In November

We're in Pittsburgh right now, and just last week I sent this picture to my parents of my children naked on the beach in Maine, IN NOVEMBER! And on the plane on the way here, I removed a tick from Remick's neck. IN NOVEMBER! Why aren't those little suckers hibernating yet? I'm not complaining, but really, how lucky can you get? This kind of weather is too much to ask for. Poor Ege is already cold! Little does he know how warm this weather will feel in the spring! November is the month that my summer work is officially over. I get to visit my parents and pore over the books and photos tucked onto the shelves in my old bedroom, and poke around in closets of clothes left behind. November is the month the making goes into gear. I can start thinking about gardening again without getting nauseous. I'm neither fighting the grass, weeds, and pests nor the wood pile and snow. It is really my biggest time of rest. And I am not complaining. At ALL.

Yes, please.

I would like to make an official request for more perfect, lovely days. The kind that allow me to follow my boys up a mountain, stopping as they make a fort under a hemlock tree, soaking in sunshine that will be elusive for months. In a t-shirt. The days that they spend searching for the perfect stick and then arguing that stick's merit to the brother. The carpet of leaves on the trail, a rust-colored invitation. Silliness and happiness, even while a certain little one should be napping. Yes, I'd like more. Please.

Evidence of Makili's genius.

Makili didn't know the sounds that letters made at all a week ago, and I was slightly worried about it. Then in the course of a day he learned all the sounds and can easily tell you what letter words start with and sometimes the letters in the middle of the word too. It fascinates me how he learned. It's all or nothing. All of a sudden he just learns all at once. Interesting. So anyway, this letter learning is the backdrop for his latest evidence of genius.

So Makili came to me with the following drawing of him wearing a luchador costume with a pirate pumpkin and some letters (minus my writing) and asked me what the letters he wrote said.With a chuckle, I responded, "they spell Shitarpitarp" He seemed a little disappointed at first, but we laughed about it for a little while and then he told me he wanted me to write "This is a pirate pumpkin." As soon as I wrote it, it occurred to me that he really had a lot of the letters, though it looked like he had run out of room at pumpkin. So I started asking him about it, and seriously that was what he was trying to write and had guessed at the letters from the sound of the words and did indeed run out of room. I'm really impressed at how close he got!

Unplanned sweetness

My friend Renee called me to check in one day on her way home from work. I immediately suggested she drop off Phin, since Makili was driving me nuts and I figured he might be happier with a buddy here. Renee said they would stop by, which they did, and we turned it into a dinner date. And outdoor bonfire sort of dinner, thrown together, with really not the right ingredients for any of the dishes I tried to make. She was a good sport though and in the end dinner was pretty tasty. I can't get enough of bonfire meals. Strange to some, but this time of year, and the early spring before the buds break are my favorite times of year. The world being suspended in motion for a brief interlude before the cold sets in upon us. Everything alive, barely. Except these kids who never stop moving.

Some kids we hang with...

From a recent birthday party. Good neighborhood fun.

Thoughts on employment.

I'm feeling particularly idealistic and reflective this morning, halfway through reading David McCullough's John Adams. I also received this morning an e-mail from one of my teachers in the cooperative extension office about "The Food Movement," which made me think about my many jobs. I recently was at a party of friends and neighbors and remarked to Raph, that I was the only one there who stayed at home with my children. Sometimes I lament that I am likely not the best mother in the world, and perhaps my nature isn't fit for the role in its entirety, but still staying home with my children has been a decided commitment since the moment I learned I was pregnant with Makili. Staying home with my children, however, does not mean that I don't work however, as was implied in a slightly snarky comment by another mother recently, who told me that she didn't have time to sew as she unfortunately had to make a living. And for some reason this morning I'm at the business of evaluating my choices in life.

Staying home with my children as I mentioned, was not a conversation, but a known quantity. When we moved back East from HI, we cut our combined income by more than half. This was a choice. And we all have this choice. I have friends all the time tell me that they wish they could stay home with their children. I don't say much, but in my heart I believe that every situation is built on choice. Raph and I chose to be able to afford a very small house, and initially we weren't even sure we could do that. We chose to go without exciting vacations, new cars, etc. Luckily for us health care was secured with Raph's employment, as that is a rather non-negotiable in my opinion. Right now, our house is not "done" by anyone's estimation, but we choose not to borrow money to pay people to finish it. In fact, if we didn't have such talented and generous family members, we wouldn't have even had the choice of enlarging our house in the first place.

I have always worked, even since I've "stayed at home." The first year I was a substitute teacher, thanks to Ann's willingness to babysit. That allowed us to afford our tiny home and afford our food. When I started working for CHI, it was because it seemed like a natural fit for me, and also something I deeply believe in. I impact young people, and that matters to me. I am part of an organization that increases international understanding and tolerance, and that matters to me. The fact that I am able earn money from home while serving those ends is a complete blessing, even if the job is unbelievably stressful at times.

When I started working at the farmers' market last year, it was because I couldn't resist it. I have always loved farmers' markets, and secretly always wanted to farm. I know a LOT more now about what "farming" means, and am pretty sure the scale of farming I'm interested in is far smaller than I previously thought. Choosing to take this job has significantly limited our family time, a fact that I am constantly weighing against its positive aspects. Nonetheless, I hold farmers in the highest regard. Few people truly understand the scale of work farmers endure. Long hours, bad weather, heavy objects, tough competition, lack of available land, etc. And like mechanics, I don't know too many rich farmers, even though sometimes what they charge seems outrageous. When I started selling flowers to sell, I learned even more intimately how difficult what they do is. In my tiny gardens, I battle all the same pests, but on a scale that is manageable. It is frustrating beyond imagination to watch an entire crop being devastated by cucumber beetles, squash bugs, vine-borers (yes, it was a tough year for cucurbits), horn worms, slugs, potato bugs, grasshoppers, etc. To handle such attacks without toxic chemicals is not easy. Very, very few farmers use little or no pesticides, even though they may be organic. And let me tell you, organic chemicals can be equally toxic to their synthetic counterparts. No chemicals in our food would be best, but VERY few farms are able to do this. The education that I've received at the farmers' market is beyond compare. I am a better grower, consumer, and citizen for understanding their livelihood and its immense importance in our society.

I guess what I'm reflecting on this morning is how fortunate I feel to be involved in so many meaningful things - parenting, international exchange, and farming. I'm proud of my husband for his equally meaningful pursuits. And I'm not going to feel bad when some snarky mom makes comments to me anymore, because I'm happy with my choices, even if they aren't the most lucrative.

Brace Yourself.

The next few posts are going to be full of kid pictures. Halloween. Birthday parties. Bonfires. The kinds of landmarks that mark our days. And it just so happens that I love to photograph children. My own children get tired of my phottentions. (I just made that up. I'm so funny.) And I totally love Halloween, such that picture of my kids and others in costumes made me smile. The fact that my husband wasn't the only one who showed up to the party wearing underwear outside his pants makes me happy too. Family themes were big this year. Luchadors. Pirates. Wizard of Oz. Under the sea (mermaid, jelly fish, octopus, yellow submarine.)

Luchadors

Words of Advice

At the dinner table last night, we were talking to Ege about parties, etc. He exclaimed, "I won't go to any place where there is alcohol."
Makili was listening, and added with importance, "You also shouldn't go to any place with guns!"

??? It is good advice, I suppose.

To the top

Earlier this month, we did our annual exchange student hike to the top of Mount Major, a beautiful and challenging hike. This year we had 15 or so exchange students, some host families, half a dozen of Raph's students, and my two adorable cousins, Emily and Caroline, who really came up to go to a concert with me (Slaid Cleaves) but were good enough sports to come along for the hike. Raph and I have declared them full on the most helpful cousins that ever existed. LOVE!

First Snow

The first fat snowflakes are falling outside in the dark, collecting on the roof of the cars, and on the tips of blades of grass.

Thanks to Emma

At the suggestion of a dear friend, I bought this book of poems recently called Hurry, Hurry Mary Dear by N. M. Bodecker, and boy oh boy is it full of silliness. She suggested the book to us because of the first poem: Hurry Hurry Mary Dear. I'm sure you'll see why.

Hurry Hurry Mary Dear

Hurry, hurry, Mary dear,
fall is over, winter's here.

Not a moment to be lost,
in a minute, we get frost.

In an hour we get snow!
Drifts like houses! Ten Below!

Pick the apples, dill the pickles,
chop down trees for wooden nickles.

Dig the turnips, split the peas,
cook molasses, curdle cheese.

Churn the butter, smoke the hams,
can tomatoes, put up jams.

Stack the stove wood, string the beans,
up the storms and down the screens.

Pull the curtains, close the shutters.
Dreadfully the wild wind mutters.

Oil the snowshoes, stoke the fires.
Soon the roads are hopeless mires.

Mend the mittens, knit the sweaters,
bring my glasses, mail my letters.

Toast the muffins, brew the tea,
hot and sweet and good for me.

Bake me doughnuts, plain and frosted...

What, my dear? You feel exhausted?

Yes, these winters are severe!
Hurry, hurry, Mary dear.

When you live with teenagers...

You get to take their pictures before they head off to the homecoming dance. You get to tell them that they can't leave the house until they clean their room. You get to hear about the teenage drama at school: which girl is "the one" this week, and who else likes her, and how she'd be perfect, etc. You get to remind them OFTEN to shut off the lights before they leave, to pick up their underwear from the bathroom floor, that six towels on their floor of their room is TOO many. You get to watch them play with your children, even if it adds lots of decibels to the room. In all, it's pretty entertaining.

Friends, pumpkins, fire

We've had a slew of bonfires lately, enjoying the fall as much as we can while continuing to scramble to complete house projects. Trim a door, eat a meal, add two courses of siding, take a hike, stack some wood, etc. Over Columbus day weekend (yeah I'm a bit behind on posting) we had some friends over to carve pumpkins and have a fire, and it was really fun. I'm so appreciative of nights like these.

My culinary adventures this season

I made two things recently that were new experiments. I was proud of both. first I made homemade ketchup, which is very time consuming, but totally worth it. To be honest, you have to strain it to get the "normal" ketchup, and I ended up eating the stuff I strained out too as "thick" ketchup. I made enough to freeze, and for us each to have our own little bowl with grilled cheese and sweet potato fries. Yum.


And then I cooked a bunch of lemon verbena in a simple syrup to use with seltzer water for some fancy drinks. I loved the smell, but I couldn't handle the sweetness of the drinks. Raph and other seemed to like it, but I felt like it was something new and interesting to try. And amazingly, we did drink almost a whole jar of the stuff.

Melts me.

My cutie.

Quick friend visit

I had a little Pampered Chef party for Ann, and got to hang with a few of my friends in the process. Alden and Daniel came to hang out with their moms, which was really fun. Alden is so big and cute. Delectable. We've seen these kids a lot and it will be fun to watch them all grow up together.

Basketball skies

Ege was on the soccer team, but basketball is his real sport he says. I'm excited to see! We recently went to play some bball and had some gorgeous skies as a backdrop. Even Altana, from Mongolia got in on the act, and she wasn't half-bad either!