Kingsolver

I figured out what I adore about her and why each novel is awaited and savored from me.  She is so real and genuine as a writer, things I love about people too.  She writes about big topics and doesn't dress them up.  She doesn't give you a packaged ending all tidy, she lets it out, the nitty gritty of how life goes.  How some things you don't get to chose and some you do.  That we are all human, living here, and it isn't pretty sometimes but resiliency abounds and in the face of great pressure and sadness there is also so much beauty.  

Stunning.  Tickets to see this are very expensive but Angangueo is on the LIST! 

From inside our cozy warm house, the kind of night that you get to hear the wind blow through the stove pipe.  Something that I read and couldn't pass up. 

an excerpt, Nina Simons, from Moonrise: "The Power of Women Leading from the Heart."

This is no time for small talk
This is a time for myth making
This is a time for epic poetry
This is a time to tell the tales of life, love, and resilience 
that will become our compass for the days ahead.
A time to remember the grace and celebrate the magic
that infuses and informs this world.
We live on the only planet where an eclipse is possible.
Doesn't that seem like instructions to you?
To awaken from this self-induced slumber, to emerge from this 
     contracted isolation,
we've got to drink down the darkness and dive to our deepest 
    fathoms.
Peel off our fancy garments of presumed protection,
to land at the bottom, naked, cold, and bruised, with nowhere 
   to go but up.
Time we shed the venom that got us here, the twisted rage of
   blame and shame,
And choose instead the anger that rises, pure and clean, up through our feet,
That draws us to our full height, knowing what must be done,
clear about what has to stop, igniting us to stand for what we 
    love.
How else can we begin the healing?
The web that holds our world together is tattered,
And all our hopes and dreams are suspended in it.
No sutures, butterfly closures, or Elmer's glue can fix it.
Only our tears can begin to mend its torn strands, 
tears and giving ourselves to feeling, loving, and losing.
Mourning how much is dying, mourning so that the light can return.
The revolution must have dancing; women know this.
The music will light our hearts with fire,
the stories will bathe our dreams in honey and fill our bellies with stars. 

Harvest

November 11th- the last harvest from the garden.  Good night garden, have a good winter rest....

As I just finished voting I can't help but wonder on the night before Election Day,
What if we all just thought about the world we want to live in, how we want to treat each other and the planet,  what type of world we want to nurture.
What if we all just thought about the best possible outcomes, not the drama, the worst, the scariest, but the best, regardless of political party.  What could happen?
I continue to believe in the best in people and to have the utmost hope for our country.
I do feel a little like hiking or being outside tomorrow, not watching the drama that is sure to ensue on both sides.  I'm off to bury my nose in some good ole' escapist fiction. aahhhhh...

My heart feels conflicted
My mind with more energy than my body
I need to move... to be outside to clear the space
To laugh, a bit more light, and some quiet

The Autumnal Equinox

Be Well.

Equal equal for one day

We begin to fall the other way

Hold on to yourselves

Your spirit and wit

Hold on

With all your might

Be Well.

First day of 4th grade for Abs.  She had a great day seeing friends and getting back into the swing of things.

Abs saying hi outside of the boat coming into the marina.

Little Captain Wessy looking out toward Protection Island

Tonight as Wessy looked up and saw the moon.

Wes: " I wish the moon was my mommy."

Me: You do? why would that be good?

Wes: " Because then I would have wings mama and I would get to fly like an eadle (eagle)."

Me: giving him a big smooch... "Yes, that would be nice baby. How about the moon can be your mama too."

The past couple weeks have been busy, have been trying to make the most of the sunshine or the rain-  at this point just trying to go ahead and do our plans. :) Tons of bike rides, early mornings, picking berries, making jam and pies, sleeping in the tent reading books and books and books, 4-H, soccer practices, late night friends and running around in the yard until dark, beach trips and lying on the warm rocks, movies, some laughing and fighting and tons of time outs. :)

Sunrise at our house....aaahhhh

Graysmarsh berries and jam.

fixing the new horn

One pies worth of  cherries from our yard.... lovely.

This is quintessential Wes since he was old enough to move things around, playing on the ground watching the wheels turn.  Sweet boy who is almost 3, can hardly imagine.

Sound

ughgh... those days when your head is banging up against itself and rattling, rattling,
the kids banging against the walls and the sound so loud it becomes total.  All you can do is just keep breathing because that is all you can be sure of really.

Before work today.....

Me:    Abby, do you think I should wear my hair in braids today or down?
Abs:   Braids mom.  It doesn't look as professional but (she pats her heart) that doesn't matter right here.

What a nice start to my day...

Thursday

Notice how there isn't a matching one in the lot? That many socks, wow.

.

Where I want to be

Morning Sunshine

My heart feels all heavy these days. Thank goodness for these two. :)

Happy Boy Day

A load of dirt, super exciting stuff here.  He's already made roads and has most of his equipment out there.  He was out there at 7:45 this morning playing and talking away to himself. So sweet.

King of the hill

Funny look, mischief.  He looks like my nephew Luke here.  :)

Spinning the World

Wanted to share this writing by Juliett Jade Quail,  How to transform a suburb into a community......

break down the backyard fences and use the wood to make a big fire, burn through the isolation and light a flame of union.  the cherry trees breathe easier, stretch their branches crazy wide and shake their rusted auburn-green leaves all directions, free.  let the children and the dogs run around and mingle, share their storybooks and trains, toy pianos and counting games.  trade your cherry tomatoes for their cucumbers and melons. pick a hundred figs, eat 29 and give the rest away.  lose all the lawn mowers and get a herd of goats. put all your tvs together to construct a backyard stage, where you are the star and the audience looks you in the eye and smiles. you teach me all your capoeira moves, i convert your mercedes to biodiesel.  you make dinner for us on sunday, enough cous cous and lentil soup to feed an army of peace warriors.  i pit the plums and make a mountain of marmalade monday night.  when i need a flathead screwdriver, i knock on your door instead of driving to the hardward store.  when you have a headache i give you energy work and a massage. one laundry machine and 21 clotheslines. laughter and lavender tea, telling stories late at night. this is how we do it. deconstructing into oneness, a new village reawakening ancient ways.  

Just putting it out there.  What if we stopped living the culture of fear and instead chose to live in trust, love, and with open hearts?  The part at the end "deconstructing into oneness" gets me.... BE the change you want to see.

Growing and Little all at the Same Time

Wes: "Mama, I went poop in the grass!!"
Me: Really?... great(sarcasm) . Wes, can you show me where the poop is so I can pick it up?
Wes: "Sure mom, yeah. Right here."
Me: seriously close to gagging... taking poop to the toilet to flush it.
       "Wes... you want to poop in the potty next time?"
Wes: "No way, I looovvee pooping in the grass.
Me: ughgh (resignation).... Wessy should we just put your diaper back on?
Wes: "Nope. Love the grass mama. "


Since being back from Hawaii, Wes is going no diaper, just at night which is awesome but so much more work right now.  Abby just back from her first backpacking trip, 3 days in the woods with her school and came back all smiles, missing us, and really missing her brother so tonight she slept in his bed, all snugged up with him.  They are growing up, it is so wild.

Leaving for backpacking. Greywolf River Trail.

When Abs got home I couldn't find them, they were outside in the yard talking it up- so sweet.

Wessy the day after getting back from vacation- he couldn't wait to get his overalls back on. :)

Kinkaid Island

The woods on Kinkaid- the smell in here is unbelievable. Like the earth, and life, and spring, and everything organic.

The big river

Fairy digs

The climber, she is spending a lot of time in trees these days

Mother's Day garden

Planting.

Shelling Peas

The sawdust crew

Ahh.... also one of my favorite sights! 

Evening rides down the road, one of my favorite things.

Washington Harbor

Wessy riding all the way down to the ducks.

Abby baby getting all grown up. *sigh*

I want to write on here, I want to post pictures but my body and mind are screaming- you are too tired, go to bed. I will relent but soon pictures and some words. Happy Mothers Day to all the Mamas, you make the world go round.

Thought for the day...

Just some pictures I liked that were in the archives.  Happy Monday to you all. Hope your day was full of peace.

This is Abby's new 4-H heifer.  Right now we are calling her Itsy-Bitsy.
She is a miracle baby. Her mama was very sick through most of the pregnancy, She is my nephew Jake's cow.  They weren't sure if the calf would be alive because she was so sick but she was.  The mama survived just long enough to get this little bitty girl out and then died soon after.  She is tiny, the size that twins usually are when there isn't enough room.  She is sweet, energetic, and a little spit fire. PERFECT for Abs.  

Its almost feeding time, the calf is trying to find milk in her armpit. :)

Some Glitter

Abby's last BBall game tonight- they lost their first game of the year, none of her shots went in, but she played like crazy. So proud of her.

This is crazy boy in motion with his cousin Liam's zuit suit on.  He  is so sweet and also soooo flipping loud....

Corn on the cob in February- thank you costco, this boy is crazy for it. Maybe he is just crazy for the small  very sharp corn shaped objects you get to "spear" in the ends

Abs turning 9 and finally getting her ears pierced.  Her Papa threatened 16 but in the end 9 seemed good, too.