates to shop.  He jovially traipsed into the candy store with Ellie, Sag and Gem and got them all sorts of sugared up.

I don't know if it's the change of season, but Gem has been going to town on his candy corn and watermelon jelly beans the past few days.

We hung out with the girls over the weekend.  It was a lot of fun.  My mom joined us and led us in a roll-your-own sushi dinner.  This one cried for a few seconds when her parents left (to celebrate their anniversary), but then stood her own as part of the dynamic extended family gaggle (including Baxter, can you spot him?)

This was the scene when we dropped my mom off after our babysitting venture.  Finally, finally, the heat and humidity were breaking.  Lovely, lovely cooling rain.

Cap waiting at Home Depot.  I needed a board to support my heels in renewing my squatting practice.  (Squatting is really good for you.)

My food choices are shifting, too.  Less gluten, less grains, less dairy, much less sugar.  It's been slow going what with the chaos.  Last night, Cap and I got Chinese food.  This is what I saw when I paused and looked up...sitting in the car while Cap ran into the restaurant.  It had been go, go, go till 7:30pm.

Money-spending is shifting, too.  Less take-out, weekly meal planning and budget grocery shopping two weeks strong.

I've liked this flower for ages.  But, never knew its English name, just whatever my mom called it in Japanese (which I never remembered...hence, it was always known as, "oh it's the flower I like").  I very recently learned that it is a Rose of Sharon.  Loved this stand of them I came across today while visiting with Leo and Danielle.

We finally made it back to Pokemon after a six-month plus hiatus.  We ran into some old friends which was unexpected and really nice.  It is such a great, mellow crowd.  Makes me so happy for the kids that they have access to such a warm community.

Off to watch the season premiere of Sons of Anarchy.

Peace and love.

Yum

I heart quesadillas.  This one had smoked gouda, sautéed mushrooms (baby bella shrooms/Kerrygold butter) and basil from the farm nestled between brown rice tortillas.  Breakfast of gluten-free champions.  (And, yes, bane of my trying-to-go-grain-and-dairy-free-existence.)

No red tent neessary as it turned out.  Energy rebounded nicely yesterday in between fairly tedious social and educational calendering, running a few errands, and a final playdate with schooling friends (school in town starts tomorrow).

The weather continues to be utterly not up my alley.

A lot lot lot whirling as Fall planning continues.  Daniel is here for the day, a grounding force.

Peace and love.

And a song.  Heard this yesterday in the car and smiled.  I never thought I'd love having Sirius in the car as much as I do!

O sleep

Each of the last few days has been revelatory in the new pockets of energy experienced.  With the energy has come more smiles, more laughter and more peace.

Last night, though...a sleep setback. 

The post-common meal hungries were particularly strong (the kids and Cap often need a second dinner because they didn't get too distracted playing and not liking the food).  I enjoyed a dinner plate of salad with roasted chicken and feta cheese and a piece of watermelon for dessert, but in this post-ovulation second half of my cycle...I was hungry again a few hours later.

10pm last night I was chatting in the kitchen with Cap while he made me a signature, masterful, grilled cheese sandwich (Udi's white sandwich bread buttered with Kerrygold sprinkled with garlic powder on one side...my cheese last night was smoked gouda).  And then I stayed up till midnight watching the Olympics.

I fell asleep pretty quickly and went into dream sleep again.  Can I digress?  I had noticed...for at least the past few years...that I was no longer remembering my dreams.  It never occurred to me, I don't know why, that I wasn't remembering because I wasn't having them.  Since the weekend, I have been waking up remembering my lengthy and cinematic dreams.  They've had lots of narrative and suspenseful tension.  It has been a homecoming of sorts and I've come to feel that I am sleeping not only longer, but more deeply for a longer stretch of the night, thanks to the herbs.

Sleep deprivation is an insidious and bad thing for well-being.  My eyes have been opened (no pun intended...but I like it) to how significant an obstacle it had become in my own path of healing.  I see Vinny again today.  I'm glad to have some observations to report and wonder what he'll say.

This morning, I was roused from dream-sleep by the clattering clamor of a powerful downpour on the metal box in the bedroom window that has kept me sane this persistently hot and/or humid summer.  A disharmonic convergence.  My eyes couldn't unsee the daylight, my stomach couldn't unfeel the late night sandwich deposit, my mind couldn't unwake the abrupt transition from my olympic dream.

Less than six hours of sleep.  And a rain system pressed down on us for the duration of the day.  I feel tired...but not as tired as I felt when I first got out of bed nearly two hours ago.  I feel happy...I feel the energy of possibility.  And that?  Pretty wonderful.

Whole30 food : : 15

My breakfast plate.  Eggs from Anthony's farm (finally!), some more homemade guac and the one leftover bit of grass-fed rib eye steak from yesterday's lunch.

I'll be up front.  I don't feel well.  

Woke again feeling tired and with sour stomach.  (And with gas which seems to build up during the night...another "symptom"of something.)  It was another night sleeping on the pull-out in the living room while Cap watched the west coast Red Sox game (and worked...he's always working).  It was the first night with open windows since this heat wave started.  (It's looking like we're barely getting a respite, temps will be in the 90s for the rest of the week.)

Between sleep deprivation, the heat, my hormones, my stomach, my fatigue, my adjustment to Whole30 living feeling like it has hit a solid plateau...I suppose it's no wonder my mood is drooping and my stress is rising.

I did send our family doc an email about checking my hormone levels (haven't heard back, she may be on vacay).  I am going to see Vinny today for an emergency pick-me-up.  I am bearing in mind, trying to, the benefits of scaling back with intention.

I am going to stop the 365 photos.  I was starting to feel some pressure about taking and/or posting photos.  I liked how it created an opportunity to stretch and explore, but it seems like an extra which can be culled to restore some balance.

Peace.

Stormy weather

Literally.

Gave Cap the car for the day and we're staying put.  Silver lining: the 60 degree breezes rushing in between storm cells is conducive to soup making.

Whole30 food : : 2

(posting on day 3)

Dinner for me last night: ground lamb (pre-cooked with olive oil, salt, pepper, onion flakes and granulated garlic) scrambled with one pastured egg, sauerkraut and half an avocado with Kosher salt.

This was a little too much food (the lamb in particular), but I was trying to compensate (in retrospect) for how crappy I was feeling.  I think my body is having a hard time withdrawing from sugar.  (My body is having a hard time, I think it's from the sugar.)  I had a headache most of the day which got progressively worse.  By evening I was in a mostly vegetative state.

I had kind of forgotten that apricots put my GI system through the wringer.  I was so desperate for the "sweet" that I ate more than a handful yesterday.  It's going to be a week of adjustment foodwise.  I have CSA veggies in the fridge, but I am so tired, and today sore, that I don't have the energy to prep and cook.

I rely on the kindness of ground meat, eggs and avocado.  I'm sure I'll be eating this again, today.  I have defrosted the last of the chicken stock.  Today is going to be about 100º...I can't imagine I'll be making soup.  The weather should break in a day or two.  Then, soup.  With veg and seaweed.

Peace and love.

Mid tide

The outrageous storm of activity leading up to and continuing through the weekend calmed down nicely today.  It was so hectic and I was so depleted that I just now realized I didn't take a birthday portrait of Gem yesterday.  Le sigh.

(Thank you for your gifts and well wishes.  He had a wonderful birthday.)

Onward.

This morning I had a lovely breakfast with Donna.  My first bit of friend/me time since Cap's return from Japan.  It has been a gorgeously breezy and sunny day and we ate al fresco.

This afternoon the kids played Minecraft with Lucy.  It was her first solo visit here and things went swimmingly.

waiting for Lucy.

 before.

 

Cap helped me pull down all the linens and such from the closet shelves in the bathroom.  We sorted and organized.  Then I went through the medicine cabinet, under the sink and through the bins of miscellany by myself.  I was dragging by the end, it took hours and produced a full heavy duty trash bag of junk.

End result?  I am beginning to fall back in love with our apartment.  It really does have some character and the nooks and crannies hold a lot of appeal for me.  (When you can really see and enjoy them!)

 

And, inhabiting these decluttered and reorganized spaces?  I can breathe.  Deeply.

Peace and love.

You start with what you have

This is what I thought we'd be doing this morning.  Running lots of errands.  Including some to prepare for Gem's birthday weekend.  Which, with all the hubbub of late, has snuck up on me a bit.

But, one of us is under the weather figuratively (Sag) and one of us is under the weather literally (me) and I am letting go of the expectations and rolling with what is, instead.

I am trying to embrace their peaceful ways and be in the present.  I am still recovering from a really icky bringing-in-the-garbage-and-recycling-cans experience where I encountered what smelled like a broken open bag of vomit and somehow ended up with hands that smelled like poop.  One of those times it really sucks to be a super smeller.

Just found this fun tie-in to the kids' study of Mesopotamia.  Oh, and we watched Free Willy: Escape From Pirate's Cove yesterday to tie into Sag's study of dolphins and orcas yesterday.  It was solidly good fare.

Rock out in peace.

P is for pep and peppermint and pulling-off-the-blinders

These dry, breezy, cool sunny/cloudy days that scream "spring" and "fall" in the mid-Atlantic region always, always, reset my system to GO.  Today I wondered...where in the world is it like this year-round?

So, what did I do with all my pep?  This manatee on a mission put a dent into her decluttering/cleaning.  I decided to go low tech in my rodent repelling and picked up some peppermint essential oil and cotton balls instead of the sonic gadget.

I bought this new-to-me cleaning product last weekend when the mysterious dust made its debut into my consciousness.  It's been on my list of things I'd like to do, for ages, to make some cleaning solution with vinegar.  I've been very happy with it so far.

The "after" shot of under the kitchen sink.  There is no way I would subject you to a "before" shot of this former disaster area.  It's kind of crazy how things can get as bad as they do.  But, I am a very concretely "out of sight, out of mind" person.  

In a positive way, this has allowed me to maintain very emotionally close friendships with friends who I have little to no contact with (visual or otherwise) for not only months, but years.  The key is that I never stop caring, and I am quite comfortable with the "not thinking about" (it just is, there is no baggage).

The pockets of clutter in our household represent the negative way in which "out of sight..." manifests.  There is something bordering on (seemingly) pathological going on because these pockets don't always exist behind closed doors.  Sometimes, they are in plain sight, yet my brain stops "seeing" the clutter.

By the way, there were some droppings under the sink.  Those cotton balls you can see are infused with peppermint oil.  Peppermint oil is considered a mouse deterrent.

I cleaned out the area next to my side of the bed.  I'd cleared it out about seven or eight months ago, but it quickly filled back up with "things to donate/find other homes for".  So, for about six months or so, this area was cluttered with, as it turns out, three garbage bags worth of stuff that literally just sat there, seen yet unseen.  

That framed poster was given to me about a year ago, a thoughtful hand-me-down from someone who was decluttering herself.  (She'd noticed I had a postcard of the same print.)  For a year it has been propped up against one wall or another.  I've reached out to my brother-in-law, who is handy, to see if he can help me put it up.

After cleaning up from dinner, I kept going and decluttered the counter top and washed down the stove.  (The stove top needs more work...and product.)  I was nonplussed to turn from the counter top and see this heinous pile of mess tucked in the corner right next to it.  Another no man's land that is in plain sight, yet gets seriously overlooked.

One step at a time.

That's the linen closet.  Usually, the laundry basket is in there overflowing with dirty laundry.  That is just classic...and sad.  I'm thinking I'm going to tackle this spot tomorrow.

Believe it or not, the day was not all about cleaning.  We also played Carcassonne, went to the library and did laundry.  The kids introduced a friend to their Minecraft server and gave him a tour, all virtual-like.  The kids wrote cards and watched a movie they borrowed from the library.  They did homework.

I have a new book from the library and am dying to get to it.  But, there is also laundry that needs folding.

Peace and love.

Glory be

As the atmospheric pressure lifts, so do I.  It is palpable.  Windows have been thrown open and I practiced Qigong just a little bit more than yesterday morning (no great shakes yet, but one step at a time).

I was not surprised...yet was dismayed to see the nocturnal critter(s) was back in action again last night.  There has been some speculation about whether it might be termites which had not occurred to me.  Are termites more active at night/when there is less people activity going on?

Yesterday we had some mid-day drama courtesy of the almost 12-year old.  I think he is feeling the absence of his father in ways he cannot articulate.  He would say he is more attached to me, which is probably true, but he is much more like Cap and I think he is feeling the imbalance of being outnumbered in terms of household personalities.

We made it through and were rewarded with our planned trip to the comic book shop.  I splurged a bit and we picked up The Princess and The Dragon extension for Carcassonne (Jim, who was manning the register loves Carcassonne and was wonderfully attentive to Sag as they discussed some of the finer points of the game), the new Chip Kidd penned Batman graphic novel (he wrote one of the funniest novels I've read in the past few years The Cheese Monkeys) and, finally, a decent Pokemon card pack for me!

We chilled out before heading out in the evening for a quickish shop to Whole Paycheck which saved me the trip today.

After dinner it was showers, Skyping with Cap and the recently requisite episode of America's Funniest Home Videos before heading to bed to read.  And the excitement of a tooth finally coming out for Sag!

Today's learning at home will include:

• vacuuming the kids' room

• vacuuming the living room

• vacuuming the big bedroom

• cleaning the bathroom

• doing homework

•  playing Carcassonne

• going to the library

• hosting a potluck common meal

Off to breakfast...peace and love.