Sometimes children can be a wonderful source of procrastination ideas. "Oh, I really should go fold laundry, but it is more important to sit here and hold the baby or read to the child."

Other days, they give me the push I need to get the jobs done. I had a load of laundry hanging on the line, and as hot as it has been today, I knew it was dry already. I had another load ready to go out, but I really did not feel like doing it. I was considering procrastinating long enough that there would not be enough sunshine left to dry the second load.

Then I looked out the window over the kitchen sink.

Abigail and Vincent had three quarters of the dry laundry taken off the line. If that was all done already, what excuse did I have not to hang up the second load?

Procrastination killers!

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

Some days, I just need to remind myself of the above words.

For as much as we think that we are a unique place and time in history, reading quotes from a century or a millennium previous that echo the rhetoric and catch-phrases of today show me that human nature has been unchanged for centuries. It makes me feel less like an explorer in a new, unexplored wilderness and more like someone who is retracing a path traveled by many people before me. The physical setting may be different than in Beecher Stowe's or Aristotle's time, but the sentiment is still the same.

It is good to have friends who garden and travel.

Our dear friends have been out of town and generously offered me a day in their garden to pick the ripe produce. What fun! All of the benefits of an enormous garden, almost none of the work!

I learned that Simon loves pea pods, and that he will sit quite happily in the grasses playing with Vincent for longer than I imagined he would if bribed with this fresh food. Two gallon buckets of free strawberries have been turned into jam 6 quarts of jam and two quart bags of frozen berries, and I have a bag of frozen pea pods waiting for winter meals now too.

Our own strawberry harvest may be nearing its final days, but the halcyon days of basil and tomatoes are just around the corner. The tomato plants have started to set fruit, and I can see baby squash on the vines already. The cherry tree will have a small harvest this year, but the young blueberry plants have a few berries on them that are growing fatter each day. Summer's bounty has begun.

Has the general public of the United States forgotten what real, ripe produce tastes like?

I wonder about that question at this time of year as the bounty of the harvest begins. We stopped buying much of our produce in general supermarkets a few years ago because, after comparing the taste of our garden produce to the supermarket produce, we realized that supermarket produce was wooden, tasteless.

As I dip my fork into a strawberry shortcake made with berries that were ruby red in the sun only a few hours ago, I relish the taste of the perfect ripeness. No berry picked half a country or half a world away last week and flown in to the supermarket can possibly compete with the flavor explosion of a berry picked and eaten the same day. Even if we are gifted with fresh strawberries in January, I would rather feed them to my chickens than eat them myself because I know from experience that I will be disappointed with the flavor, the texture. Summer fruits are a treat because they are fleeting. I am okay with eating these foods only when they are locally seasonal because the flavor is worth it.

A friend has a t-shirt that reads "Does your tomato have more frequent flyer miles than you do?". No, and I prefer to keep it that way even if it means no BLTs in March or bruschetta in May. I'll savor these foods all the more for it.

Her name is Roxy and she just happened to follow me home (after I put her in the back of the van...).

Isn't she pretty?

The children and I will be tooling around town this summer on wheels of the self-propelled kind. It is a quick ride down to the park where the girls play softball, and less than a ten minute ride to the park where the swimming pool is and where Vincent will have Little League. I bought a trail pass, and we discovered how easy it is to get to the grocery store or produce store by hopping on the bike trail. I still have to work with Vincent a little on bicycle safety, but he is getting the hang of riding on the road with the rest of us.

Simon enjoys the bike trailer, but I do have my eye on an iBert front carrier for him. Won't the mint green go so well with my sherbet pink Roxy? For trail rides of a longer variety, we want to pick up a trail-a-bike for Luis' bike. Vincent wears out more quickly that the rest of us, and I would rather not pull both boys in the trailer.

Yesterday, the children and I went on a ride to the car wash to say hello to Luis who was down there. Thanks to the nice low center bar on Roxy, I did not even have to change out of my summer skirt to ride down there. I felt so June Cleaver-ish!

A while back, I said that something common has low value. I was thinking about this again recently while in my garden.

It is the time of year to pull the dandelions and wild carrot out of my flower beds again. They are not bad flowers; in the right arrangement they can be quite pretty. The bright yellow dandelion is a spot of color after a tough winter. The huge umbels of wild carrot (or Queen Anne's lace) are lovely in a floral arrangement. The only problem is the flowers are too common, too abundant. The little peeps of color of a violet come at the same time as dandelions, but they are more valued because they do not spread as easily. The flowers of a dill plant are quite similar to the wild carrot, yet I plant the dill as I rip out the other.

I never rip the dandelion out of my yard because they are pretty and I do not mind the children picking masses of them for bouquets. I do try to get the flowers picked or mowed before they go to seed, though. As for wild carrot, it is insidious. I pick it willingly knowing that there is enough of it around that I'll never get it all. I do stick it into a few floral arrangements every year too. Just to show that common does not mean pretty.

I am living on the edge this spring day. I am ignoring the clouds and hanging laundry up outside. Rain drops, hold off until this evening please!

My last post mentioned how I love the domestic arts. I really do. There is something so satisfying about keeping a home for my family. I enjoy focusing on the various tasks around the house.

Ironing is not something I find to be a chore. I enjoy the repetitive actions of it. It is refreshing to have a job that is so clearly finished. The shirt starts out wrinkled and with each pass of the hot iron, the fabric smooths.

Cooking, as you know if you have read my blog at all, is one of my passions. I revel in it. It melts away my stress. The other day I was hit with a stunning migraine. I had not had one like that in over a decade. After time in a dark room and some medication, I was feeling a bit better, but it was not until I started dinner that I could feel the last of the migraine go. Standing there over the cutting board, creating matchsticks out of the carrots for egg rolls, mincing the onion for the fried rice, I could feel the layers of the headache peel away until I was refreshed. Mixing up scones, forming breads, the culinary arts are an escape for me. When cooking or baking, I have to focus on what I am doing or risk ruination of the food. It is living in the moment.

Gardening is peaceful. Outside with the sun shining down or the breeze ruffling by, hand digging in the dirt, I am connected with the earth, helping provide foods for my family.

Even mundane chores like laundry and sweeping are enjoyable for me. They are repetitive, simple, freeing. It is like knitting stockingette stitch in the round - simple tasks to occupy the hands while the mind roams free.

Now, life being as it is, I do not always have the time to be the homekeeper that I want to be, which can be stressful, but for me, most of the time, the domestic arts truly are a pleasure.

Another day of rain here means no homeschool gym for us today. Instead, it is an afternoon to warm a mama's heart. Isabella learned how to shape a baguette properly and did a stellar job for a child. Now the girls are camped out with two of my cookbooks trying to decide what type of cookies they should make. At least they started off talking about cookies. I hear them mentioning pies and sticky buns at the moment, so we will see what they end up doing.

After the baking is done, I think the sewing machine will come out so that Abigail can make some bag holders she promised relatives. She is excited about her developing sewing skills.

I love the domestic arts, so it makes me happy to pass the skills on.

I have been photographing the children lately. I have not been able to capture an image of Isabella to match with the rest of the set yet, but hopefully I can soon.

The weather was raining today, so we are hoping that April showers bring May flowers holds true soon. Yesterday, though, we were able to work outside and in the gardens. The compost piles have been sifted through and turned for the spring, with wonderful rich compost spread over the garden beds. We had so much ready this year that some went into the outdoor chicken run. The chickies have been having a field day scratching through it for insects and treats.


Simon is getting the hang of walking on the uneven ground outside finally. At first the vastness of the outdoors seemed to scare him, but now he is enjoying being out there. He complains if the older children are out and he cannot go as well. I am hoping he will not have his older brother's love of eating dirt, sticks and rocks.


When I was clearing the leaves out of the front flower bed, I was thrilled to spot countless ladybugs under them. After seeing nothing but Japanese beetles in recent years, or so it feels like, the plethora of ladybugs was fabulous.

Breezes play melodies of light on petals
Each note calling to birds, bees, and lady bugs to linger awhile
Drink in the nectar and radiance of spring.
~ excerpt from Promise of Spring by Ann Winter

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. ~ John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton

The situation in Texas with the fundamentalist LDS church reminded me of this quote. I find it can be applied to all sides of the evolving struggle.

Polygamy, when all parties enter into it freely and with full awareness, is no one's business but that of the the people involved. Period. Polygamy is not the issue here.

Abuse is never acceptable. Unfortunately, the church sects that practice spiritual polygamy also are structured in a way to give absolute power to some members, the men. There are some men who can embrace what they see as the right religious path, a fundamentalist religion the embraces spiritual polygamy, without entering enter the realm of abuse of power. These men and the women who freely consent to this life should be left alone to live their lives and raise their families.

The problem is the men who become corrupted by the power given to them by their religious path. They may start out with noble and wonderful intentions, but along the line, they become corrupted by power. Forced marriages? Not acceptable in our country. Underage marriages? Not acceptable in our country. Any sort of abuse - physical, verbal, emotional or the other kind (that I do not want to type out because I do not want my blog to pop up in a google search for that term)? Not acceptable in our country.

The problem is also in the people in the government who are corrupted by power. Do they have documented evidence of abuse? What right do they have to forcibly remove and separate over four hundred children from the only life they know? If they have documented, clear cases of abuse, they have every right to do so. But do they have the evidence? This mysterious girl, their informant, is no where to be found. What right do they have to lie in order to separate children from their mothers? Do they have evidence the mothers are abusing these children? If so, why return the mothers to their home or offer these women places in battered women's shelters? If not, why separate them? Why only separate mothers of children over age 5? What is so special about that arbitrary age? If the mothers should not be with the children, if there is a real reason for the separation, why can the mothers of younger children stay? Does the government have evidence to back up its claims of abuse or are the official becoming corrupted by power and using this power in a Nazi-esque display of power that should never happen in our country?

Finally, the media. Absolute power is given to the media in our society and it has corrupted. What is the real story here? It is a story of possible abuse on a large scale or is it is story of religious and personal expression? These people have every right to dress how they see fit. There are many women in this nation who wear dresses and have long hair for religious reasons who are not members of this sect. There are countless women who wear dresses and have long hair for other reasons too. Raising children in a strongly religious home or without TV or in an intentional community is not the story here. These people are not automatically guilty because they are living and raising families in a way that is outside the mainstream in our country. Report on the real story - the allegation of abuse, the lack of proof given to this point and the violations of civil liberties of the people involved in the debacle.

If it emerges that there was a large scale pattern of abuse in this community, then the government will have acted correctly in stepping in, but I will still question the treatment of the women and children removed from the community. If concrete evidence of abuse does not exist, it will not actually matter because of the way the media has handled the situation. These people are now guilty of something, anything, in the minds of much of the American public simply because of the way the mainstream national media has handled the situation.

There are few things as sweet as a baby giggling in his sleep.

The snowdrops and crocus are up, finally. Winter is holding on hard this year. Other springs, we have had daffodils by now. I am always so happy to see the little spots of color in the flowerbeds. When I was out taking photos the other day, I smiled to see the determination of spring's flowers. The crocus obviously was under too many leaves, so it grew straight threw a hole in one of them.

Oh there are so many wonderful quotes about spring, I hardly know which to use. The first for its beauty, the second for its humor and the third for its truth:

“The splendor of the rose and the whitness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its lovliness.” ~ Therese of Lisieux

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.” ~ Doug Larson

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.” ~ Henry Van Dyke

Have you heard? The country is facing recession! Ack! Ack! The sky is falling! Check out the blaring headlines and listen to the news stories!

Bleh.

Why is it when the people who study these things ask people in the US about their opinion of the economy, many people say that we are facing economic downturn BUT when asked about their own personal finances, things are peachy keen jelly bean? Seriously, I was reading up on this phenomenon recently. People are worried for the economy in record numbers, going back to 1993 rates. However, the same people's personal finances are doing just fine and they are not facing any issues in their work or housing. Where is the economic downturn? Where? The media talks about it constantly, but if things are as bad as they are saying, more people in the US should be seeing more difficulty in personal finances.

The media has a lot to answer for. Sensationalism and hype have replaced accurate recording of facts. News morphed into news and commentary which morphed into commentary with a little bit of news tacked on.

I am sick of it.

Between TV, radio, internet, newspapers and magazines, people can mainline news all day long. The glut leads the news anchors to talk, talk, talk, crossing the line from reporting to commentating. Turn it off. My request for the media: Get back to straight news in reasonable amounts. Turn off the live news feeds, figure out what the actual story is before reporting on it. Relearn to the fundamentals of journalism and apply them.

I read something today that totally resonated with me. It was the motto of the Kitchen Sisters, who are featured on NPR.

Talk with strangers.
Especially strangers bearing produce.

As we approach farmers market season, I plan on taking this advice to heart. Go visit your farmers markets and do the same! I am anxiously awaiting our farmers market open date. I thought I stocked up on enough of Noel's Huckleberry Jam to last all winter, but alas we ran out a month ago.
I was reading another article on NPR's website this morning. I love their food section. The article was about gourmet cooking with items from the dollar store. You can read it here. Who knew I was cutting edge?

I enjoyed reading about the revelation of food shopping at the dollar store. We may not shop at an official dollar store (I do not think I have ever been in one, to tell the truth), but I do hit the local bargain store every week for groceries. It is my go-to place for cereals and refried beans. I know that I can find organic salad dressing there for $1 or less, coconut milk for 35 or 65 cents, Annie's macaroni and cheese for 35 cents, Fruitabu for 10 cents. The range of organic foods can vary greatly, but if I am willing to look, it is surprising what I can find. Just yesterday I picked up organic microwave popcorn for $1.25 (no, we did not buy a microwave, Vincent likes it for art class), organic chips for 75 cents, Kashi cereal for $1.75, homeopathics for $1, and a small bottle of olive oil for $1.75. I have to take a minute to check dates, but the bargains are fantastic. Once I bought a bottle of 12 year old balsamic vinegar for $2, and I pay only $7 for a gallon of olive oil.

I have a friend who jokes that there are two types of people who shop the bargain store. There are the ones simply looking for standard american diet foods at a lower price and then there are the foodies who know what a great bargain those Mi-Del gingersnaps and balsamic vinegar are and who know what to do with oyster sauce or that coconut milk.

I do take issue with their statement that it is difficult to make a three course meal for a family of four for less than $20. If using convenience foods, sure it could be tricky. However, a three course meal made from scratch for a family of six usually costs me less than $10, $15 tops if we are having something pricey. Flour, sugar, eggs, seasonal vegetables, meat bought in bulk are not that expensive, even organic. However, you have to know how to cook them. I abhor the loss of cooking skills in our country, but that is an entirely different post.

Welcome to double digits, peanut butter! I love the young woman you are growing to be.
As for you, my darling baby boy, I swore that I would savor every stage of your babyhood, knowing how fleeting it would be. Still, I cannot believe how time has flown and that it has already been a year.
Happy birthday to my birthday buddies! May you celebrate many more together though the decades.

Just a preface ~ Whooo boy, did I ever ramble tonight! Seriously, this one came out of left field and it not at all what I sat down here to type. The fingers have minds of their own sometimes.

I was reading an article this evening about the global spread of the English language. I had not thought about that more than in passing before. Sure, it registered that English was being taught in schools around the world, from dusty barely equipped schools in Ghana to elite academies in Hong Kong. I had never stopped to consider the ramifications of this though.

Apparently no other language ever has dominated the world like this. In countries like India and China, the population is starting to consider knowledge of English a basic skill rather than foreign language learning. Really. A basic skill for people in Asia. That blew my mind. The flip side is the implications for people in native English speaking countries. Are we at a disadvantage because so many of our people do not speak 2,3,4,5 languages, even haltingly?

Many in the US, too many, have a superiority complex with language skills that is completely unwarranted. I know people who get upset about immigrants who do not possess excellent English skills. This makes me shake my head in frustration. That immigrant who is being mocked by the US citizen is making an effort to learn a second (or third or fourth) language. The number of adults I know who possess even halting language skills in a second language is minuscule. The average US attitude towards languages is egotistical and absurd. As English becomes more common in the global community, it will be even easier for native English speakers to communicate anywhere, but at what price? Something common has low status.

One of my goals for this year was to become proficient in Spanish again. After tonights reading and giant tangential leaps, my desire has redoubled. Maybe I will think about boning up on my German too.

Random thoughts on a Friday evening

~ Giving away clothing because it is too big is a wonderful feeling.

~ Giving away your children's clothing because it is too small is bittersweet.

~ Can you feel Spring? I can. It is in the starting gates, chomping at the bit waiting for those gates to open.

~ I adore the Habitat for Humanity Restore. It may be hit or miss, but I can find some lovely things there and feel good about supporting a good cause. If only there was one closer to me.

~ There are far too many recipes for chocolate cake out there. I am trying to find one that I had saved somewhere for a bittersweet chocolate buttermilk cake with a chocolate and mascarpone frosting. Where could I have put it? I need a chocolate cake for the party tomorrow and I want to make this one. It seems like I can find every recipe but this one.

~ Two more weeks until I can start my seedlings for the vegetable garden. Two! Hurray! Itty bitty broccoli and tiny tomato plants! Little basils stretching to the lights next to diminutive pepper plants. I have been reading the Jung's catalog, but I keep changing my varieties. Decisions, decisions.

~ I made some bread earlier this week that was out of this world good. I might still be working on my rye techniques, but wow, the sourdough baguettes I am making these days are on par with anything I have ever purchased from an artisan bakery. My father-in-law requested that I make him some Cuban bread, which made me feel fantastic.

~ I wish the family was more adventurous with their palates. I have been playing around with non-Italian Mediterranean and Indian foods, but the only one who really likes them is me. Sure I will cook for myself, but it takes the fun out of it. I truly enjoy cooking for others. At least the kids are enjoying fried sweet potato chunks when they would not eat sweet potato before. Luis likes some of the Indian dishes, but mostly prefers pasta dishes with simple butter/wine/garlic sauces and meat of some sort. And his eggs. That man can eat eggs more often than anyone I know.

Winter has been over the top this year. Someone told me that this is the most snow we have received here and the most snowfalls we have had since people starting keeping track of these conditions. There has been so much ice that it has been dangerous to shovel the snow off of sidewalks in places because the grit of the snow preserved a little traction. The kids and I walk many places downtown, and I am tired of wading through slushy puddles and snowdrifts, tired of wet cuffs on my pants and the cold shock of snow getting into my shoes when the drift was higher than anticipated.

One thing I am not tired of though is the beauty of the snow. We had yet another snowfall late this afternoon and evening. Huge fluffy flakes floating down to coat the granular snowbanks. The tree branches are coated with sticky, fluffy snow shining in the moonlight. I should be bored to death of snow. Instead, I was reaching for my camera a little while ago to try to capture an image of the snowy trees in the night.

There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself. ~Ruth Stout

I know spring is coming; I can feel it in my bones and in the energy of the earth. I know that there cannot be too many more of these snowfalls coming. So I will savor these even as I am tired of them. Even as I curse the slush and heating bills, I will enjoy the beauty and the time that they give me for quiet reflection. This winter has kept us shut in more than usual, hibernating. Is that really such a bad thing?

Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius. ~Pietro Aretino

Not even a year and he is walking already!



















Of course, crawling is still easier...