rebbermade

High water

2012-01-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

Outside the window this morning the sky is more blue than grey... though that could change in the blink of an eye. The oatmeal's been eaten, or is being eaten, now that everyone is up. Some of us have moved on to the second course: apple cider popsicles.

Calder just beat himself in a game of Space Bingo. Looks like I'm his next target.

The New Yorker makes for interesting reading material for a 5 year old. Lots of questions about the cartoons to be sure. And if you come across a photo of a man smoking you might hear something like this, "Mom, if this is a real man and you walked by him, you'd have to hold your breath and plug your nose so you won't get any of that dirty stuff in your body that can make you sick! You don't want to go near him." Smart kid.

We've come upon a happy balance to our days. It's been a struggle for a while to feel like we were doing enough for our growing, curious 5 year old. I'm finally feeling like he's happy and engaged with what we've got going. If he were in school during the week I would think this were too many activities, but as he's home this all feels like just the right amount. Time with Gramma C, soccer class, WILD Explorers, and gymnastics. It all makes for a little more of a scheduled week, and for me, that's been helpful.

For me, a schedule means variety where before we may have hung around the home a whole lot more. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's really easy for me to be inactive at home. And to that end, I was happy to come across a couple good lists of exercises to do at home. It is so hard for me to stick to an exercise routine. So hard! I am not self-motivated, and I am very self-critical. Hmmmm....

Like I said before, it's sunny now... yes, still! But it has been raining buckets around these parts. I'm sure more is expected. Our house has always been in the clear, though we're surrounded by the floodplain, and for one day our neighborhood was cut off from the rest of town due to the confluence of multiple overfull waterways. The river is still filling most of the park near home. (As seen in the flood photos in this post.) The egg operation I wrote about recently narrowly escaped the waters by the skin of their 30 little beaks. Thank goodness! Oh, and a couple of our girls have thrown us an egg or two the last few days. We thank them and happily announce the gift every time it's received. It does feel special!

One of our favorite farms, Rainshine - the one down the street from us, is park adjacent. Their field flooded out. In fact, they canoed in over their 5' deer fence! Today is Ms. Rainshine's birthday, and Baby Rainshine is due to arrive any day now. Life is BIG for them right now.

Another of our favorite farms, Gathering Together, flooded out pretty badly. The water filled their fields, flooded out their winter crops, and ruined their tool shop, and cooler/compressor. It made it up onto the porch of the farm stand (where you dine) but didn't make it into the kitchen or indoor part of the farmstand. If peeps want to help, they've asked that we support them by purchasing their produce, signing up for their CSA, and ordering seeds from their catalog, Wild Garden Seed.

So there you go. Onward! Off to have a Thursday. Hope yours is great! My aunt is having major shoulder surgery today, so my thoughts are with her for a smooth recovery.

First snow

2012-01-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

It's always so nice here when it snows.

We don't ever get that much, and it rarely sticks around for too long.

So, celebrate it while it's here!

- - -

Lake and I have been in quarrantine for the past two days with a stomach bug. Jeff and Calder have been staying at his mom's house in town. (Thank goodness we have that option!) I think I've cleaned, bleached, boiled, and laundered thoroughly engough that the other two won't get sick. I very much hope so!

When Lake awoke this morning, and I pointed out the snow falling, his face brightened. He pointed, and stood on the pillow to watch out the window above the bed. Could this be his first snow? It's surely the first he'll remember.

After breakfast we will venture out to play.

- - -

(Yes, those are plastic bags held on by rubber bands. Looks like we need to get Lake some winter shoes, or rain boots at the least.)

* * *

We're back in and they want to go out again. Man, can those boys take advantage of a couple inches of snow!?

We got to see the neatest thing out on the patio.

The little bush tits flew in to the suet feeder while we were standing just feet away. I don't have great zoom on my camera... I was really as close as these photos seem. I love these birds! At the tail end of their visit there were also a couple Townsend's Warblers.

Waking

2012-01-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

It's taking a bit of time to wake this blog (and many I read) from its long winter's nap.

Besides a small gathering on New Year's Eve, and a sizable one here on New Year's Day, I seem to be entering 2012 at a perfectly slow pace.

I'm surprised to find it's only now January 6th... the 12th day of Christmas. I think the tree and other decorations about the house will come down tomorrow. I like to honor that time after Christmas, letting the days draw on, trying to notice the little minutes of light added to each day.

Our girls are still not laying. I really don't mind giving them this break as it's part of their natural cycle. It's just been really clear this year. They're 2 years old and can't be relied upon for a daily egg. We haven't wanted to force them into laying with lights in their coop, but eggs are a big part of our diet. After a couple weeks of buying terribly unsatisfying eggs from the grocery store, even the co-op's were sub-par, we have turned to friends with flocks to feed our egg habit.

Just a couple blocks from home, some friends have started an egg business. They got their girls this spring, so the eggs are abundant even in this winter light. (I remember those days!) It costs a bit more, but I love the process... the walk, the possible social call, the trust involved with the fridge and envelope for your money in the shed. Oh, and the eggs, as fresh as if they came from your own chicken.

I know our girls will start laying again one of these days. And when they do it will feel like spring has sprung!

Ah, panforte

2011-12-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

You are so so good.

It appears I have a new tradition of making something tasty on Christmas day in between lunch and dinner... a time when everyone else in the house is napping.

Last week, Meg shared a wonderful recipe for panforte perfected by her mother. (Beautifully photographed too!) You know how your taste preferences change as you age? I am disinclined towards cakes, frosting, cookies and such of late, but this mix of fruits and nuts is just right.

Oh, it is a workout to stir the sweet liquid into all that fruit/nut/flour mixture. And just as she suggested, I abandoned the spoon in favor of incorporating it by hand as best I could. Then you cram it into your 9" springform and think, "Really, I'm using all this force on something that I want to eventually eat?" Yes. Yes you are, and you will love it. Press harder!

Then you slice off a sliver, a beautiful cross-section of fig and almond and hazelnut. And the spice combination, there's cardamom and cinnamon, black pepper and cocoa. It was perfect last night with red wine and perfect this morning with coffee.

To be sure, most all of the powdered sugar falls off before it reaches your mouth. Watch out! Your chin, your clothes, or couch or table will surely get a dusting.

And I don't think you'll mind one bit.

First day of winter

2011-12-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of winter.

Though I feel like it started a few weeks back.

I'm happy to welcome it today.

A little bit of sun. Friends over in the morning to build sugar cube castles. Play piano. Have coffee.

Caught the last rays of sunlight on the shortest day of the year.

And last night, the annual Solstice walk. A wonderful tradition. This time with fireworks and fire lanterns. Walking with great friends and talking about the upcoming holidays and times we'll be spending together. We are lucky.

The official fairy-ing is done for the season. Our family is out of town until tomorrow, so we got to have some fun inside their little abode tonight. (I hope it's nice and warm in spirit and true air temperature when they get in.) Just realized I forgot to take pictures of what we'd made. Oh, well. A re-cap once we've all been revealed.

Birthday dinner

2011-12-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

Enjoyed a late afternoon drive yesterday up to Falls City to celebrate Gramma C's birthday.

We took the long way while it was still light out. Jeff spotted an owl on a telephone pole. The fog hugged the hills and sat on the fields. Roadside brush had lost its leaves but was covered in red berries.

In Falls City, The Bread Board was warm and decked for the season. We ate inside this time, but recalled our visit last summer.

To eat: margherita, spinach salad, and a big piece of chocolate cake with 5 forks.

Happy Birthday, Gramma C. May we celebrate many more with you!

The 2012 Rebbermade Photo Calendar

2011-12-14T20:52:00.001-08:00

We came back, about an hour ago, from a drive around the neighborhood in search of good holiday light displays. Found a few. I drank hot chocolate in the car. Now Calder's sleeping and our little night owl is crawling around at my feet as I type.

We're about to settle in to a movie and knitting, but I wanted to take a moment to mention that I've got a little Rebbermade 2012 photo calendar for sale in my shop.

This is the 6th year that I've made a Rebbermade calendar. Missed doing it the last two years due to busy family, baby and holiday stuff. But, now it's back and I'm so glad about that.

The calendar's in a new format for 2012, and I hope you'll appreciate the layout and extra space to add in notes and special occasions you wish to remember for each month. There's also an extra page I've set up as a "big list" - a place to put ideas, movie/book/music recommendations, to-do's, resolutions, stuff like that.

As always, the photos have been taken throughout the current year, often within the same month to which they're assigned in the calendar. I think it's nice that the light in the images fits the time of year, the activities, the little things that make each month unique.

The 2012 Rebbermade photo calendar is available in my shop for $4. Upon purchase I will email the pdf file (to your address on file with Etsy) within 48 hours (almost always within just a couple hours.) The calendar prints out on letter-sized sheets and can simply be trimmed down the middle to separate the months.

One of the best parts is that once you have the file, you can print it out and share it with others as often as you'd like. Really, give it to everyone on your list. Just, please be mindful that these are my photographs and design, so it should not be re-sold.

So, here we go! It's almost a new year. Onward into 2012 with a new, pretty Rebbermade calendar to encourage a little bit of looking back, looking ahead, and enjoying being right where we are.

Morning light

2011-12-12T23:22:00.000-08:00

Just some photos of beautiful things from this morning...

Full moon shore

2011-12-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

We did make it to the coast last week.

Out to Yachats and back. (A tad too long in the car for the 5 year olds... note to self.)

After lunching at the Green Salmon (yum!) we headed south a few miles to Cape Perpetua for a energy-burning short hike to the giant Sitka spruce.

Our first stop was actually the visitors center there which had some great hands-on displays about the forest's history - the plants and the people. We also spent some time staring out the big plate glass windows hoping to see a whale, but saw none. Just once, please!

Then the hike to see the tree. 500 years ago this tree took root as a little seedling on a nurse log. Today it stands, the nurse log long decomposed, with an arched trunk and roots perfect for young explorers.

We found ourselves on the shore at sunset. The shadows long, a beautiful, clear sky, quiet beach, low tide, navigating the rippled sand, gathering treasures.

It was cold out there. Not windy, just cold. We wanted to call it winter. Not yet. Soon.

Compelled to write. We're entering new worlds.

Fog

2011-12-07T16:08:00.000-08:00

The fog stays all day long.

It's thick and soupy.

Last night, walking over to our neighbor's house, I quoted our copy of Rudolph, "The night was bitter cold and a terrible fog covered all the earth." Good thing Rudolph got up the courage to get out of that toy chest and go help Santa and his team on Christmas Eve. They're going to need that glowing nose this year if this fog sticks around too much longer.

Approaching Christmas, Calder has said a couple of times that Santa wasn't real. When we finally asked why he thought that, he told us that it was because he was in one of his books, so he couldn't be real out in the world doing Santa-type goodness. (In this story, Santa creates a book to put in "your" stocking and at the end he jumps into the book "to spend Christmas with you.") I felt badly that he'd worried himself out of believing. But I was relieved that he could explain his reasoning, and that we could attempt to reason him out of a Santa-less Christmas for at least one more year.

Wow. The power of a book!

Oh, and isn't this fog really so beautiful?

But, a friend of mine feels otherwise, and in her quest for sun we're headed to the beach tomorrow. It's supposed to be about 30 degrees warmer out there and sunny.

Little things

2011-12-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday we joined Calder and Gramma C on their annual outing to the Corvallis Society of Model Engineer's open house.

What is it about these model railroad clubs? A place where, mostly, retired men go to build miniature worlds to drive little trains around. It's a complex set up. An infinite amount of detail. And it's always changing, developing, growing.

There's humor and sophistication.

It looks like great fun.

I wonder what attracts them to it. Is it a return to a childhood passion? Did they used to work on the railroad? Is it a sense of power they get from lording over a miniature world, working with others to avoid collisions while trying to "get the mail there on time"?

(Seriously, there was a second floor balcony with no less than 4 guys up there in headsets controlling things, then another headset-ed guy down on the main floor at a booth with video screens, and yet more fellows amongst the tracks fixing derailed cars and other minor emergencies. Through the chatter of the onlookers and the canned audio of trains and station noise you could hear the guy at the booth say things like, "Santa Claus, you're clear to Mill City.")

Whatever it is, my boy is hooked. And I love that we can visit these "dens" and peer into the miniature worlds and watch the guys who built it show off their pride and the product of all their hard work. And there is a lot of work here. A lot of hours and a lot of love. I've got to call it art.

I found a reason

2011-12-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

I am a scavenger.

When I lived in the city I collected city things from the alleys, the gutters, the sidewalks.

Now, much nearer the country, (some would say that without question I'm in the country,) I collect mostly bits and pieces of the natural world.

As you can see here:

On a walk the other day, yes, with my clippers, I gathered holly sprigs for a bouquet. (I like to remove all the leaves and display the twiggy branches with only the clusters of bright red berries.) There's a holly bush in the cemetery that's growing through the fence. I'm fairly certain no one would balk at my clipping here and there. Right? Let's call it pruning.

And then there's the wood. I scavenge quite a bit of wood. Branches. Siding. Fallen down fences. This time a pretty hefty portion of a fallen oak branch. All covered with lichen and moss. It was a heavy one, but we didn't have far to go. I'm sure we were quite a sight strollin' down the way with all the holly piled up and the big ol' log. All for good. All for good.

This stuff is so beautiful and purposeful. I'm surprised I don't see more of me (folks like myself) walking around doing the same.

The forecast calls for sun

2011-11-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

She said they loved it.

And I really hope they will.

She said driving back it felt like they were entering the suburbs.

Yes, that's what it's like.

It's special in so many ways. Different from the rest of town.

I'm looking forward to having them down here.

Tonight, as November slides into December, I want to take just a second to send out my appreciation for habit, molly, emily, and the open call for submissions this month. It was wonderful to be a part of that community. I felt so honored to have my words and images shared with new readers and friends. And I can only hope that the momentum I picked up from keeping my camera at the ready and my mind and heart open to my days will continue from here on.

Simple

2011-11-29T16:33:00.000-08:00

Simple, open days. They're as good as we make them.

I find the openness daunting a lot of the time. Breathe. One step at a time.

It's always wonderful when the clouds burn off and we can be in the sun.

I needed to know that at the end of today there would be pie.

The dance party that ensued when Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes came on was an added bonus.

A walk to the store

2011-11-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

So many little and big bits of beauty on an ordinary walk to the store.

It's fun to know that everyone else in this house knows exactly where these spaces and places are too.

The inches...

The feet...

And the miles.

The colors...

The paths...

All the sweet treasures along the way.

Back

2011-11-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

The end of a long weekend.

We narrowly dodged a combined parent/child meltdown over some uneaten squash.

Trying hard to keep the evening from falling to pieces.

I'm so glad Jeff picked up the guitar. It broke the spell and jerked us out of all the drama.

On the flip side, this was the best thing about today. And, I gotta say, the sight of these guys holding hands would easily top the charts on any day.

At Rocky's this afternoon

2011-11-26T19:39:00.001-08:00

A quick lunch near her new place.

Then back home to watch and learn while she made batch after batch of vermouth.

I never really understood what it was or what it could be. It was an ingredient. Something you waved over a martini without ever adding a drop.

Turns out, it can be pretty great on its own. There's just a lot of bad ones out there.

I'm finding I like more off-flavors lately; cookies with almond meal and the kitchen sink thrown in, salad greens with dill and parsley. I don't like things too sweet anymore. I loved the woodiness of her vermouth, the herbal, the curious, complex flavor. As with most tastes these days, I think I would have liked it with less sugar. Did you know it had sugar in it?

She worked her magic. We sipped. Critiqued. (Watching Endless Summer projected on her living room wall all the while.)

She asked my opinion on decorating the front porch for the holidays. I told her I thought a simple wreath on the door would be my first choice, maybe some garland, and a twiggy branch with lights. White lights are my favorite.

On the way home, I was surprised by how many people have already put up their trees.

Going home

2011-11-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

Where I grew up...

Some things never change.

* * *

And elsewhere when it seems there's nothing but change...

It's been months, but with these guys, we can always pick up where we left off.

* * *

And one to grow on...

This was the best little place in town. It's been years, but still... RIP Busy Corner.

On this day

2011-11-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

One has headed home.

Two are napping on the couch.

Three are headed out for a windy walk.

I'm having pie for dinner. (I love round two.)

Thankful for friends and family gathered on this day.

Making it happen

2011-11-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

We stir.

Fill the sink.

Drain.

Anticipate.

For a little longer.

Check it out.

And then, boom! We're there.

Over the river and through the woods we dodged traffic all the way to Grandmother's house. Pies intact. Spirits high. Looking forward to the feast!

Farmstand in the evening

2011-11-22T22:08:00.000-08:00

Get out of the house.

Walk with your two boys, dressed for rain, through the dark, wet evening. "Is this the time when the skunks come out?" It's just around 4:30.

Reach the dimly lit farmstand. Hug the farmers, friends, really. And love that your boys will be happy here while you shop.

Gather four pounds of carrots for the carrot pudding you're making for Thanksgiving.

Admire, through the dark distance, the dog going to town on an un-skinned sheep's leg. Fresh. Raw. A real prize.

Even in the dim light you know that whatever produce you choose will be beautiful.

The two pumpkin pies will actually be sweet meat if all goes well in the oven tonight.

* * *

A couple times today I found myself at the kitchen window watching the last yellow leaf on the maple dance and twist in the wind. The view into the woods is so open now, but I'm not yet used to looking past the edge.

I need new boots

2011-11-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

We'd had an especially crafty morning. Everyone was pleased with the results and looking forward to sharing them on Thanksgiving.

Though the rain was falling and the temperature quite chilly, we bundled up and headed out on a destination-less walk. In less than a block we'd picked up a couple walking companions and began our puddle hunt.

Stopping to inspect things of interest here and there...

...followed by flat out trying to get home.

* * *

Getting a message from her pretty much blew me away. So brave. I hope I would have done the same.

Perpetual

2011-11-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

He and the cat shared my lap.

I fought hard to appreciate the moment, but all I could think about was, "What comes next?"

At the end of the day

2011-11-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

I stood at the window listening to the geese fly overhead. A particularly big V, I had to imagine. It was already dark.

Inside, my people were arguing.

We spent most of the day trying to clear out clutter. Why, oh why, does it still look as full as ever?

Completely submerged, I listened, in the deeper quiet, to the sound of the water pass in the pipes. Tonight I opened my eyes. After a moment it didn't even sting.

F is for Friday

2011-11-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks. I needed that.

Today was kind of hard even though there were pancakes for lunch and 6 pints of chicken broth in the freezer to show for it.

The visit to the library was our first time out of the house all day. That was at 4 o'clock. I have got to get better at packing 'em up and moving 'em out!

Our lives paralleled the family next to us with their two little girls to our two boys, even down to the library books and pints.

Lake fell asleep at the table and missed out on his first ordered-just-for-him slice of pizza. I don't think the raspberry whipped cream afterwards did him any favors, but it sure tasted good.

Home and away

2011-11-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

All of a sudden it got dark dark dark.

Lake woke up from his nap in the car.

The drops began to fall.

Baking off six cookies and pouring a second big cup of coffee and a wee cup of milk was the perfect thing to do.

I guess I won't plant the daffodils today.

It's Calder's afternoon with Gramma C.

Today he asked me, "Mom, what is Heaven? Does a guy live there?" I am loving all these big questions. They're so challenging and thoughtful. I feel a great responsibility to offer considerate, open answers. Non-answers, really. More like more questions to keep him thinking and feeling. I'm not entirely comfortable pointing to any one particular thing, but I know he's young and may wish for more guidance than I'm offering. We talked quite a lot about souls around Halloween and Day of the Dead.

I know families whose children went in the opposite direction of their parents when it came to faith. Makes me wonder what our boys will do. Calder's heart is predisposed to deep deep feelings.

Room

2011-11-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite books are falling apart.

That only means their his favorites too.

Alone in his room, he listens to this story over and over while Lake goes down for a nap. It keeps him company, but also contains a wonderful lesson.

On a recent long drive with friends he shared the story with them practically verbatim. Oh, the capacity of the young brain! Big words, amazing memory, comprehension, full of questions and craving knowledge.

I love peering at his collections. The bits of his everyday and not so everyday that he saves; a rusty railroad spike, volcanic rocks with the glass of water at his bedside. Life is such an adventure!

His room will eventually be their room. He knows this. It should be interesting, and hard, and funny, and frustrating, and... another adventure.

In the afternoon

2011-11-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

* * *

She said he cried whenever they went upstairs.

As long as they were outside he was happy.

We arrived to find them on the corner learning to kick the leaves.

In line

2011-11-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

The post office was very busy. Calder wrangled Lake while I filled out customs forms.

He's so mindful of his little brother. I tried to tell him he didn't have to keep such close watch, but I don't think he could control it. His awareness of Lake is probably a good thing in many ways.

The package to Sicily(!) was light as a feather... or maybe seven.

* * *

When he sang this afternoon in the kitchen I was struck by the true beauty and sweetness of his voice. My attention triggered vulnerability and self criticism. "Don't look at me, Mom. I sound like a girl." He's only five.

One of his cousins sang in a choir when he was young. I need to tell him this. Perhaps it will help him feel comfortable with his voice and the idea of singing in front of others. And then to find a choir...

Why is it so hard for me... for him... to take a compliment?

A pile of leaves

2011-11-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

What do you think of ideas you would never have had?

Observations

2011-11-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

I remember thinking, back in June, about the days getting shorter from that point on until it tips again in December and heads back the other way.

So really, come November, there's not many of these short days left before they start being longer and longer again.

...We are nearer to Spring than we were in September...

And all that.

Still, I guarantee we've got a good bit of rain and cold and grey to go before we see those Spring bulbs pushing through.

Calder's doing a cool project with his dad called Observations. Every other week they walk over to the pond on the other side of the greenway and check out the plant and animal activity, the weather, the sounds. They take pictures and record notes.

This week I was invited to come along and be the photographer. We counted 24 ducks - the biggest group they've seen, 4 nutria - 2 adults and 2 adolescents, a breeze blowing leaves out of the trees that settled on the pond's surface, raindrops, ripples, a white/grey sky.

Lake held onto a leaf the wind had gifted him.

Calder slid down the slide at the park before we walked home. Jeff almost got stuck.

November 11

2011-11-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Just after thinking everything around here is breaking down, the day, the cup, the light behind my eyes...

the faint knock on the door and the older woman who had kind things to say about mothering and staying home

...made me wonder if it was timed.

I didn't take their pamphlet, but their gentle words and ways stopped my downward spiral.

Feathers, feathers, feathers

2011-11-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

And not an egg in sight.

The Fall molt is in full force around here.

I bought eggs yesterday. Haven't had to do that for a year.

Happy Halloween from the sweetest

2011-10-31T23:35:00.000-07:00

Man, I flippin' love these boys. All three of them.

Calder was a Space Cat.

What's that you say?

He was inspired by something he saw in my/his copy of Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever. We painted the glow-in-the-dark space stuff on some long underwear, made a jet pack, already had the perfect hat, and scribbled on some face paint just before heading out the door.

Lake was the sweetest, most tired, happy, chubby mummy ever.

We celebrated at the potluck-birthday party of a little friend then tricked-and-treated our way home.

A couple prized candies were saved for tomorrow and the rest has been offered up to the Toothless Gnome. He's a mythical guy who lives in the big park by the river. Every Halloween night he goes around the neighborhood trading the candy that the kids leave out for him for some sort of cool treat.

I happened to notice he's already been to our house and left a couple pink yard flamingos for Calder. What a guy!

Jeff and I watched a silly movie tonight. Now it's time for bed. Hope your Halloween night was short on tricks and long on treats!

Pass the pumpkin butter, please

2011-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

I love pumpkin pie. Everyone in this house loves pumpkin pie. And it's pretty easy to make. The last one I made was dairy-free using coconut milk. It was delicious and nearly indistinguishable from the traditional recipe, give for a subtle hint of coconut... but who would mind that? (I baked a little pie pumpkin (halved, seeded, baked at 350F, cut side down on a baking sheet for 1 1/2 hours) and used all the flesh. I'm sure that was more than the 15 ounces called for in the recipe. I also used only a scant 1/2 cup of brown sugar and no white sugar.)

But really, how long does a pie stick around at your house? Here we get 2 days, tops. You eat it after dinner, then for breakfast the next morning. If it's not gone by then you might get one more slice in the afternoon.

So, my solution? A big batch of pumpkin butter to keep in the fridge (or share) and spread on any manner of delivery devices (toast, apples, cookies, pears, pancakes) or, if you're like me, just eat straight out of the jar with a spoon. Instant pumpkin pie!

I adapted a no-frills recipe with great results. It has way less sugar than was called for, and I'm sure you could substitute other sweeteners (maple syrup or honey, perhaps.) If you make some, I'd love to know what you think. What is your favorite way to eat it?

* * *

Pumpkin Butter adapted from pickyourown.org
Makes about 8 cups.

Make pumpkin purée:

3 small pie pumpkins - halved, seeded, baked cut-side down on a baking sheet at 350F for 1 1/2 hours

Scoop out cooked flesh. Compost skins. Place pumpkin flesh in a bowl and purée with a hand blender, (or use blender or food processor to purée.)

Make pumpkin butter:

Place pumpkin purée in a slow cooker (to within 2 inches of the top) and add the following:

Just shy of 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
Just shy of 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Just shy of 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1 cup sugar

Cook for 8 hours, (low or medium on some slow cookers,) with the lid slightly ajar so steam can escape and the pumpkin can reduce in volume and thicken.

I think I called it good at just short of 8 hours. I was happy with the thickness and the flavor was delicious. The day was done and it was time to taste! Place the cooled pumpkin butter in jars and store in the fridge for up to 6 months. (Make certain to use sterile jars and lids if you're planning on keeping it in the fridge for that long.) You can also freeze it.

Put a dollop on top of a yummy fall muffin and enjoy! I'll share my friend Laura's recipe for these delicious "all in" muffins in the coming days.

The feather and the egg

2011-10-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Check out my shop update with this new print set!

The Feather and the Egg is a set of 5 art photography prints inspired by my love for the small feathered flock we care for.

Each card is printed with my original photograph on the front. The backside is blank. There are 5 different photos. A set contains 1 of each design. They come packaged together in a glassine bag.

The prints measure 4.25"x6". (You can send them as postcards if you wish.) Professionally printed on 16pt cover stock with a matte finish, they are nice and sturdy.

Please pop over to my shop and take a look.

A finish and a couple beginnings

2011-10-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome! to the folks who have come over from the KLCC radio piece that ran Monday, October 24. Our adventures with the artist Patrick Dougherty are recounted in a series of posts here, here, here, here, here, and our most recent visit below. Thanks for visiting!

* * *

I think it's done, folks.

We went to the site today after the farmers market and no one was there. The scaffolding was all broken down and ready for pick-up. The park was quiet and clean.

And nine new creations stood ready to be roamed, photographed, touched and admired.

Looking forward to the radio piece on Monday.

• • •

Meanwhile, downtown...

A couple new ventures began. Our friend Sonia opened her yarn shop, Stash, last week. It's a fabulous shop with beautiful yarn and so much more.

The products she carries are sourced from around the Pacific Northwest. And as of today, she'll be selling something of mine, a series of five art photography prints called The Feather and the Egg.

The set will also be available through my shop, and I will do an official post about them when they're up there in a day or two. Just wanted to send out a little sneak peak 'cause I'm pretty excited.

Final stretch

2011-10-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

We keep coming back. It's been so fun to follow this project from the first days of harvesting and coming up with the initial design all the way through to near-completion.

I think Sunday is the last day for building. We plan on going tomorrow.

Weaving work began yesterday on the 9th, and final, structure. A crew was out, yet again, harvesting willow. My friend, Ashley, and I pulled leaves off alder branches. We'll go again tomorrow and see what more we can do. Our friend, Laura, who does radio pieces for NPR, has put one together about Patrick's work here. She said there's a bit of Calder and myself in the piece. It will air on Monday. I'll share the link then.

So, the little nugget of information I was referring to in the previous post has been confirmed... years ago, not exactly sure when, Patrick worked concurrently as an artist and a house painter. One of the homes he painted in Chapel Hill was my Grandmother's. "Oh, Virginia!" he said when I spoke with him about it yesterday. He is a very nice man with a Southern congeniality, a kindness and personable way about him. I appreciate the recognition he had for my Grandmother, and enjoy imagining their conversations while he worked. That he may have seen a photo of an infant or awkward pre-teen Me all those miles away and years ago, makes me smile. And now we meet here. I love that sort of thing!

Yes, again

2011-10-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

We love it here.

Friday we were joined first by two other mamas and their pair of kiddos, and then surprised on site by another 3 friends with their girls. It was a no-school day, so the leaf pullers were out in force.

Progress is good. The tops are being formed. His project has attracted the basketweavers in the community. There are many! And I don't know if he's letting them do their magic on the tops or not. It may be his idea and their know-how, or all Patrick. Either way, each one of these structures will end up with a different topiary-like bobble on its crown.

I just learned a little gem of information from my grandmother back in North Carolina. Turns out there may be a connection between her and the world-famous artist. Will wait 'til I can confirm with him before putting it out here.

Isn't this cool?

2011-10-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, we think so!

We were back at the sculpture site over the weekend, and look at the progress they've made!

These "pods", as I've been calling them, are really beginning to take shape. They're tall and curvy. They allow passage and a place to hide. Just as I expected, Calder loved tucking himself into the narrow spaces inside.

Yes, wearing the same thing as the last time. Who wins at your house? Ease or variety?

We did some defoliation of these red willow twigs and then watched as the artist and volunteers wove them into the piece.

Patrick hasn't been keen on letting the littles get too involved in the construction... defoliation and playing are a-ok.

But Calder did do a little weaving in of some loose ends and made his lasting mark on the installation. He loved it.

We returned this past Tuesday with friends, and were joined by another friend who was working on her radio piece. Laura tried to get some bits of Calder talking about his participation, but the little trickster was playing shy boy.

Next visit: Friday!

Progress report

2011-10-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

We stopped in at the big art project on campus to see how things were going. All the materials are now on site. Piles and piles of willow sorted by size, also vine maple, and some alder, I believe. It's all really lovely material.

There were folks on hand helping with the defoliation of all this green. All leaves to be removed. It carpeted the park with a beautiful green collage that Calder really enjoyed tossing around.

And there were power tools present which always gets Calder. Patrick, the artist, had decided upon his rough idea of the layout - it's going to be really great. Holes were being bored for the foundation pieces, the largest and strongest of the wood. I'm excited that this piece will be so interactive, filled with passages and nooks and crannies to explore.

We're planning breakfast with friends at our favorite spot tomorrow, it's nearby so we should be able to check out the progress - and maybe pull a few leaves - if it's not too rainy.

Before the rains

2011-10-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Just moments before the clouds burst open and rained the first heavy downpour of the season, the boys and I were on a small willow farm just north of town helping harvest great volumes of the stuff to be used in a large scale artwork.

The artist, Patrick Dougherty, is spending the month of October here in Corvallis constructing a site-specific sculpture in a pocket park on campus.

I felt fortunate to get notice and be able to participate in the foundation event of the project. Mostly because I think it will be such a cool experience for Calder to follow the creation of this piece from the sourcing of the material on through to the culmination of the sculpture.

The boys were so great out there helping me bundle bunches of willow branches for easy transfer from farm to site. Sure they dug in the gopher mounds, played with sticks, and ate slices of pie out of paper cups, but that's "helping" too. Not to mention, I was the crazy girl who brought her two little boys to a work party, stayed for only an hour, and spent some of that time down on my hands and knees taking pictures. Oh well. We got to speak with Patrick and all the friendly volunteers, and promised to join them again on a regular basis throughout the month.

I remember seeing one of Patrick's sculptures years ago in the San Jose Museum of Art. Since then it's always been pretty obvious when I was looking at one of his pieces. I love how they flow and are so so strong. He said he didn't have a specific vision for what this sculpture will look like. How great will it be to be able to watch the transformation from growing plant to final creation? A mystery unfolding and a neat opportunity to see how this place rubs off on a world-famous artist and is reflected in the forms he creates.

Fall upon me

2011-09-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else out there a fan of Poi Dog Pondering? I stumbled upon them when I was 16 or 17 when I checked out an interesting looking CD from the city library. They became one of my favorite bands, but I rarely meet another person who's even heard of them. This post's title happens to be the name of one of the songs off that first album.

It also happens to be the truth. A new season is upon us. I'm struggling somewhat to transition gracefully. The house is in serious disarray, and I just plain have a really hard time fully appreciating my days amongst all this clutter. I'm slowly - oh! too slowly! - clearing things out. It feels like spring cleaning. But I'm panicking a bit as I think about the cool, wet months ahead of us and all that inside time. I just don't want to feel suffocated, buried in all the stuff!

On the first day of Fall, in an effort to face the changes with grace, Calder and I ventured out into the early morning before Lake was awake, camera in hand. It was the first foggy dawn, a great time for admiring the spider webs.

The sun coming through across the way.

The profusion of aster blossoms.

The hips on those roses.

Zinnias and the "it's a miracle they ever bloomed" sunflowers. I swear the deer ate these down at least four times this summer!

Oh, do I ever see my baby here.

Best early Fall to you.

Daytrippers

2011-09-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

Went to the coast to fetch fresh tuna, but a lot of other great stuff happened along the way.

Found the way to our beloved Panini's. (Though now that Jeff's nearly quit wheat - so I have too, for the most part - and Calder's quit dairy - for the most part - this has become a rare treat and one we could really only pull off because Daddy wasn't with us.)

Flash back two years ago. Same place. Same boy. Plus the new guy.

An hour on the beach. A new-ish stretch of sand for us to check out. I liked this spot against the jetty where you can see into the water against the rocks. A beautiful clear green on an unexpectedly warm afternoon. I wished we'd had our suits and another adult to make it easier for all of us to try out the water. It wasn't that cold!

Calder and Lake went in opposite directions out here. Only mildly terrifying for a mama trying to keep up with two kiddos. Of course Lake was the one who really wanted to be in the water.

I was blessed with one of those amazing moments where it all finally falls away and we're just the three of us there in the sand, digging, crawling, playing, loving it. This is a wonderful life.

Okay, and we're off to buy the fish. On the docks at the Chelsea Rose, same as last year. Three 20-pounders. (I was buying for 2 people besides myself.) Cut, cleaned, and put on ice for the drive home. I need to can that lovely fish tomorrow! Ashley said she got 25 half-pints. Will hope for the same. Such a deal. (That's $2 something per jar equivalent to the stuff (local, etc, etc.) we buy at the co-op for over $5 per can.)

Beautiful fish. Beautiful boys. Another great day for us. (Well, I suppose the fish wouldn't agree, but they will give us nourishment all year, and for that we are extremely grateful.)

From the garden

2011-09-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

It is what it is.
(Hydrangea, Rudbekia, Verbena, Queen Anne's Lace, Amaranth, and an onion bloom.)

If you look deep into the garden, amongst the overgrown and the dry and parched, you'll discover an entire bouquet that, on these "almost Fall" days, will bring a little smile to your mind.

Even the weeds are beautiful.

Waldo

2011-08-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

We returned, again, for a 4th year (the 5th for the group) to our beloved Waldo Lake. Pressing on despite last minute worries about the mosquito situation. (Waldo has a pretty bad reputation for bugs in the summertime.) I thought the trip might be out and out canceled at one point, but thankfully we persevered and headed up for a long weekend of camp, food, friends, boating, knitting, swimming, hiking, and general Southtown good times.

I wasn't heavy on the shutter button, though you may think otherwise given all that's posted here. There were many moments where I just sat and watched, admiring all that Calder and Lake, and all our kiddos, can do. Calder spent hours in the boats, heading out again and again for the island where stories were told, huckleberries gathered, friendships cemented. Lake was so easy going, munching his way through the days, content to play in the sand or sit in the water watching the big kids play. Sometimes they'd even play with him, and it was a joy.

Eight families this year. Sad to miss the few whose plans changed and weren't able to join us. There will always be another Waldo. We shared the beach with another big group who's been camping at Waldo for 20 years. I suspect that will be us somewhere down the line. We can only hope!

* * *

Just outtakes from the group photo. We're missing a few faces here, but it's fun to see the goofing and gathering as folks fuss to set up multiple cameras. I marvel at the changes.

Full hand

2011-08-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

5, folks. He turned 5, a full hand of fingers, on Friday.

See the badge? (My version of a Waldorf felt birthday crown.) They always feature a place special to Calder. Last year's badge was made using a piece of the Dakota's map where Calder plans to visit to see Sue's stomping grounds. This year's badge features his beloved San Francisco to which he hopes to return sometime this year.

We had an awesome day that started out at our favorite breakfast spot in town. Calder, of course, chose the waffle, and since he's now 5 he ate the whole thing with a fork. Did you know that once you turn 5 you don't use your fingers to eat your food? True.

In the afternoon all the grandparents and his great grandparent, Gramma Ginny, joined us for hot dogs, summer's finest corn on the cob, homemade baked beans, and of course, the cake.

I had also made up these ready-to-paint watercolor cards (first seen here) that everyone - including Lake - painted and gave to Calder. These were a hit! It was so out of the norm for some of the folks to be painting with watercolors and brushes. I think everyone really enjoyed it, and I'm so happy Calder will forever have these special paintings and memories of his family with him on his fifth birthday.

Calder, you continue to blow my mind. You've got an incredible spirit, and I can't wait to see the many ways you will change and grow this coming year. Knowing you, it's sure to be great!

Closed for ripening

2011-08-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

That's what the sign said this morning as we pulled up to the entrance of our favorite u-pick blueberry farm. Good thing I've already placed my order for 25# for the end of the week. Hopefully they'll still be able to fulfill it. We've been picking 4 times already and very nearly eat all we pick before any can be put away in the freezer for the blueberry-less months of the year. If the bushes will cooperate, we've got some serious picking left to do!

Rebbermade has taken an unplanned summer vacation. So many things are happening 'round here. Calder turns 5 this Friday! Followed immediately by the wedding of our fine friends, Matt + Ashley, for whom I'm doing all the decorations. Lots of making and fretting over to-do lists to be sure.

Jeff returns to work tomorrow after 2+ glorious weeks off. I'll miss the sweaty, full-summer-sun yoga on the patio (Jeff is fabulously committed and reaping endless benefits,) Calder and Daddy riding bikes all over town, the all-day co-parenting and the frequent breaks from any parenting at all... I loved having him at home, and know we're going to miss him when he goes back to campus. It's nice to know we've got a few more days here and there in the coming weeks when he'll be off for a camping trip and other things.

It's been such a busy time for all of us, and yet the heat and long days of summer (it's finally here!) make time feel like it's passing so much slower. Strange how the season of relaxing and having fun comes with an endless list of activities, responsibilities, and worry that it's not all getting done.

There's sure to be fun things to show and tell after the birthday and wedding, and we haven't stopped using the camera leading up to these big events either, but given the busy-ness and the reality that I've got access to only a few images on this computer, I'll share some unrelated good ones of the boys enjoying their days. May the remainder of the summer continue to be as simple, sun-lit, and rewarding for all of us as it was in these moments.

The best

2011-07-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

A little spot of water warmed by the summer sun...

Could it get any better?

With friends

2011-07-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

Crazy that these guys had never met Lake... until now.

We spent a long overdue Saturday with my Jr. High/High School best friend, Sarah, and her family on our last weekend in Portland.

The kids connected. Lena was a rock star big sister reading stories to Calder. And, wow. 8 is big!

Chris cooked for us all day, and we didn't stop eating. We brunched on two rounds of bacon, eggs, and potatoes, (cooked in the bacon grease because we just had to,) sausages for dinner, and nectarine cobbler with two kinds of "homemade just moments before" ice cream to top it all off - strawberry and lavender cream. Thank you, Chris!

I love that we can see these people, after a whole year has passed, and just fall into their house and lives as if we do it all the time.

Calder hopped on Eli's bike and rode off (fast!) like a pro. What a surprise! Though, I know the tagalong has been an awesome intro to biking. He probably rode a couple miles all said, and had a blast giggling and racing around. I think he even worked in a skid!

Poor Eli ended the evening with a fever and lots of snuggles with his mama. Feel better, Eli!

At the end of the day Papa Chris had this to say, "You know, some babies kind of annoy me, but I really appreciated lake." That's our boy! A love to be around. And we love to be around you, Tinkers! We can't let it be a year until the next time!

Cherries!

One beautiful evening

2011-07-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

On a recent enchanted evening we caravaned with three other families up Kings Valley Highway to the tiny town of Falls City for pizza. It was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken. Really. Was it the time of day, the slant of light, the season? The road was intimate, rural, wooded and farmed. We climbed and wound. It was lovely.

And then our destination... The Bread Board. An unexpected foodie outpost in a sleepy, old town of 900 people.

We laid out blankets. Circled the colorful Adirondak chairs on the lawn. Drank wine and beer from glass jars. Pelegrino's from bottles. Took down four delicious wood-fired pizzas. Filled pages of homemade books with leaf rubbings. Played tag. The sun was shining. The kids had space. I think everyone felt really good.

The Bread Board sells at a number of farmers markets in the area. But you can only get the pizza in Falls City. We're headed up to Portland for the weekend, and I'm actually wondering if we should drive up Friday via Falls City. It would be really out of the way... but so worth it!

Red white and hot pink

2011-07-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

There was the parade in all its small town glory.

(It's called the All American Everyone-Can-Join Fabulous Fantastic 4th of July Parade. Pretty sweet.)

Followed by the gathering with friends.

And a street full of fireworks from dusk to dark.

It's summer at last!

Two wrongs do make a right

2011-07-03T06:49:00.001-07:00

The other week when Molly suggested that yogurt could be made in a slow cooker I was inspired. Finally a way to make yogurt without an official yogurt maker or diligent minding of temperatures and times. I had to put in a hold request for the book at the library, and in the meantime took to the Internets in search of instant gratification. I found this (thinking it was what Molly had done) and decided to give it a go.

And... it worked! For the most part. The recipe, as written, resulted in "too runny" yogurt for my taste. So, I had to take the extra step of straining off the watery whey first with a coffee filter and then with a cotton flour sack dishcloth. I got some delicious, thicker - but not super thick - yogurt that went great with a big dollop of rhubarb sauce.

I was just a little disappointed at the volume loss, time, and mess resulting from draining off the whey, so when the first batch of yogurt was gone I tried again. This time around I decided I would add in some powdered milk at the point where the recipe says to put in the starter yogurt. Unfortunately, I absentmindedly set the slowcooker to one of the high settings instead of one of the low settings, and consequently ruined the milk before even getting to test the thickener.

Third time's a charm... right? Not for me. I heated the milk. Mixed in the starter and some powdered milk. Incubated it in a cozy towel blanket overnight. And after all that lovin' what I woke to the next morning was thicker, yes, but of the strangest consistency. Gluey? You'd scoop out a spoonful and it would just slip right off in a blob leaving no residue on the spoon. Gross. Not yogurt. I couldn't stand it in my mouth.

Aaaarrrrggghhh!

The two quart jars of homemade, organic yogurt sat in the fridge for the better part of a week. Untouched. Bumming me out. If I didn't come up with a way to use them quick they'd spoil and I'd have to dump them anyway. They were very nearly given to the chickens where at least they'd be eaten. I couldn't bear to send them down the drain.

You would't have thought that a kitchen misadventure from three years ago could save the day but then... unbearable, gluey yogurt meet awful strawberry freezer jam. This jam had turned out so sickeningly sweet that we couldn't stand to eat it. It wasn't jam, really, it was more like an ice cream topping. The berries were tough and chewy like candy. But, like the yogurt, I couldn't throw it away. So it waited for years in the icy purgatory of our garage freezer.

In the days that the yogurt sat patiently in the fridge for my verdict I tried to come up with a use for it where its strange consistency might be of some help rather than a liability. My final conclusion... popsicles. They'd either seem more creamy or the freezing would actually mask the yogurt's flaw.

Low and behold, these are really quite good! The jammy berries are a nice feature. Their chewy texture kept them from becoming brittle and icy. The tart, milky yogurt is cut nicely by the sweet and fruit from the jam. They're creamy. And good. I think we have a "Yes" where everywhere we looked we were surrounded by "No."

So, here's to not tossing out all that time, effort, and good, solid ingredients. Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles to the rescue. And maybe one of these days I'll succeed in making the homemade yogurt of my dreams.

Circle 'round the sun

2011-06-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

He's done it, folks. Our little Wilder Lake has just completed his first trip around the sun. May he enjoy many many more!

It's a bummer that he suffered a fever and poor sleep all last night, so we had to cancel our little party with friends this afternoon. But, we'll still celebrate with Gramma C tonight. And we had a Skype celebration with Gran Freda and Papa this morning. So 21st Century.

Calder gave Lake a gift he'd picked out, and even helped purchase, for his little brother, a cool tugboat for the tub. Of course they had to try it out right away, and of course Calder had to show him how it worked.

We're feasting on a modified version of the cake we had to celebrate his birth one year ago. I used spelt and less than half the sugar this time. The whipped cream and strawberries are still present, but our raspberries haven't come on yet. Give 'em a couple days. They're looking really good.

Lakey, we're so happy to have you here with us. You're a loveable, gentle, sweet sweet boy with such a wonderful sense of humor, a quick smile, and those sparkly, blue eyes to match your name. This time, a year ago today, we knew you were on your way. Laughing when my water broke as I bent to pick up a dropped ball of yarn; eating two bowlfulls of spaghetti bolognese my parents had just left with us and a huge serving of strawberry shortcake from our friend Laura; being walked through the house by your brother, Calder, like the husband walks his laboring wife in the film Birth Day; my labor with you was intense but there were moments of great happiness amidst all the hard work. And you were born at home. It was the best thing. I am so glad. And I really don't know how we could ever move from this home now that it's the site of your birth. I told your dad last night that if we have to leave I'm going to have that piece of our bedroom floor cut out so it can come with us.

It's been an amazing year, little one. I can't believe it's even been a year, but knowing that it means you've made a full trip around the sun puts the measure of time into clearer perspective. This is a year. It's been the most present period of my life that I've ever experienced. Thank you for sharing your life with us. Thank you for being you. Happy Birthday Wilder Lake. I love you.

The day before the longest day

2011-06-20T22:29:00.000-07:00

This evening in the garden...

Little chucker... It didn't break!

* * *

Yesterday, at the zoo with Papa and Gramma Ginny.

* * *

The other day...

I was so pleased to find we can still be together like this.

He'll turn 1 next Tuesday!

4:45 Monday afternoon

2011-06-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

My little jam jar of Chariot is doing me good right now. (They found some cases in the Oregon Trader Joe's warehouse, so each of the stores got some. It's apparently a customer favorite. I like it.)

As is the sunshine. (Doing me good, I mean.)

And the fact that Lake is mowing through some just-baked butternut squash. (I know. It's out of season and from Mexico - too far in my opinion - but he's been rejecting so many foods lately. I felt like we had to return to a favorite from earlier times.)

Calder's played really well all afternoon with a new-to-him garbage truck, and has used fake logs to "build" letters on the floor of the studio. (We have done nothing to encourage this letter-making aside from reading to him. In my mind, that's all it takes at this age.) Oh, and I'm pretty sure he got into the face paint crayons.

The mujadara is almost ready. Calder's already asked for it two times in the last 10 minutes.

Jeff comes home tomorrow. Yay!

Foxy

2011-06-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

What is it about foxes? They're small, quick troublemakers. They're mysterious, folkloric, and cute. Sly, outfoxed, foxy... the list goes on.

And I recently realized that two of my most favorite flowers ever are both named after the little forest creature. One is blooming now in the yard, and the other will come on soon.

Oh, foxglove how I love thee. Each flower, I imagine, a just-right slipper for a small paw.

And the drama of the foxtail lily with its height and plume of flowers. Ours is a pale peach. Perfect in enormous flower arrangements in the fancy lobbies of grand hotels. Perfect too in my perennial garden.

I do also have a big place in my heart for the Geum. (Unfortunately, so do the deer.) Oh, and of course my beloved Belladonna.

* * *

Yesterday's good eats according to Lake:

Biscuits at Jen+Lucy's,

Strawberries at Anita's,

Liz's homemade smoothie popcicles.

Hooray for spontaneous food and hours with friends when daddy's away! (Again. This time in SF.)

Date with my boy

2011-06-07T23:01:00.001-07:00

Calder and I had a couple hours to ourselves this afternoon. (And Gramma C and Lake had a couple hours by themselves. All went well.) It felt so different being with just Calder again. I felt so much more available and willing. I followed his desires. We did an art project, (a secret for Father's Day,) played in the sandbox and planted a flag to mark our peak - I think it was Mt. Shasta (lots of mountain names lately)...

checked on the baby greens...

and had an afternoon chai/steamer, and yes, a cupcake (to go, unfortunately) at our fave coffee shop where we ran into our friends who were doing the same. I remembered the last time Calder and I were there, just the two of us.

By the time we caught up with Gramma C and Lake, the babe had passed out in the stroller and we had to wake him up to get in the car to go home. :(

This photo, by Calder.

In the evening, we biked down the street to celebrate the first day of the year at our extremely local farm stand. Picked up some kale, raab and basil(!). Earlier this spring, down at the fields they put up a 130 x 30 foot greenhouse, and the plants have been growing like crazy in there for months. (Hence the availability of the basil! For reference, I just planted my basil seeds yesterday.) Rainshine offers a CSA box, but we decided instead to give them a certain amount of cash a few months ago when they were hard at work getting all the plants started. Now we have a credit with them and can pick and choose what we want from the farmstand every Tuesday afternoon from now until November. Yay!

In other news...

This photo, by Jeff.

Jeff was recently in Anchorage, AK for work. Among other things (like famous fried chicken and 11pm sunsets, ) he saw this moose by the side of the highway. Wildlife, I tell ya. Jeff's headed out again soon, this time to the Bay Area for a few days. Wish we could go too.

Beginning and ending with flowers

2011-05-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

I gotta say, it's very obvious to me, that with these two boys around I'm not getting a lot of my personal creative projects done. However, I am nowhere near down about this reality. In fact, I will freely admit that these little people are my - now and forever - best contributions and I'll happily return to my own making when they allow.

In the meantime, I will continue to share here - albeit maybe less frequently than I'd like - some of the beauty and adventure (big and small) in the world around me.

* * *

Gramma C and Calder brought me an enormous poppy from her garden. Calder was fascinated with its anatomy and called the big pistil (stigma/style/ovary) inside it "the cupcake".

Doesn't this kid look cute in overalls? Our farmer friend, Elias, let Calder have a go with the tractor on a recent walk down to the farm.

And he confidently took his maiden voyage on the tagalong when he and Jeff rode down to the farmers market last Saturday.

Upon returning, we got Lake set up for his first bike ride too. What a sweet new reality. We're mobile sans fossil fuel. I might look around for a front-mounted kids seat so we can rig up the tagalong on my bike for all three of us to ride while dad's at work.

Yesterday we day-tripped down to Eugene. Had a great time at the Keystone Cafe. (Happy to finally know about some sweet spots down there!) Shopped Down to Earth. Took a walk in the rhododendron gardens up in Hendricks Park, and admired some other spring bloomers as well... though the rhodys were putting on a pretty nice show.

Good stuff.

Easy to love a swing

2011-05-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

Right? It's a feeling like no other.

Lake loved his first park swing the other day.

We were down in Junction City. All the equipment was the good old metal stuff.

* * *

Better late than never... I had a very nice Mother's Day last weekend. Delicious breakfast, time with the boys (Jeff included,) dinner with friends, a special card and gift. It was just right. Thanks guys!

And we find ourselves under this tree again

2011-05-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Those chickens, man. They're cute as chicks and pretty as hens, but I don't know about the teenager stage.

So let's move on to something lovely and adorable...

Our neighbor has a wonderful Japanese Cherry tree that bursts into frilly pink bloom this time of year.

Lake, 10 months

Lake and I lingered beneath the poofy skirts of a million pink petals.

When they start to fall we'll all scoop hand-fulls and toss them at one another in celebratory blessing. A shower of petals, soft and plentiful, is a beautiful thing. We love doing this with another neighbor's faded roses too.

Even on a rainy Spring day we could shelter under the blossoms and take pictures. Something about it all felt very familiar.

Calder, 9 months.

The new girls

2011-05-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Better late than never. Gotta introduce the new girls. There's 3 of them. That'll make a total of 8 hens once you account for the 2 boys from the original 9, (who are, we hope, helping make more baby chicks on a farm north of here,) and the sad loss of Sarah and Diana to coons back one winter's night.

We brought these girls home as day-olds (or thereabouts,) but I didn't get around to their portraits until recently.

There was debate over whether we should continue the "ladies of jazz" theme with their names. In the end, there's a nod to jazz - and one of the original girls who was really a boy - but otherwise we just used what came to mind. Calder was much more involved this time around.

Robot (barred rock)

Toshiko Barns (americana with a last name) (Toshiko Akioshi is a fabulous jazz pianist. We couldn't let her name escape our flock with the departure of the original Toshiko.)

Frank (rhode island red)

With the exception of Helen and Ella, our two buff orpingtons, we continue to keep a rainbow flock with a "one of each" aesthetic. This has influenced our ability to view them as pets rather than livestock. Not only are we just inclined to do that anyway, but when they all look different it's easy to tell them apart, call them by name, and develop our relationships with them as individuals. Did I really just type that?

While they are not yet integrated into the primary flock, they have already moved outside the kitchen. Much better timing than the first girls who were in the kitchen with us for almost 2 months. (I guess it's understandable when your mom/granmother/m.i.l. gets run over by an SUV. Geez!)

These three will likely keep their distance from the big ladies for a few more months. From what I've read, they need a good 4 months or so before they're big enough to hold their own in the pecking order.

Happy Easter Happy Spring!

2011-04-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

All about eggs.

Eggs dyed.

and eggs hidden, hunted, and found.

The 3rd Annual Southtown Easter Egg hunt happened today. Much gathering, hunting and feasting was had.

Calder helped me make our little egg stuffers.

This year, miniature chalkboard necklaces with a small piece of chalk, modeled here by Mr. Monkey.

He also helped (as did my mom) with a batch of marshmallows to share. Delicious! Perfect for any holiday get-together. Wink wink!

Special in his Easter basket this year... a whoopie cushion, which he charmingly refers to as a "tootie toy". That Easter Bunny sure has a 4 year old's humor down pat! "Mom, you've got the gas!"

Few words

2011-04-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we stayed with my parents at a "just right" cottage on the Oregon coast.

We had a great weekend. Ate pie and other good things. Played games. Wore new jammies. Changed socks a bunch of times. Took walks and photographs. Looked for whales. Felt warm and chilly. Watched a great movie. Celebrated my dad's birthday. And would happily do it all again.

And I'm so happy to have some nice photos of me with my boys. There aren't that many of them!

No news is good news

2011-04-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

More of the same awesome brother stuff.

And we got chicks. Just 3 this time. And they're already a few weeks old, so they're totally in the scruffy stage. I just never got around to taking their portraits like I did with the older girls when they were babies. I still need to take these young ladies pics though. Soon?

There's other big projects too. Outside stuff, 'cause I'm getting excited about spending time out there now that we see the sun more often. But I think I'll hold off on showing the "before" shots because I don't have any "afters". I will say, however, that I'm pleased with it even though it cost almost double what we'd been quoted. Yikes!

We're headed to Otter Rock for the whole weekend to celebrate my dad's birthday. Really looking forward to it! I'm feeling hungry already.

p.s. Lake likes the trampoline.

3/4 of the way 'round

2011-03-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

Today marks Lake's 9-months of living (outside of me) on this planet. To celebrate, his brother and I took him to check out the gravel quarry/concrete batch plant south of town. (Now whose idea do you think that was?)

Metaphorically, I guess, it was a great idea. Let's honor you amongst the rocks that are the literal foundation upon which your earthly world resides.

Where do you think those rocks are headed?

Not to mention, Lake, they're just the right size for putting in your mouth. You'll love that.

You know it! (I removed it immediately, of course!)

I feel like I have everything I need here in this small town. Including a place like this that'll sell me a truckload of rock for $15. (It was just $5 a couple years ago, but still, that's cheap!) I've got ideas for some sort of outdoor dining/non-dirt/level ground space out our back door. It's sorely needed during the Spring/Summer/Fall. I think we're going to go with a mix of two mouth-sized styles, the crushed river rock and a larger (rounded) pea gravel.

Once again, another project to add to the never-ending list. But I sort of love that.

So, happy spinning 'round the sun little Lake. We're so very glad to be on this ride with you.

Lake's shirt, made by no added sugar, says 'LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS!' It was a gift for Calder years ago from our good friend Sean. It's funny to me in such a sassy, gold glitter kind of way.

Emerge

2011-03-17T23:20:00.001-07:00

I heard somewhere that around St. Patrick's Day was the traditional time for planting potatoes (and peas too.) Though I think they were speaking about planting times in Ireland... we're close enough, right? I had it in mind to put ours in the ground today too.

We had a planting ceremony this evening after dinner. (The corn chowder from How To Eat Supper was quite good, by the way.)

Let the Malone boys oversee the endeavor and we're sure to have a strong crop.

As the daylight faded away and the sounds of the evening tubby filtered outside, I spied a few other Spring treasures emerging from their damp underground beds.

The peony...

And rhubarb... love.

More of the same... plus...

2011-03-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Time in Portland last week.

A check-up for Calder. Keep on keeping on. Thing's are looking under control. Good.

There's fun to be had even on Pill Hill.

To continue Papa Jeff's birthday celebration there was an evening indulgence in chocolate mousse. We called around to a number of sweet purveyors in search of our new favorite wheat-free treat. I think we'll have to check out Papa Haydn's and Pix's offerings in the future, but they seemed a bit much for us this visit.

On Wednesday, Jeff's actual birthday, we had a wonderful breakfast at Besaws's. I've grown up eating breakfast here. It's got such a warm atmosphere with an old, wood bar, great windows, and coffee outside if you have to wait for a table. This particular breakfast turned out to be the best food I've ever had there. I've thought about it every day since, it was so good. Two eggs scrambled with spinach, prosciutto, and chevre, served with roasted potatoes which were perfectly soft and seasoned with rosemary and about 6 chubby cloves of roasted garlic. Oh, and it was just six bucks - a "recession special" they called it. And the coffee is Stumptown. I would eat this every day if I lived there. Delicious! Jeff enjoyed is huevos rancheros and Calder liked his Mickey cake too.

I love seeing babies from a distance... so in their own world.

Curious like all babes... and just like his brother.

That afternoon Jeff took off for a conference in Calgary. Calder was super sad to see his dad go this time. We came back home and had a couple days of "just mama". Lake spent some time outside between the raindrops while I got a little more gardening in. Dug out some errant raspberry canes to share with neighbors. (I love being able to do that!) The babe hung out with a couple of our girls picking grass and checking out an old, dried out tomato plant.

Jeff returned Saturday night to Calder's welcoming arms. Big, long hugs, people. And Sunday we had a new fort in the living room. We all fit inside, and the sleepy light coming in through the sheet helped at least one of us catch a few afternoon zzzzz's to bring a busy week of travel and everyday adventure to its end.

What I've been thinking about lately:

• nuclear power/radiation sickness/Japan
• gold thread for mini silk buntings (see blog header)
• getting back to my ceramics-making
• finishing the bathroom floors with pebbles like in this house

Winter's expense :: Winter's earnings

2011-03-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

I never noticed 'til this year just how expensive Winter can be. In so many ways I'm looking forward to warmer days, (and trying not to dwell on the bank account... aw, crap!)

And yet life is feeling really beautiful right now.

We're gathering with our friends...

Celebrating...

Making gifts...

Enjoying simple things (walks, the chance to garden, books, forts), using what we have on hand, finding corners of fun, light, love and creativity right where we are.

Wonderland

2011-02-24T19:58:00.000-08:00

Pretty much as predicted, we woke to an inch of snow this morning and soft, fat flakes fell long enough to give us about 2 or so inches in our neighborhood by mid-morning.

It was certainly beautiful, but it was funny to me how much I have already moved on from the desire for snow this year. I'm on to gardening dreams... albeit prematurely. It's still only February. But just yesterday Gramma C and I transplanted the giant rhubarb corm (18" diameter!) from her community garden space into our home garden. There's all kinds of new growth beginning to appear amongst the knot and tangle of its bulk. Along with the two plants we already have we're sure to enjoy plenty of rhubarb this Spring.

Walking back from dropping Calder off at playschool I followed his footsteps in the snow. I had the strongest sense of him there with me as I watched his path weave and cross, dart and jog across the one I had made as we walked this way just minutes before. There he was stopping at the side of that car to wipe deep snow off its window. That's where he meandered across the street. There's where he stopped to choose a snow-covered branch to carry. Nothing about his path, unlike my own, was straight. He had fully experienced his route, found so much of interest, and had the fullest of times as we walked... hardly together, I realized, to school.

Back home, I brought out the camera to see what I could see. And even though I didn't need this snow the way I've clung to snowfalls in the past, I suddenly saw again how amazing our little slice of the world is. Especially the greenway right outside our back door. The creek. The trees. So beautiful. We are very lucky to be where we are.

Tubby of brotherly love

2011-02-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

A moment in the tub together by themselves.

Little and Big love one another's company.

That is, until Little gets to squawking too loudly and they have to be separated before all hell brakes loose.

Brothers! Parenting!

Valentine to a four-year-old

2011-02-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

MAX ride (Lake's first!) to the Monster truck show (just Calder, Mama and Grandpa Pat)...

Sprinkle donut...

Construction vehicles LEGO kit...

Pretty much a no-brainer for a successful Valentine's Day 'round here.

We made up some little Valentine's for his playmates this morning and will enjoy dinner with Gramma C tonight. That's enough of a treat for these tired parents. We've been the House of the Unwell over here. The kitchen counter looks like an East meets West pharmacy with a little homeopathy thrown in for good measure. A home-cooked dinner that we don't have to make... what a heart-felt gift!

Wishing you all a love-ly day!

P.S. Can you see Calder's shaggy new haircut?! He let me do it last Friday... well, there was the Burst's truffle he picked out with Gramma C hanging over his head for when it was all done... ahhh, parenting!

P.P.S. Lake wants to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day too!

Sweetmilk Babyshoes

2011-01-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

Can you hear the knitting needles clacking? I've been busy over here with a bit of fiber crafting of late.

All the lovely hours that baby Lake spends on my lap nursing or sleeping have resulted in pairs and pairs of colorful woolen booties. I call them Sweetmilk Babyshoes.

The shop is filled with all manner of color combinations and a couple size options. (Small = 0-4 months, Medium = 4-9 months) Please contact me if you have questions or a special color or size request.

I struggled to find a craft I could do when Calder was an infant. I really wanted to create something relevant to mark the time we spent so close together all those early days, weeks and months. Now, with little Lake, I'm so glad I found a way to spend our time with needles, yarn of many colors, and a pile of little woolen shoes to keep those sweet sweet baby toes warm and cozy.

Please, if you get the chance, pop over to my shop and have a look around. I'll be adding more Sweetmilks as they come off the needles, (along with, hopefully, some other fiber surprises. Hint: take a look at the new banner.)

Wheat-free

2011-01-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

Unrelated photos throughout...

Jeff and I are performing an experiment. We're trying out living wheat-free to see how it makes us feel. Do our bodies look or feel different? In what way? Is there a change in our energy?

Since neither of us are allergic to wheat or gluten there isn't any official medical reason for us to do this now, but it just seemed like something we might benefit from doing. I know that much of what I used to eat throughout the day was filler bread stuff - Calder's crusts of toast or sandwiches, a cookie here, a sliver of cake or a handful of crackers there. I can see how wheat-based foods were adding up to be a big percentage of my daily calories.

And then, just like that, they're gone. It's been a week, but I have already felt some changes. There was a morning last week when it was raining on our walk to Calder's playschool so we started to run. And it didn't suck. Running always feels awful to me like I can't fine an efficient stride so everything moves jalopy-style, very clunky and uncomfortable. Well, in this brief moment, in my rainboots, pushing a stroller, at 8:30 in the morning I actually felt like I could keep right on running and maybe even go for a jog. Wow. So not my thing. Who can say if this is because I hadn't eaten wheat, but I'm keeping my eye on the way I feel as this experiment progresses. It may just turn out to be the best thing I never knew I needed to do.

What's pretty great about all this is that I haven't even missed the wheat. I made a batch of granola. We're enjoying our corn tortillas, and making good use of them more than ever. These pumpkin muffins are really good - both the gluten-free and all-purpose flour versions. I made this split pea soup 'cause I thought I had the country ham on hand. It was risky 'cuz Jeff is not a fan, and it turned out he and Calder had to choke it down. More for me, I say. Ended up using a slice of regular ham, but my mom kindly brought me a few slices of my uncle's country ham to use in the next few batches.

We went out for Thai food with my parents for my birthday. No problems finding something to love off that menu. Followed it up with treats for all tastes at the bakery. I had my heart set on chocolate mouse, but we were surprised how many other gluten/wheat-free options they had.

I'm in line for a couple relevant books at the library, and will be taking a look at the recipes on both these sites for more inspiration. Jeff's interested in a wheat-free pizza dough, and I'm sure we'll have luck there.

See the "C" and "L" there? Let the spelling begin!

So far so good.

A 6-month update

2011-01-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

Lake and the new art studio in our house are pretty much the same age. Big things have been happening for both here at the 6-month mark.

We had the two new walls sheetrock'd right before Christmas. It was the right decision. My other plan would have taken for.ever. I'm really happy we did it.

Once that was done I was able to paint - "studio white" - and put in the new lighting. I'm now on to the shelves. These 3 L-shaped ones are now up, but what you see here is my attempt at visualizing them in place with the help of some other shelving. (Don't want to make a wrong move or drill an errant hole with these new pristine walls!)

The floor will remain concrete. It's chilly this time of year but my awesome slippers keep my toes toasty warm. And the space heater brings things up to "quite comfortable" in no time. I think the concrete will prove to be the most practical too as far as mess-making and care-free-ness goes. I assume this space will be popular with Calder and Lake too.

I'm slowly untangling the knot of boxes and random things in the garage, bringing in what belongs in the studio and chucking out more stuff. Once the "desk" is assembled I'll move the computer in here and things will really start to look official.

As for Lake... well, the 6-month mark for him meant it was time to sit up pretty much without any practice. One day it was as if he simply decided to cut to the chase and just do it. Sometimes he uses his hands on either side to stay upright, but usually he just sits like a pro - as if he'd been working at it for months. He has no teeth, where his contemporaries are at 5 and counting, but he learned to sit in what seemed like an instant. I wonder if other big things like crawling and walking will happen in the same way. I have no doubt Calder will be a huge motivator with all these things.

2010

2010-12-31T23:30:00.000-08:00

1 :: january's walks are wet

2 :: february - his first haircut (d.i.y.)

3 :: march's bowler with an attitude

4 :: april and a giant fort

5 :: may - 36 hours in san francisco with gram (listening to the bridge)

6 :: june brought lake

7 :: july - our first full month of baby gazing

8 :: the big "4" in august

9 :: a weekend at the coast with people we love - september

10 :: an october trip to north carolina (mom, i love this photo)

11 :: brothers getting used to it - november

12 :: december's heart bokeh in the tree (by calder)

From our family to yours, wishing you a Happy New Year! May 2011 be full of joy and good health! (Now I really need to find this year's calendar.)

Halfway

2010-12-28T22:10:00.000-08:00

Rosy cheeks, rosy nose... coming in from a chilly walk outside with Daddy.

You've made it halfway around the sun little Lake.

Happy 6 month birthday sweet boy!

We're so happy you're with us.

Merry Merry

2010-12-25T21:22:00.000-08:00

There was one round of peppermint bark, and two rounds of cream puffs, but the new hit confection of the season were these homemade marshmallows dipped in chocolate. Go slow. You just need one. They're inspiring many ideas for flavor variations and combinations.

Today I... was able to take a nice afternoon nap in the new sleeping bag Santa brought for Calder, enjoyed getting to hang out and chat with my sister-in–law, wanted to eat the entire jar of cranberry curd - but would have had to fight everyone else for it if I'd tried.

We had a lovely, relaxed Christmas with family.

This little bear bobbled his way into my mom's stocking. I think he's really cute.

Wishing everyone merry, bright, restful days as we near the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.

Love, Rebecca, Jeff, Calder and Lake.

Happy Solstice, etc.

2010-12-21T21:31:00.000-08:00

I know it's been "forever". And I apologize. Part of me really wishes I were here more often telling you of all the fairy treats and holiday preparations.

But I know that the more time I spend here the less time I'm spending in my flurry and fury of crafting and gift making. It really is so fun and stressful at the same time.

But I'm feeling good people. I think I will be able to take care of it all.

Well, Calder's stocking will still have only his name on it and Lake's won't even have that! What do you put in a 6 month old's stocking anyway?

Some random shots of life here since Thanksgiving is all I've got for now. I'll be back after Christmas with a new little shop adventure and more.

We went on the annual Solstice Walk with friends (99 of them!) down to the river tonight. Such a wonderful tradition. As we circled up at the midpoint of the walk there were a few songs about light, (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, anyone?) and I even got up the gumption to recite my favorite Winter poem. It runs through my head at least once a day and often gets stuck there like a song. I offered it here this time last year.

Be well. Happy Holidays. And welcome Winter... the return of the sun... a lovely Solstice to you.

Thankful for...

2010-11-25T20:47:00.000-08:00

The week that brought two days of snow to our doorstep. An unusual thing this early in the season. Sometimes we don't get any all year.

Here we walk Calder to playschool along our snowy route.

Over the bridge with our little creek now holding water.

The sky a white grey that promised flurries all day.

Lake wrapped up warm in the Moby and ready to get back home for his long morning nap.

And when daddy came home early he and the boy had a snowball fight, jumped and jumped on the snow-covered trampoline, built a snowman, and Calder, with his stick, whacked the snow off tree branches just like Peter.

I'm thankful too that the snow's all gone now, it's a little warmer outside, and we were able to share a lovely Thanksgiving meal with a few neighbors.

Tomorrow, more feasting with family, as we will gather again, this time at our house, for Thanksgiving Round Two.

Though, I believe every day is a day to be thankful for. Just listen to the joy this little one has for his big brother. Simple fun is simply wonderful, and isn't this giggle the greatest?

Amber for Lake

2010-11-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

They say it helps with teething pain.

I say, Great! I hope so. And either way, it looks pretty darn cute.

I had seen them online but wondered if I could just make my own. I ended up buying a Baltic amber necklace from a shop in town, taking it apart and restringing it on silk thread to the desired length. (11.5" for a little one fyi.) I tied a knot in-between each bead for safety. (If the necklace breaks there won't be beads everywhere.) And I was able to reuse the amber barrel closure from the original necklace - a feature I had admired on other versions I'd seen online.

It doesn't go in his mouth, just lays against his skin and does its thing. Lake doesn't pay it any mind, and we keep a close eye on him.

If his teeth are shifting around in there (none have emerged) and are giving him some discomfort then I hope wearing this little amber beauty will offer some relief.

In other news...

The season is upon us. Tomorrow is the annual Faerie Brunch with our friends and neighbors where we will choose a name out of a hat to receive sweet surprises between now and Christmas. I've already got a list of little gifts we might make and give. Fun fun!

South

2010-11-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

We're back from a week in the Carolinas. Home to most of my extended family.

He just got passed around. Growing so quickly these days. Big changes.

Spending some time with Grandmother Mann.

Lake practiced rolling over with Aunt Wanda looking on.

It was a wonderful opportunity to introduce Lake to the clan, eat too much good food, experience 80 degrees and high humidity in October, marvel at my mother's familiarity with a place in which I had no sense of direction, eat even more good food, re-introduce my son Calder, expose him to his family and a life even I don't really know all that well.

In the cotton fields with Calder (and the giant mosquitos!)

At Ron's: Calder and Daddy with the pups, Lake and my mom on the tractor, second cousin Kaylee's horse

Check out who got to drive this beauty! My cousin Ron is the best!

In Uncle Clarence's garage: a 1910 Maxwell, a Ford Model A, and a little something for Calder to ride.

Jeff's new favorite dog: the Blue Healer

Best friends at Cousin Ron's.

There was cotton and cotton pickers. Tractors, 4-wheelers and century-old cars. Dogs and horses and donkeys.

Two from Woodham's Home Phone Service and hand-scooped ice cream in Bennettsville, SC

On the plate at the Harvest Sale: Stanton's Bar-b-que, hushpuppies, candied sweet potatoes, slaw, a chocolate cupcake on the side, and a cup of sweet tea to wash it down.

Daddy and Calder fishing in Burlington, NC

We carved 2 pumpkins. Went fishing a handful of times. Ate bar-b-q twice (not enough!), fried chicken once, drake too many glasses of sweet tea and helped ourselves to multiple servings of a creamy concoction made from cottage cheese, cream cheese, whipped cream, canned pineapple and mandarins (delicious sprinkled with chopped pecans.)

I love that Aunt Wanda's house is always open. There's always someone, a child, a grandchild stopping in to visit or just grab something to eat. Even if she's not home. So much hospitality in each one of their homes.

* * *

There's more things I'd like to share here, like what Calder said to the woman who was smoking in the farm implement store in Clio, SC, (made me so proud.) But I'm feeling worn out. I need a vacation from our vacation.

Fall is happening so quickly. Normal life is seeming hard right now.

Lake wears...

2010-10-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

He pretty much always has a hat on.

And it's usually this one. (The Baby Watchcap. Free off Ravelry. Knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca. Super soft.) The cap's been snatched and worn by big brother on occasion, but it keeps its shape and still stays on Lake's little noggin for the most part. I may wash and block it just to bring it back down to its original size, or I may not bother.

And now that we're into the beautiful fall weather here, he's often seen wearing a little vest. This is the largest of the 3 I knit for him. (Knit on 8's, I think, in Berroco Vintage.) He's got plenty of room still. I'm hoping he'll be able to wear it through winter. (Sadly, the other two just didn't work into the rotation when he was newborn and it was the height of summer. I hope to pass them on to winter babies.) Perhaps I'll work up another of these soon in the same size so he can have a little variety. It's a super sweet vest. (Note: the pattern calls for size 4 needles, but I ended up with a tiny vest the first time. For a 3-6mo (don't hold me to this sizing) I'd use size 8 needles with a dk or worsted weight yarn.)

Holding his own hands, sucking his fingers, or drooling up a storm, this little Lake (who I may nickname Puddle) is a cutie in his mama-mades. And I'm sure to make more to keep him warm and fashionable as long as he'll let me.